Romani greetings: hello, thank you and I love you
How to greet people, say thank you and goodbye, and tell someone you love them in North Central Romani (Slovak Romani). Every phrase comes from the Čiriklo course and has an English translation.
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Hello in Romani
The most common greeting is Lačho ďives!, literally “good day”; people use it in the morning too. Among friends you can simply say Servus!
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| Lačho ďives! / Lačho džives! | Hello! / Good day!The most common greeting. In eastern Slovakia it is pronounced lačho džives. |
| Servus! | Hi!An informal greeting between friends. |
| Lačho tosara! | Good morning!Tosara means morning. But people often greet each other with Lačho ďives! in the morning too. |
| Lačhi rat! | Good night!Rat (night) is feminine, which is why it is lačhi, not lačho. |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Lačho ďives, Romale! | Good day, Roma! |
| Lačho tosara, phrala! | Good morning, brother! |
| Lačhi rat, daje! | Good night, Mum! |
How are you? – Fine, thank you
Ask Sar sal? to one person you know well, and Sar san? to several people or to someone you address formally. The usual answer is Mištes, paľikerav. – “Fine, thank you.”
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| Sar sal? | How are you? (to one person, informal)Asked of one person you address informally. |
| Sar san? | How are you? (to several people, or formal)When you are talking to more than one person, or speaking formally. |
| Mištes. / Lačhes. | Fine.You can just as well say Lačhes. |
| A tu? | And you? |
| Tiž mištes. | Fine too. |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Servus, sar sal? | Hi, how are you? (to one person, informal) |
| Mištes, paľikerav. A tu? | Fine, thank you. And you? |
| Tiž mištes, paľikerav. | Fine too, thank you. |
| Lačho ďives, sar san? | Good day, how are you? (to several people, or formal) |
Informal and formal “you”
Like Czech and many other European languages, Romani has an informal and a formal “you”. To a friend you say Sar sal? (How are you?); to several people, or to someone you address formally, Sar san? (How are you?). By tradition, an older person uses the informal form with a younger one, and a younger person the formal form with an older one.
Thank you in Romani
“Thank you” is Paľikerav, and Paľikerav tuke is “thank you” said to one person. The answer is Nane vaš soske – “you’re welcome”. When you ask for something, say Mangav tut – “please”.
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| Paľikerav. | Thank you. |
| Paľikerav tuke. | Thank you. (to one person, informal) |
| Nane vaš soske. | You’re welcome. |
| Mangav tut. | Please. (to one person, informal)When you are asking for something. |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Mištes, paľikerav. | Fine, thank you. |
| Na, paľikerav. | No, thank you. |
| Paľikerav tuke, daje! | Thank you, Mum! |
Goodbye in Romani
Roma say goodbye “with God”, and the words depend on who is leaving and who is staying.
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| Ačh Devleha! | Goodbye! (said by the person who leaves; literally “Stay with God”)A farewell. It is said by the person who is leaving to the person who stays. |
| Dža Devleha! | Goodbye! (answer to the person who leaves; literally “Go with God”)The reply to a farewell – you wish it to the person who is leaving. |
| Džan Devleha! | Goodbye! (answer to several people who leave; literally “Go with God”)When more than one person is leaving. |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Ačh Devleha, pheňe! | Goodbye, sister! (said by the person who leaves; literally “Stay with God”) |
| Dža Devleha, phrala! | Goodbye, brother! (answer to the person who leaves; literally “Go with God”) |
Farewells with God
The person who is leaving says goodbye to the one who stays: Ačh Devleha! (literally “Stay with God!”). The other replies: Dža Devleha! (“Go with God!”). To several people you say Ačhen Devleha! and Džan Devleha!
Wishing luck and health
A wish for happiness or health is a popular greeting and farewell.
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| Te aves bachtalo! | Be happy! (to a man)A wish to a man or a boy. To a woman you say Te aves bachtaľi! |
| Te aven bachtale! | Be happy! (to several people)A greeting and a wish to more than one person. |
| Te aves sasto! | Stay healthy! (to a man)To a woman you say Te aves sasťi! |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Te aves bachtaľi! | Be happy! (to a woman) |
| Te aves bachtalo the sasto! | Be happy and healthy! (to a man) |
Wishing happiness
A popular greeting – and farewell – is a wish for happiness and luck: Te aves bachtalo! (to a man), Te aves bachtaľi! (to a woman), Te aven bachtale! (to several people).
To your health
Wishing someone good health is one of the most common wishes: Te aves sasto! (to a man), Te aves sasťi! (to a woman). Health is sasťipen.
I love you in Romani
“I love you” is Kamav tut. The verb kamav means both “I want” and “I like, I love”, so the same phrase also says “I like you”.
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| Kamav tut. | I love you. |
| kamav | I wantMeans both “I want” and “I like”. |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Kamav tut, daje. | I love you, Mum. |
| Kamav o ňilaj. | I like summer. |
Want + verb
Kamav means both I want and I like. It is linked to another verb with the word te: Kamav te chal. – I want to eat.
Yes and no
“Yes” is He and “no” is Na.
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| He. / Hi. / Ha. | Yes.You may also hear hi or ha. |
| Na. | No. |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| He, mištes. | Yes, fine. |
Pronounce it right
Many greetings contain aspirated sounds. Read more about the Romani alphabet and pronunciation.
Aspirated consonants
The sounds čh, kh, ph and th are said with a short puff of breath (like the p in English pin), while plain č, k, p and t have none (like the p in spin). The difference changes the meaning: kher is house, but ker! means do it! Say the č in lačho (good) with a puff of breath, too.
More about Romani
- Numbers in Romani
- Family words in Romani
- Romani alphabet and pronunciation
- Romani grammar basics
- 73 Romani phrases for beginners
- How to learn Romani
- Romani dialects
Learn it with Čiriklo
Most of these words come from unit 1, “Greetings”, of the free app Čiriklo. In the app you hear every word and sentence – also slowed down – and practise it in short lessons. The app’s explanations are in Czech.
Free · iPhone with iOS 17.0 or later
Android: in testing on Google Play, coming soon
Thanks! We will e-mail you when Čiriklo is on Google Play.
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