# Picking up the phone



## Zio Gilito

Hi everybody!
What do you say in your language when you pick up the phone? These are the ones I know:
*Español:* ¿Sí? (yes?)
*Aleman:* Hallo?
*Italiano:* Pronto?
*Francés:* Allô?


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## ilocas2

*Czech:* Haló? or Prosím?


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## Ottilie

*Romanian* : Da?/ Alo?
*Russian* : Да? Ало (але) . Da? /Alo(alyo?)


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## CaruraLeam

Moshi Moshi (Japanese)


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## chifladoporlosidiomas

In Spanish I say "diga(me)". 
Haitian kreyòl: alò
Korean: yeobeoseyo.


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## Tjahzi

*Swedish* has many different ways of answering the phone. One "traditional" way was simply to give ones name, or maybe even family name, maybe even without a preceeding "hello". In the age of mobile phones and personal phones/phone numbers, this has somewhat come out of use. As a result of this, answering simply with _Hej_ or _Hallå_ (_hi _and _hello_) is nowadays fairly acceptable. It was previously considered rude not to answer with ones name. 

I personally grew up answering the (family's) phone "Hej, det är Erik" - "Hello, it's Erik (speaking)". Having moved out, I nowadays always carry my mobile phone (which is my only phone, in fact landline phones are rapidly getting out of use) and answer it with a simple "_Hej_".


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## apmoy70

In Greek:
The most common expression one hears, is «εμπρός!» (emb'ros, _adv._)-->lit. _forward!_ or _proceed!_
«Ναι!» (ne, _adv._)-->_Yes!_ is also common.


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## Agró

Catalan: Digui.
Basque: Bai, esan.


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## sakvaka

I answer with my given name and add my surname if the caller is unknown. I think this is a common practice in *Finland*.


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## Aserolf

In Mexico we say: *Bueno* (Spanish)


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## jazyk

In Portuguese: alô, sim, pronto, fala (_speak_, very colloquial), etc.


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## Igel

In German: Hallo? Ja? Ja, bitte?
Using the surname is still quite common too.


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## Orlin

Bulgarian: Ало!/Alo! or Да, моля!/Da, molia!=Yes, please!


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## Zio Gilito

> In Spanish I say "diga(me)".


Good one! I had forgotten that.


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## anaczz

jazyk said:


> In Portuguese: alô, sim, pronto, fala (_speak_, very colloquial), etc.


In Portugal:
Tô
Estou
Estou sim


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## galaxy man

In Hungarian nowadays one is supposed to say his or her name, although not everybody does this. They rather stick to the older practice that has been in use since the mid-20th century -- a simple Hallo!

Prior to that, I am told, people often picked up the phone with a: Hallo, ki beszel? (Hello, who is speaking?). If this is true, then we seem to have come full circle: from not telling who is answering the phone, yet immediately inquiring about the caller, to politely volunteering our name and hoping for the best 

But, as others already noted, the mobile phones and caller IDs may make the entire ritual, and the old land lines, obsolete.


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## Rallino

In Turkish we say: 

*-Alo?*
or
*-Efendim?* (lit. Sir?)


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## confusednikki=)

In Filipino we say:

*-Hello? Sino ito?*
*or *
*-Hello?Sino po ito?  *(in a polite manner)


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## Akritas

apmoy70 said:


> In Greek:
> The most common expression one hears, is «εμπρός!» (emb'ros, _adv._)-->lit. _forward!_ or _proceed!_
> «Ναι!» (ne, _adv._)-->_Yes!_ is also common.


 
I would like to add 2 more expressions:
'παρακαλώ;' meaning 'please?'
'λέγετε;'  meaning 'speak?' (it is not as rude as it looks!)


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## Maroseika

*Russian *(only private calls are considered, right?):
Алло (Hallo) 
Да (Yes)
Слушаю (I'm listening)


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## ThomasK

Dutch: "[U spreekt] Met X" ([You are speaking to/] With X). You can use "hallo" but that is too informal. Only when the connection is interrupted, we shall say (shout, ...) : "Hallo ?"


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## Nizo

I have to admit, not many people answer their telephones using Esperanto   However, the traditional word is *halo!*, which is used in translations and is included in the most authoritative monolingual Esperanto dictionary as the normal response.

Someone try calling the Universala Esperanto-Asocio in Rotterdam and tell us what they say!


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## ThomasK

_*Saluton*_ in Esperanto, probably. They might say _*Halo*_ as well, I now hear, but they often begin... in their mother tongue, I was told.


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## Lars H

Tjahzi said:


> *Swedish* has many different ways of answering the phone



Not too long ago, many people answered by telling what number the caller had reached, but it was a while ago I heard that.

Today, when we normally can see who is calling, I deal with it like this:
Anonymous caller = *hallå*
Unknown number = first and family name
Known caller = first name, or just *hej*


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## federicoft

Zio Gilito said:


> *Italiano:* Pronto?



Just to split some hairs: _pronto!_ should actually sound as an exclamation, not a question, as it means "[I'm] ready!", to wich the other interlocutor also answers the same. In Italian, greetings and introductions are supposed to come after the estabilishment of the conversation.
Many, if not most people say it as it was a question anyway, probably because it is perceived to be more friendly, although there's no real semantic reason for that.


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## Geo.

Just as Lars H said of Sweden, above; in England in the '50s & '60s until possibly as late as 30 years ago, one answered the telephone by telling the calling party the number they had reached. (This was when name exchanges were still within common memory if not still in use). Thus, if MUNicipal 4147 were one's phone number, one replied 'Municipal four one four seven'. (I believe this may have grown out of the Pay On Answer phones, where the caller could hear the called party through the pips to indicate payment needed. It allowed the caller the option of depositing the money to connect the call if the correct party were reached, or to ring off if a wrong number had been dialled. All this might seem very primitive to-day, but it served a purpose in it's time, and was fairly standard ... although I don't know that everyone did it).


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