Kilo Lingo
Esperanto grammar Part of Chapter 1

CEFR A1

3 min read

Test yourself (29 questions)

Esperanto Greetings: Saluton, Dankon and Survival Phrases

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

You can hold a first conversation before you know any grammar. Greetings and courtesies are fixed phrases in every language: learn the ones below as whole things to say, and you can walk into a club, a video call or a congress this afternoon.

EsperantoEnglish
!Hello!
?How are you?
.Thank you.
.I do not understand.
!Bye!

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the right phrase for each situation. Read the meaning, then tap the Esperanto.

  1. Someone asks how you are and you feel fine. What do you say?

  2. You want to say 'How are you?'

  3. You didn't catch what someone said. How do you tell them?

New to the language itself? Is Esperanto easy to learn? covers what Esperanto is, and basic Esperanto phrases goes beyond greetings into a first trip.

Greetings

EsperantoEnglishWhen
!Hello, hiany time, anyone: learn this first
!Good morningthe morning
!Good daythe daytime
!Good eveningthe evening
!Good nightgoing to bed
!Goodbyeliterally: until the seeing-again
!Byethe short form most people say
Four panels of the same little house and garden: in the morning the sun has just risen above the horizon with an arrow pointing up; at midday a beaming sun sits high in the sky; in the evening an orange sun sinks into the horizon with an arrow pointing down; at night a sleepy crescent moon and stars shine over the lit-up house.
  1. !
  2. !
  3. !
  4. !

One greeting for each part of the day: only the middle word changes.

In a real exchange:

  • ! ? - Hello! How are you?
  • , . - Good day, sir.
  • ! - See you tomorrow!

means until, so is until tomorrow and is until we see each other again.

Getting by

EsperantoEnglish
?How are you?
, .Fine, thank you.
?And you?
?What is your name?
...My name is...
.I do not understand.
.I am a beginner.

Learn them in pairs, question with answer, so they arrive together:

  • ? - Berta. - What is your name? - My name is Berta.

is the most useful sentence a beginner owns: it asks the other person to slow down or try again instead of leaving them guessing. buys you patience from anyone you say it to.

Courtesies

EsperantoEnglishNote
.Thank you.one word, said as it looks
.Thank you very much.warmer
e.You are welcome.literally: not worth thanks
...Please (be so good as)before a
.Please (I ask).on its own, or after a request
.Sorry. / Excuse me.an apology, or to get past
. / .Yes. / No.

The two ways of saying please sit in different places:

  • . - Please come. ( + a verb in -i)
  • , . - That one, please. ( after the request)
Inside a bakery with a striped awning: a customer holding out a coin stands at the counter; behind it a smiling baker in a chef's hat; on the counter a big loaf of bread, a steaming cup of coffee and a till, with more bread on the shelves behind.
  1. , . !
  2. .

The customer asks with mi petas and thanks with dankon; the baker answers ne dankinde.

(literally forgive) covers a bump in a corridor and a real apology alike:

  • , . - Sorry, I do not understand.

Why saluton and dankon end in -n

Each greeting is the object of a verb nobody says: (I say) hello, (I wish you) a good day. Objects take the accusative -n, so:

object -nWhat do the colours mean?
bona tago (a good day) becomes the greeting bonan tagon
  • ! - Good day!
  • . - I wish you a good day.
  • ! - Thank you!

You do not need the rule to use the phrases. It simply means ! is the form everyone uses, and a bare ! sounds odd to an s ear.

A quiet promise for later

Once you learn how Esperanto builds words, these phrases come apart into pieces:

PhrasePiecesLiterally
edank- + -- + -eworthy of thanks
komenc- + -ant- + -oone who is beginning
- + vid- + -oa seeing-again

That is a treat for a later week. Today they are just things to say.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
! !greetings customarily take -n
!!the same -n
. .much thanks, not very thanks
? ?a calque: the set phrase is

What to do next

  1. Say ! ? aloud, then answer it yourself.
  2. Learn and by heart today.
  3. Then read word endings: the four letters behind every word on this page.

Practise: test yourself

Matching

0/5

Match each Esperanto phrase to what it means. These are the greetings and goodbyes.

Sort into groups

0/8

Sort each phrase by what it is for.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/6

Pick the right phrase for each situation. Read the meaning, then tap the Esperanto.

  1. Someone asks how you are and you feel fine. What do you say?

  2. You want to say 'How are you?'

  3. You didn't catch what someone said. How do you tell them?

  4. You want to explain that you are just starting out.

  5. You bump into someone and want to apologise.

  6. You want to ask someone's name.

Complete the story

0/5

Choose the phrase each gap needs.

Your first conversation

! Kiel vi fartas? - Bone, . Kaj vi? - Pardonu, mi ne . Mi estas komencanto. - , mi komprenas! Ĝis la revido! - !

Gap 1 of 5

Matching

0/5

Match each phrase to its meaning. These are the courtesies - the words that keep things friendly.

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Esperanto · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. Table 1
  3. Greetings
  4. Getting by
  5. Courtesies
  6. A quiet promise for later
  7. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

Related grammar

Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello in Esperanto?
. It works at any time of day, to one person or a room, to a friend or a stranger. For the time of day there are (good morning), (good day) and (good evening), but never puts a foot wrong. To say bye, ! is the short, friendly version and the fuller goodbye.
How do you say thank you in Esperanto?
, said as it looks: DAHN-kon. The reply is e, roughly not worth thanking, which is the Esperanto you are welcome. For warmer thanks, is thank you very much.
What is the most useful Esperanto phrase for a beginner?
, I do not understand. It keeps a conversation alive when everything else has fallen apart, because it asks the other person to slow down or try again. Close behind it is , I am a beginner, which quietly asks for patience and almost always gets it.
Why do and in -n?
Because each is the object of a verb nobody bothers to say: ( ) , ( ) , ( ) . The -n is the accusative, the ending that marks an object. You can use the phrases today without knowing that; the ending simply explains why becomes as a greeting.
Do I need to know grammar before I can speak Esperanto?
No. Every phrase on this page can be memorised as one unit and used correctly today, before you have learned a single ending. Greetings, thanks and apologies are fixed expressions in every language. The grammar opens up the rest of the language later; it is not a toll you pay before you may say hello.