You have to start with greetings.

When you learn Latvian, knowing how to say “hello” and “goodbye” properly does more than just help you communicate. It shows respect for the culture and helps you make a great first impression with native speakers.

It’s also a necessary first step.

Latvian greetings have different words depending on the gender of the person you are talking to, and how well you know them.

I’ve broken this down into simple, manageable chunks so you can start speaking immediately.

Universal greetings vs. gendered greetings

In English, you just say “Hello” to everyone. In Latvian, we have a few more options.

The most safe and common way to say hello to a group of people, or when you want to be semi-informal, is Sveiki.

However, if you are greeting one specific person, Latvian grammar requires you to change the ending of the word based on their gender.

• Sveiks is used when greeting a male.
• Sveika is used when greeting a female.

These are friendly greetings. They aren’t extremely formal, but they are polite enough for acquaintances.

If you are speaking to close friends or family, you will hear the very popular informal greeting: Čau!

This comes from the Italian “Ciao”. It is very common among young people and friends.

Greetings for different times of the day

If you want to be more formal, or if you are speaking to a stranger (like a shop assistant or a business partner), it is better to use greetings related to the time of day.

Labdien is the “gold standard” of Latvian greetings. It literally means “Good day”.

You can use Labdien in almost any formal situation from late morning until the evening.

Here is a simple breakdown of time-specific greetings:

Note: Ar labunakti is only used when someone is actually going to sleep. You wouldn’t use it to say goodbye after a late dinner unless you are heading straight to bed!

Asking “How are you?”

Once you have said hello, the natural next step is to ask how things are going.

In Latvian, the most common phrase is Kā iet? (How is it going?).

However, just like with Spanish pronouns, Latvian distinguishes between formal and informal “you”.

• Tu (Informal singular “you”)
• Jūs (Formal “you” or plural “you”)

This changes the phrase slightly if you want to be specific.

Informal (friends/family):

Kā tev iet? (How is it going for you?)

Formal (strangers/elders/groups):

Kā jums iet? (How is it going for you?)

Here is a typical dialogue you might hear:

Common answers to Kā iet? include:

• Labi (Good)
• Ļoti labi (Very good)
• Normāli (Normal/Okay - Latvians use this a lot!)
• Ne pārāk labi (Not too good)

Saying goodbye in Latvian

Saying goodbye follows the same formal vs. informal rules as saying hello.

Formal Goodbye

The most standard way to say goodbye is Uz redzēšanos.

This phrase literally translates to “until seeing (each other again).” It is polite and works in every situation, from leaving a shop to saying goodbye to a teacher.

Informal Goodbye

Remember Čau? It is a magic word!

Just like in Italian, Čau works for both “Hi” and “Bye.”

Another very common informal goodbye is Atā. This sounds a bit like “a-ta” and is used very frequently among friends and family. It’s similar to saying “bye-bye” in English.

Wishing someone well

If you want to end a conversation on a positive note, you can say Visu labu.

This means “all the best.” It is a lovely, polite way to leave a conversation.

Essential polite phrases

To truly survive your first conversations, you need three “magic words”: Please, Thank you, and Excuse me.

1. Lūdzu (Please / You’re welcome)

Lūdzu is incredibly versatile. You use it when asking for something (“One coffee, please” = Vienu kafiju, lūdzu).

But, you also use it to say “you’re welcome” after someone thanks you.

2. Paldies (Thank you)

This is likely the most important word you will learn. Whether you are in a supermarket in Riga or visiting a friend’s house in the countryside, saying Paldies is essential.

3. Atvainojiet (Excuse me / Sorry)

Use this if you bump into someone or need to get someone’s attention. This is the formal version. If you are talking to a friend, you would say Piedod (Forgive me).

Let’s see these in a short conversation:

Summary

Latvian greetings may seem a little complex at first because of the gender endings (Sveiks vs Sveika) and the formal cases (Tev vs Jums), but you will get used to them very quickly.

Here is your quick checklist for starting out:

• Use Sveiki if you are unsure about gender or formalness.
• Use Labdien for business or strangers.
• Use Čau for friends.
• Always remember Paldies!

Start practicing these phrases today, and you will be ready for your first conversation in no time.