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In the Hungarian language, there are several ways to greet a person or say goodbye (some of them might sound amusing at first hearing), and expressions differ depending on if they are used in an informal way (between friends) or in a more formal situation.
Szia/sziasztok
(see-yah/see-yah-stoke)
A friendly “hi” or “bye” to one person/to more than one person. Between friends this greeting form is often doubled up by saying “szia-szia”.
Jó reggelt/napot/estét
(yoh reg-gelt/nah-poht/esh-tet)
“Good morning/afternoon/evening” Hungarians use these expressions as formal ways of greeting at different times of day.
Jó éjszakát
(yoh ey-sa-kat)
“Good night” You can use this both in a formal or informal conversation.
Viszontlátásra
(vee-saunt-lah-tahs-ra)
“Goodbye” A formal term for farewell. In friendly company, you can simply say “szia”, as explained above.
Puszi
(poo-see)
“Kiss (on the cheek)” – so it’s not what you might have thought about first! Upon concluding a face-to-face meeting or a phone call, close friends simply use this word to say goodbye. If you perk up your ears, oftentimes you can hear “puszi” combined with “szia”, creating the phrase “szia-szia, puszi-puszi”.
Hogy vagy?
(hoj-dj vah-dj )
“How are you doing?” Right after greeting a friend, Hungarians usually ask about each other’s well being, which is oftentimes followed by a lengthy response, whether it’s good or bad, starting with:
Köszönöm, jól.
(keu-seu-neum yohl)
“I’m fine, thank you.” or
Nem jól.
(nem yohl)
“I’m not well.”