salut / bună / bună ziua / bună seara

Greetings by Register

Level 1

In Romanian, the very first word you say establishes your relationship with the listener. Use Salut or Bună for friends, and Bună ziua or Bună seara for strangers and elders.

How It Works

To become confident with Romanian greetings, you need to know when to use each phrase based on the time of day and your relationship with the person.

Informal Greetings and Farewells (Friends, Family, Peers, Children)

  • Salut: Means "Hi" or "Hello." It can be used for both saying hello and saying goodbye. It is the standard informal greeting between men, though it can be used by anyone.
  • Bună: Also means "Hi" or "Hello," but it is strictly used for greeting someone, never for parting. It can be used by anyone in an informal setting.
  • Pa: Means "Bye." This is the standard informal way to say goodbye.
  • Ciao: Widely used as an informal "Bye" (and sometimes "Hi").
  • Servus: A regional informal greeting and farewell, especially common in Transylvania.

Formal Greetings and Farewells (Strangers, Elders, Service Workers, Professionals)

  • Bună dimineața: Means "Good morning." Used from early morning until around 12:00 PM (noon).
  • Bună ziua: Means "Good day" or "Good afternoon." This is the default daytime greeting. It takes over from "Good morning" relatively early and is used all the way until dusk. It is also very commonly used as a formal farewell (meaning "Have a good day").
  • Bună seara: Means "Good evening." Used after the sun starts setting. Like Bună ziua, it is also frequently used as a formal farewell.
  • La revedere: Means "Goodbye." This is the standard formal way to say goodbye.
  • O zi bună: Means "Have a good day." Used as a dedicated formal farewell during the day.
  • O seară bună: Means "Have a good evening." Used as a dedicated formal farewell during the evening.
  • Noapte bună: Means "Good night." Note that this is strictly used as a farewell when parting for the night or going to sleep, never as a greeting.

Grammar and Pronunciation Notes
The word bună is the feminine form of the adjective "good." It agrees with the feminine nouns dimineață (morning), zi (day), seară (evening), and noapte (night). In standard Romanian, adjectives usually follow the noun (Default Adjective Position), but in bună dimineața, bună ziua, and bună seara, the adjective comes first as an exception. These are established greeting formulas whose article placement should be learned with the whole phrase. Because of this, the literal translations are "Good the morning," "Good the day," and "Good the evening."

For example, zi becomes ziua. For seară and dimineață, the base words end in ă, and this final ă changes to a when the definite article is attached (becoming seara and dimineața). In contrast, Noapte bună drops the definite article (it is noapte, not noaptea) and reverts to the standard noun-first order, along with the dedicated farewells O zi bună (Have a good day) and O seară bună (Have a good evening).

Pay special attention to the letters with diacritics, specifically the difference between 'ă' and 'a' at the end of words, and the 'ț' in dimineața.

Examples (6)

  1. Salut, Andrei! Ce mai faci?

    Hi, Andrei! How are you?

    Word by Word: Hi, Andrei! What more you do?

    A casual greeting used with a friend. Notice that 'Salut' can be used by anyone, to anyone in an informal setting.

  2. Bună, Maria!

    Hi, Maria!

    Word by Word: Hi, Maria!

    Another casual greeting. Remember that unlike 'Salut', 'Bună' is only used when meeting someone, not when leaving.

  3. Bună dimineața! O cafea, vă rog.

    Good morning! A coffee, please.

    Word by Word: Good morning! A coffee, you I pray.

    A formal morning greeting used in the morning; the change to bună ziua is contextual rather than a fixed clock deadline. Notice that the adjective 'bună' comes before the noun as an exception.

  4. Bună ziua! Aș dori un bilet, vă rog.

    Good afternoon! I would like a ticket, please.

    Word by Word: Good day! I would desire a ticket, you I pray.

    A formal greeting used with a service worker (like a cashier). This is the standard polite greeting for most of the day.

  5. Bună seara, doamna Popescu.

    Good evening, Mrs. Popescu.

    Word by Word: Good evening, Mrs. Popescu.

    A formal greeting used later in the day with an elder or someone you address with a title.

  6. Noapte bună, ne vedem mâine!

    Good night, see you tomorrow!

    Word by Word: Night good, ourselves we see tomorrow!

    Used strictly as a farewell at the end of the day. Notice that it follows the standard rule where the noun comes before the adjective.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'Noapte bună' as a greeting late at night.

    Noapte bună! Mă bucur să te văd.
    Bună seara! Mă bucur să te văd.

    Learners often translate 'Good night' directly. However, in Romanian, 'Noapte bună' is strictly a parting phrase used when someone is going to sleep. If you are meeting someone late at night, you must use 'Bună seara'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

salut / bună / bună ziua / bună searaLevel 1Greetings by Register

Learn This First

To learn Romanian greetings, you need to understand the basic phonology (specifically the sound 'ă'), the concept of formal versus informal registers, and how adjectives like 'bună' agree with the nouns they modify.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

salutbună ziuabună seara