19.02.24: Greeting people, asking how they are and saying how you feel

Latin, like other languages, can have different ways of expressing the same idea. When learning, do not try to memorise everything at once; focus on one way of saying what you want to say and be able to recognise the others. That way, you will be able to express yourself quickly and not have to grapple with too much information at the same time.

Saying hello:

[i] salvē (hello); [ii] salvus sīs / salva sīs

Both are terms of greeting or welcome but note that the second expression, literally meaning 'may you be well', changes depending on whether you are talking to somebody male [salvus sīs] or female [salva sīs].

Asking how somebody is feeling:

[i] Quid agis? [ii] Ut valēs? [iii] Ut tē habēs? [iv] Valēsne?

All of these expressions can be used to express ‘how are you?’; their actual translations differ a little from one another, but there is no need to go into detail now.

When talking to more than one person:

salvēte: hello

Quid agitis?: How are you? How are you (all) doing?

Answering the question:

Depending on how you feel, you can answer in different ways:

😊😊 optimē: great

😊😊 rēctē bene: very well

😊 bene mihi est; bene mē habeō; valeō: I’m well

😊😐 satis bene: ok (well enough)

😐 nōn / haud male: not bad

🙁 male: badly

🙁🙁 pessimē: very badly

Saying thank you:

[i] grātiās [ii] grātiās tibi [iii] grātiās tibi agō

All three expressions mean ‘thank you’. If you know Spanish or Italian, both of which are derived from Latin, you will recognise the word for ‘thanks’: gracias (Spanish) and grazie (Italian).

Saying good-bye:

👋 valē! Good-bye (talking to one person); salvus / salva sīs referred to above as a way of greeting can also be used to say good-bye

[i] tē cūrā! [ii] cūrā ut valeās! Take care of yourself.

👋 valēte! Good-bye (talking to more than one person)