# I kiss your hand.



## Encolpius

I wonder which Slavic languages used in the past this Austrian greeting or maybe still use (I doubt). In Austrian German it is *Küssdiehand *and it was and it is still used in Hungarian, maybe older people can use it in Austria, too. 

Czech: Ruku líbám. 
Slovak: Ruky bozkávam. 
Polish: Całuję rączki. 

Thanks.


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## phosphore

Serbian: Ljubim ruke. (=I kiss the hand*s*.)

It sound rather funny now but it was in use before the WW2.


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## Orlin

Bulgarian: целувам ти ръка.


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## Awwal12

Russian: "целую ручку" /tsel*u*yu r*u*chku/
That seems to be close to the Polish variant.


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## Encolpius

I am a little bit surprised there is a Russian and Bulgaria expression. Is that only the literal translation or was that *greeting* used in Russia and Bulgaria in the past??? thanks.


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## Awwal12

> Is that only the literal translation or was that greeting used in Russia and Bulgaria in the past???


I can say nothing for Bulgaria, but in Russia it still will do as a final part of personal letter, something like that:
"Здравствуйте, дорогая Наталья Петровна!
(text)
Целую ручку,
искренне Ваш,
Иван Петрович Сидоров."


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## Orlin

I think that such a greeting was used in the past in Bulgaria and it is still used now but is definitely not common.


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## TriglavNationalPark

Slovenian: *Poljubljam roko.*


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## Christo Tamarin

Encolpius said:


> I am a little bit surprised there is a Russian and Bulgaria expression. Is that only the literal translation or was that *greeting* used in Russia and Bulgaria in the past??? thanks.


Unless to a lady by a gentleman, it expesses sub-ordination.


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## Encolpius

Wow, thank you so much for the very interesting Bulgarian and Russian comments. I just thought that type of greeting was exclusively used in the former Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy. Maybe I should open a new topic in All Languages.


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## Klara-06

In Slovak "ruky bozkavam" is still used in short form "bozkavam" especially, if children greet adults.


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## marco_2

In Poland we not only said *całuję rączki*, but we also did it


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## Encolpius

marco_2 said:


> In Poland we not only said *całuję rączki*, but we also did it



I think it was common in the whole Monarchy.


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## sokol

Encolpius said:


> I wonder which Slavic languages used in the past this Austrian greeting or maybe still use (I doubt). In Austrian German it is *Küssdiehand *and it was and it is still used in Hungarian, maybe older people can use it in Austria, too.


Just a minor correction - it is written "Küss die Hand".

Some older people indeed might use this still; however, it is predominantly used by gentlemen who try to be gallant, with an ironic side note.
So for example at a ball one might use "Küss die Hand" in a joking way, trying to be nice and funny, and at the same time still being gallant.

At the most prestigious ball in Austria, the _Opernball_, probably some people of the high society still use this in all earnest as a gentlemen's greeting - I'm not sure about that myself but I imagine this could be the case.

Also sometimes show-masters on TV use this greeting.
Note, you can only say "Küss die Hand", or you can indeed _*kiss*_ the hand. (A gentleman however will not quite touch the hand of the lady with his lips - so it is only a kiss "pretended"; only a snob will actually kiss the hand, probably even with a disgusting smacking sound.)

Anyway, the greeting is only reserved for very special occasions.


Encolpius said:


> I think it was common in the whole Monarchy.


I'm sure it was, and I'm also sure it was pretty common outside the Habsburg Monarchy (probably was taken over from French etiquette?! not sure myself about that ;-).


But that just for background; let's return to its use in Slavic languages.


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## vianie

Encolpius said:


> Czech: Ruku líbám.
> Slovak: Ruky bozkávam.



Yet in 19th century Slovak brightly used both, "bozkávať" and "ľúbať", and it not only in carpet-knight phrases.


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## Encolpius

TriglavNationalPark said:


> Slovenian: *Poljubljam roko.*



Was it not Ljubim roko? I know ljubiti means now to love...but earlier?



A couple of years ago we have come to the conclusion in this topic that the greeting (which I think did exist in English) I kiss your hand, Madame exists in all Slavic languages. Of course Austrians (and Hungarians) said Küss die Hand, too. Did gentleman use that greeting in the past in your country and how was the translation? I wonder if I will get at least two answers.  Thanks, anyway.


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## apmoy70

In Greek it goes like this:
«Ἀσπάζομαι τὴν δεξιὰν σας, Μαντάμ» 
[a'spazome tin ðeksi'an sas ma'dam]
lit. "I kiss your right (hand is omitted), madame"

I've also read «Σᾶς φιλῶ τὴν χεῖρα, Μαντάμ»
[sas fi'lo tin çira ma'dam]
lit. "I kiss your hand, madame"
If the woman receiving the greeting was a younger one, then "madame" was replaced by «δεσποινίς» [ðespi'nis] (fem.) --> _mademoiselle, miss_, _the_ _unmarried woman in general_ 
The former is more formal than the latter.
The language is katharevousa


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## TriglavNationalPark

Encolpius said:


> Was it not Ljubim roko? I know ljubiti means now to love...but earlier?



SSKJ does indeed mention *ljubiti roko* as an example of the archaic meaning of *ljubiti*. Of course, the phrase itself is old-fashioned, but Google still finds more hits for *Poljubljam roko* than *Ljubim roko*.


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## LilianaB

Encolpius said:


> I wonder which Slavic languages used in the past this Austrian greeting or maybe still use (I doubt). In Austrian German it is *Küssdiehand *and it was and it is still used in Hungarian, maybe older people can use it in Austria, too.
> 
> Czech: Ruku líbám.
> Slovak: Ruky bozkávam.
> Polish: Całuję rączki.
> 
> Thanks.



Polish: całuję Pani dłoń, całuję Pani rękę. (that would be the original expression) Całuje rączki is lower class Polish (something you would say to a bar owner, or a woman selling geese in the market -- especially in the past -- I am not sure about the current situation), almost slang. (like the parts of working class Warsaw --Praga, Wola, especialy in 1920s-1940s). Maybe it was later accepted on a more general level as a kind of greeting. In Russian it is celuju vashe ruki. (spelled phonetically)


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## ahmedcowon

Here in Egypt (and may be some other Arab countries), "kissing woman's hand" is not exist in our culture, but we use the expression "I kiss your hand" to mean "I beg you" and you say it to a man or a woman

so, In Egyptian Arabic:
أبوس إيدك يا مدام [aboos eedik ya madaam] means "I beg you, Madame" but lit. "I kiss your hand, Madame"


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## marco_2

LilianaB said:


> Polish: całuję Pani dłoń, całuję Pani rękę. (that would be the original expression) Całuje rączki is lower class Polish (something you would say to a bar owner, or a woman selling geese in the market -- especially in the past -- I am not sure about the current situation), almost slang. (like the parts of working class Warsaw --Praga, Wola, especialy in 1920s-1940s).



The expression *Całuję rączki *(pronounced _cajirączki) _was typical for the ihabitants of Lvov (Lwów) and other Eastern Galician towns - it's probably not used any more.


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## LilianaB

I don't know, not as a general rule -- maybe some people did. I know exactly how my Lithuanian grandfather spoke when he met some Polish women (he spoke Polish quite well, just like all of them did there before 1940) He would never say anything like that. _Pozwoli Pani ze pocałuję w rękę_ (never _całuję rączki_. It sounds totally disrespectful and not serious at all. It is true that it was an absolute necessity for many people from those regions to kiss every woman's hand they met. I have in mind the generation born around 1900. It must have been similar in Lvov, although who knows.


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## sesperxes

Encolpius said:


> Wow, thank you so much for the very interesting Bulgarian and Russian comments. I just thought that type of greeting was exclusively used in the former Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy. Maybe I should open a new topic in All Languages.



What you call "an Austro-HUngarian greeting" was too (and sometime still is) a Western Europe greeting (at least from Italy to Portugal the custom of kissing woman's hands is part of our code of manners), that you can find even in Southern America.


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## Encolpius

Kissing hands and saying something, I think, are two different things. I am interested in the words! What did caballeros say *in Spanish*?


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## Bresca

In Spanish gentlemen said "Beso su mano" (I kiss Your hand") and even "A sus pies, Señora" (to Your feet, Madam") -where the capital letter means the pronoun of respect (Vi, Vous, Sie...) - and accompanied the sentence with a bow. Today in Spain it's steel used the second sentence, especially in protocolary situations.


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## Outsider

I don't think I've ever encoutered such an expression in Portuguese. It immediately makes me think of Mr. Alphonse (and Captain Bertorelli) from _Allo, allo_... which makes me wonder if the expression exists in French.


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## Encolpius

Bresca said:


> In Spanish gentlemen said "Beso su mano"...



 That's what we have been waiting for. And here is an interesting topic. Of course, by a Hungarian where this greeting is still a common standard......


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## sesperxes

Both Spanish greetings indicated by Bresca are very, very old-fashioned: you can find them in the dialogues of the plays of Lope de Vega, Calderón, Tirso  or Cervantes (XVI century) and as a written formula in letters, let's say, till the Fifties-Sixties of last century.
I remember that in the Army we were told that in case of having to salute Her Majesty the Queen or Their Highnesses the Pricesses, the formula "A sus pies" (to your feet) was compulsory but... we have only one queen and two princesses to use the greeting!
So, forget addressing to a Spanish gal with one of these formulas: if you use them, she'll think you're a freaky! 
Kezét csokol..ade!


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## Encolpius

sesperxes said:


> Both Spanish greetings indicated by Bresca are very, very old-fashioned:....



So what? I know it is old-fashioned in the West, while in the East from Turkey on it is quite common....and now don't get shocked....that greeting has been used let's say 50 years ago or so how children greeted their parents....in Hungary...even if the child was 50-year old.  and I can imagine it is still used in Turkey...


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