LinguaThree greetings divide the day
おはようございます until about ten in the morning, こんにちは through the middle of the day, こんばんは once it is dark. There is no all-purpose greeting: the hour decides, and using the wrong one is the sort of small mistake that is noticed and forgiven immediately. Note that only the first has a short form, おはよう, and it is for people you are close to.
| Greeting | When | Short form |
|---|---|---|
| おはようございます | morning, until about ten | おはよう |
| こんにちは | the middle of the day | none |
| こんばんは | after dark | none |
| おやすみなさい | only on parting for the night | おやすみ |
Parting has its own words
さようなら is a full goodbye and heavier than it looks: between colleagues who will meet tomorrow it sounds oddly final, and a schoolchild says it to a teacher rather than to a friend. Everyday partings use またあした, またらいしゅう, or simply じゃあ. おやすみなさい is not a greeting at all – it is said only when the two of you are separating for the night.
おはようございます、せんせいGood morning, teacher.
じゃあ、またあしたWell then, see you tomorrow.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| おはようございます | good morning | おはようございます、せんせい Good morning, teacher. |
| こんにちは | hello | こんにちは、いいてんきですね Hello, the weather is fine, isn't it? |
| こんばんは | good evening | こんばんは、いいよるですね Good evening, a fine night, isn't it? |
| さようなら | goodbye | さようなら、またらいしゅう Goodbye, see you next week. |
| おやすみなさい | good night | おやすみなさい、またあした Good night, see you tomorrow. |
| またあした | see you tomorrow | じゃあ、またあした Well then, see you tomorrow. |
| げんき | well, in good spirits | わたしはとてもげんきです I am very well. |
| はい | yes | はい、そうです Yes, that is so. |
| いいえ | no | いいえ、ちがいます No, that is not right. |
| じゃあ | well then | じゃあ、いきましょう Well then, let us go. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 2
- translate the sentence: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
It is eight in the morning and you meet your teacher in the corridor. What do you say?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.