This is something which I think is important, but is never ever taught in language classes. You're at home, the phone rings, you pick it up and say...?
In English-speaking countries, it's "Hello?" (Derived from the German "hallo"; It was actually imported into English specifically for use as a telephone greeting. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, preferred to say "hoy hoy" but the public thought "hello" was better.)
In four years of Spanish in high school and one-and-a-half more in college, this sort of thing was never even mentioned. All I know is that when I worked at Pizza Hut, there were several Mexicans working there and if they ever got a phone call, they answered "¿Bueno?"
So what's the equivalent word/phrase in your language?
Useless trivia: years ago I heard on a show ("Dateline" or something like it) that there's a rural northwestern town, I think in Idaho or Montana, where the people say "heaveno" instead, because they find it much more pleasant than hello.
Josh Lalonde
I just say "hello". In French around here, it's 'allo', which I expect was also borrowed for the purpose of answering the phone, since it's essentially only used for that.
Deborah
I also heard "Dígame" from a Mexican I lived with.
Uriel
I just say "Hello?" Even if I know who it is, thanks to caller ID. A lot of people see the name pop up and greet you by name, or just launch into conversation without any preliminaries, but I think that's weird,. for some reason. (True, so is faking ignorance. I don't know why I think that's more polite. Habit, I guess -- I spent most of my life wiuthout caller ID).
I hear "bueno" too -- usually without the B -- but I have yet to hear an actual "digame".
In Japan, people said "moshi moshi" Pronounced "mushy-muSHEE". A lot of Americans picked it up as a mild joke.
Yelina
When I called someone in Spain few years ago, the person said "venga".
In China (if I'm not mistaking) they say "gui".
As far as I'm concerned, I always say "allô".
Walker
Bashar wrote:
So what's the equivalent word/phrase in your language?
There are different phrases. For example:
-Walker.
-Yes, it's Walker.
-Yes, hello?
-Yes, hello, it's Walker.
Deborah
Uriel wrote:
I hear "bueno" too -- usually without the B -- but I have yet to hear an actual "digame".
This guy conducted a lot of business on the phone, so maybe he had caller ID and every time he said "digame", he had just received a follow-up call. I'll have to ask him next time I see him (don't hold your breath for the answer).
Almost all the Russians I've known have said the Russion version of "allo", which has a palatalized L sound. The one exception says "da" (yes), and she lives in the US. I think I may be the only American she knows, so she figures everyone who calls her speaks Russian or at least understands "da".
My grandmother, who was from Texas, used to say a very nasal "nnnyallo".
I just use "hello", unless I've had to answer the phone a lot at work that day. Then I'll find myself answering the phone at home with "Word Processing. This is Deborah", which usually befuddles the caller.
Julian
Uriel wrote:
I hear "bueno" too -- usually without the B -- but I have yet to hear an actual "digame".
I think "¿Bueno?" is more common in Mexican households. My Cuban friend's mother answers with "Oigo". I've also heard "Dígame", "Diga", "Si", and "Haló".
Deborah
Uriel wrote:
I hear "bueno" too -- usually without the B -- but I have yet to hear an actual "digame".
Speak of the devil...the old novio just called me. I asked him how he answers the phone and he said "Bueno". I told him I was sure I'd heard him say "Digame" and he said "Oh, yeah, I say that too." Then he said you can say whatever you want, and spouted off a list of greetings, one of which sounded like "uenoooo?"
Funnily enough, he then told me that he remembered hearing some people in Texas answering the phone in a funny way, but he couldn't remember how. I impersonated my grandmother's "nnnyallo" and he said that was it.
Benjamin [inactive]
I usually say 'hello 1458?' — the last four numbers of my telephone number.
Porthos
Benjamin wrote:
I usually say 'hello 1458?' — the last four numbers of my telephone number.
That's strange. No one does that here. Is it common in Britain for people to answer the phone like that?
Benjamin [inactive]
Porthos wrote:
Benjamin wrote:
I usually say 'hello 1458?' — the last four numbers of my telephone number.
That's strange. No one does that here. Is it common in Britain for people to answer the phone like that?
Yes. Many people I know do anyway.
Porthos
Benjamin wrote:
Porthos wrote:
Benjamin wrote:
I usually say 'hello 1458?' — the last four numbers of my telephone number.
That's strange. No one does that here. Is it common in Britain for people to answer the phone like that?
Yes. Many people I know do anyway.
So is it customary to say that as a courtesy, so that callers will know right off the bat that they have the right or wrong number? Do British people get pissed off if one would happen to have called the wrong number? And then why only the last four digits? If I called someone, and they answered like that, I would think I was in some sci-fi futuristic world, where everyone is assigned four digit codes for names!
Benjamin [inactive]
Porthos wrote:
So is it customary to say that as a courtesy, so that callers will know right off the bat that they have the right or wrong number?
I suppose so, yes. Not everyone does it though.
Porthos wrote:
Do British people get pissed off if one would happen to have called the wrong number?
Some people probably do. I don't really like the telephone — when it rings, it disturbs me from whatever I'm doing. If I'm doing something in my bedroom, then I have to leave whatever I'm doing and go downstairs to answer it — it's especially frustrating when the caller had no desire to speak to me anyway.
Porthos wrote:
And then why only the last four digits? If I called someone, and they answered like that, I would think I was in some sci-fi futuristic world, where everyone is assigned four digit codes for names!
Not everyone says the last four digits — some people's phone number ends in three digits rather than four; some people repeat their whole number. My grandparents say 'hello Rusper 217' — that's the name of the village where they live, and the last three digits of their phone number. My other grandparents just say '3435', without even saying 'hello' at all.
Uriel
I think we've all had that embarrassing experience of taking our professional greeting home with us, Deborah -- and when you switch jobs!
I hate artificial business phone greetings, so I've always shortened them wherever I could -- usually to something like "So-and-So Hospital, this is Eden". I don't ask them how I can help them, because that's implicit in the exchange in the first place, I don't wish them a good morning or a good afternoon, because I really don't care what their day's like, and I don't make it take any longer than it has to, because when I'm calling up a business, I only what to know two things: that I've called the right number and who I'm talking to. Now let's get down to business. I'm always polite, but I don't like a lot of pointless pleasantries. A helpful tone does far more for me than a lot of flowery nonsense.
Akoni
I just say: "Met Anton" or "Hoi" :P
Walker
Akoni wrote:
I just say: "Met Anton" or "Hoi" :P
How do you pronounce that, "hoy"?
Deborah
I mention my phone number in my outgoing answering machine message.
Uriel wrote:
I hate artificial business phone greetings, so I've always shortened them wherever I could -- usually to something like "So-and-So Hospital, this is Eden".
Estoy de acuerdo contigo. One of the problems with the extra-long messages -- e.g., "Good afternoon, 24-Hour Fitness. Come in and ask about our new blah-blah-blah plan. This is Jenna. How may I help you?" -- is that some employees rush through it as quickly as possible, with poor diction, so that you can't even tell whether you've reached the right business!
