Telephone Greetings
Most languages have alternate greetings to be used over the telephone. In this case, the greeting is meant to confirm whether the person on the other line is present. The term "greeting" may also refer to a pre-recorded message replayed when the call cannot be answered.
In some cultures as the Brazilian one, giving personal names to strangers in the telephone is a commonly avoided practice (due to the regularity of faux kidnapping scams, as well various forms of civilian violence), so one is expected to neither give it nor ask for it, especially if the called is from a background of middle or high income. In others, such as the German and the Dutch, it is generally given before it could be solicitated.
| Country/Language | Owner answers phone | Caller's response |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | ¿Hola? | |
| Belgium and The Netherlands | using first and family name, sometimes only the first or family name is used. | Hallo met "name of caller" |
| Brazil | Alô? Oi? Sim? Pronto. (Residência/casa de família, a residence) Bom dia/boa tarde/boa noite, quem deseja? (both residences and shops) |
Quem fala? Quem está falando? Com quem falo? Quero falar com (called). Oi, sou (quem chamou, caller), posso falar com (quem desejo, called)? Olá, eu sou (caller), poderia me comunicar com (called) por favor? |
| Canadian French | Oui? Allô? | Bonjour! C'est (appelant, caller) puis-je parler à (appelé, called) s'il vous plait? |
| Chile | ¿Aló? | |
| China/Hong Kong | Wei? / 喂? | |
| Catalan | Digui? | |
| Finland | Haloo? | |
| France | Allô? | |
| Germany | using family name, often with first name | |
| Hungary | Halló, jónapot kívánok! | Halló, tessék! |
| Iceland | Halló? | |
| India | Hello | |
| Iran | Alo. Baleh? |
|
| Israel | Shalom. | |
| Italy | Pronto. Chi parla? | Pronto. Sono (chiamante, caller), parlo con (chiamato, called)? |
| Japan | Moshi moshi / もしもし Hai / はい |
Dochirasama desuka? / どちら様ですか？ Dare desuka? / 誰ですか？ |
| Khmer | Allô? | Joum Reap Suor! |
| Korea | Yeoboseyo? / 여보세요? | Nuguseyo? / 누구세요? |
| Malta | Hello? | Min hemm fuq il-linja? |
| Mexico | Bueno. | ¿Con quien hablo? |
| Mongolia | Сайн байна уу? | Сайн, сайн байна уу? |
| Paraguay | Hola. | Hola. ¿Con quien hablo? |
| Poland | Słucham. Halo? |
|
| Portugal | Está? | Quem fala? |
| Romania | Alo? | Cine e? |
| Russia | Алло (Да) | Алло |
| Sindhi | Bhalee karey aayaa. | |
| Spain | Diga/Dígame. | |
| Turkey | Alo? (Efendim?) | Kiminle görüşüyorum? |
| Venezuela | ¿Aló? | ¿Quien habla? |
| Vietnam | A-lo? |
Read more about this topic: Greeting
Famous quotes containing the word telephone:
“In the United States all business not transacted over the telephone is accomplished in conjunction with alcohol or food, often under conditions of advanced intoxication. This is a fact of the utmost importance for the visitor of limited funds ... for it means that the most expensive restaurants are, with rare exceptions, the worst.”
—John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908)
“Men will not give up their privilege of helplessness without a struggle. The average man has a carefully cultivated ignorance about household matters—from what to do with the crumbs to the grocer’s telephone number—a sort of cheerful inefficiency which protects him better than the reputation for having a violent temper.”
—Crystal Eastman (1881–1928)