A collection of useful phrases in Livonian (Līvõ kēļ), a Finnic language that was spoken in Latvia, and that is currently being revived.
See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
Key to abbreviations: frm = formal, inf = informal, sg = singular (said to one person), pl = plural (said to more than one person).
| Phrase | Līvõ kēļ (Livonian) |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Vȯl tēriņtš! (sg) Vȯlgid tēriņtõd! (pl/frm) |
| Hello (General greeting) | Tēriņtš! |
| Hello (on phone) | Tšau! Hei! |
| How are you? | Kui sinnõn lǟb? |
| Reply to 'How are you?' | Tienū, jõvīst. Ja sinnõn? (sg) Tienū, jõvīst. Ja täddõn? (pl/frm) Vȯlks lǟdõ jo jõvīzt! (Could be better) |
| Long time no see | Amūst äd ūo nǟdõb (sg/inf) Amūst äd ūotõ nǟdõb (sg/frm) |
| What's your name? | Mingi sin nim um? (sg) Mingi täd nim um? (frm) Kui sīnda nutād? (sg) Kui tēḑi nutāb? (pl/frm) |
| My name is ... | Min nim um ... |
| Where are you from? | Kust tēg perīņ ūotõ? (frm/pl) Kust sinā perīņ ūod? (sg) |
| I'm from ... | Minā lǟb ... -stõ |
| Where do you live? | Kus tēg jelāt? |
| I live in ... | Minā jelāb ... |
| Pleased to meet you | Mīeldõb tuņḑšlõd. (sg/inf) Mīeldõb tuņḑšlõt. (pl/frm) |
| Good morning (Morning greeting) |
Jõvā ūomõg |
| Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting) |
Jõvā pǟva |
| Good evening (Evening greeting) |
Jõvā ȭdõg |
| Good night | Jõvvõ īedõ |
| Goodbye (Parting phrases) |
Nēmiz pǟl (Till seeing each other again) Nēmiz sõņ (till seeing each other again) Īe tēriņtš Īegid tēriņtš Ammõ jõvvõ (All the best) |
| Good luck! | Ku vȯņštõd! (sg) Ku vȯņštõt! (pl/frm) |
| Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking) |
Tīeratõks pǟlõ! (To your health!) Täd tīeratõks pǟlõ! (To your health!) |
| Have a nice day | Knaššõ päuvõ! |
| Bon appetit / Have a nice meal |
Jõvvõ sīemnaigõ! |
| Bon voyage / Have a good journey |
Vȯndziztõ riekkõ! |
| Yes | Nǟ |
| No | Äb Äp |
| Maybe | Võib-vȱlda |
| I don't know | Minā äb tīeda. |
| Do you understand? | Või sinā võid mȯistõ? |
| I understand | Minā sō arū |
| I don't understand | Minā äb sō arū. |
| Please speak more slowly | Pōlaks rõkāndõb louglimi |
| Please say that again | Või sinā sōd siedā ūdpǟl kītõ? Või tēg sōtõ siedā ūdpǟl kītõ? |
| Please write it down | Pōlaks kērat siedā ilzõ Pōlaks kēratõgid siedā ilzõ |
| Do you speak English? | Või sinā rõkāndõd engliš kīeldõ? Või tēg rõkāndõt engliš kīeldõ? |
| Do you speak Estonian? | Või sinā rõkāndõd ēsti kīeldõ? Või tēg rõkāndõt ēsti kīeldõ? |
| Do you speak Finnish? | Või sinā rõkāndõd sūomõ kīeldõ? Või tēg rõkāndõt sūomõ kīeldõ? |
| Do you speak Livonian? | Või sinā rõkāndõd līvõ kīeldõ? Või tēg rõkāndõt līvõ kīeldõ? |
| Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?') |
Nǟ, veiti |
| Do you speak a language other than Livonian? |
Vȯi sinā rõkāndõb ka tuoizt kēļi? |
| Speak to me in Livonian | Rõkāndõdvȯiti minkõks līvõ kīeldõ |
| How do you say ... in Livonian? | Āndagid andõks! (frm/pl) |
| Excuse me | Ānda andõks! |
| How much is this? | Neijen se maksāb? |
| Sorry | Āndagid andõks! (frm/pl) Ānda andõks! (sg) |
| Please | Pōlaks! |
| Thank you | Tienū! (Thanks) Mēg tiennõm! (We thank you) Väggi tienūb! (Thank you very much) Tienūb sidāmõst! (Thank you from my heart) |
| Reply to thank you | Võtāgid jõvāks! (You're welcome) Äb iļ mis! (No problem) |
| Where's the toilet / bathroom? | Kus um piškikōmaŗ? (Where is the toilet?) Kus um vantubā? (Where is the bathroom?) |
| This gentleman will pay for everything | Se izānd maksāb ammõ |
| This lady will pay for everything | Se jemānd maksāb ammõ |
| Would you like to dance with me? | Või sinā tōd daņtšõ? (sg) Või tēg tōtõ daņtšõ? (pl/frm) |
| Do you come here often? | Vȯi sinā tulād tǟnõ saggõld? |
| I miss you | Minā igābõb sīnda |
| I love you | Minā ārmaztõb sinā |
| Get well soon | Parānd! (sg) Parāndõgid! (pl/frm) |
| Go away! | Astā jarā! (sg) Astāgid jarā! (frm/pl) |
| Leave me alone! | Pan mīnda armsõ! (sg) Pangid mīnda armsõ! (pl/frm) |
| Help! | Abbõl! |
| Fire! | Tuļ! |
| Stop! | Loptā! (sg) Loptāgid! (pl) |
| Call the police! | Ulzõ kuts politsijõ! (sg) Ulzõ kutsõgid politsijõ! (pl/frm) |
| Christmas greetings | Rīemliži Taļšpivḑi |
| New Year greetings | Vȯndzist Ūdtāigastõ! |
| Easter greetings | Rīemliži lejāvõtāmõdõn |
| Birthday greetings | Pǟgiņ vȯnnõ sindizpǟvaks! |
| Congratulations! | Tēriņtõb! Jennõ vȯnnõd! |
| One language is never enough | Īdkõks kīeldõ äb täut kunāid |
| My hovercraft is full of eels | Min lindõnaparāt um aņgõrd tǟdõks |
Some phrases provided by Jōņȭdõg Kalāmīez and Nauris Lukjanovičs
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Livonian | Phrases | Numbers | About another 'last' Livonian speaker
Other collections of Livonian phrases
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livonian_language
http://virtuallivonia.info/?page_id=297
http://www.eraksti.lv/fetchbook.php?urlkey=1312742 (PDF)
Estonian, Finnish, Kven, Livonian, Livvi-Karelian, Veps, Võro
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