Tervitused

Tervitused is a term in Estonian that refers to greetings—the verbal phrases and nonverbal acts used to acknowledge another person. The concept covers casual, everyday salutations as well as more formal greetings used in official contexts or in writing.

In spoken Estonian, the most common greeting is tere. Depending on formality and the time of day, people may say tere päevast, tere hommikust, or tere õhtust. Among friends or in informal situations, simply tere is typical. For formal introductions or service settings, greetings may be longer and accompanied by a polite address or title.

In written communication, greetings appear at the beginning or are implied by the closing. The closing line "Tervitustega" or "Parimate tervitustega" is commonly used to sign off a letter or email, while the opening greeting may be "Tere" or a more formal phrase.

Nonverbal aspects of tervitused include a handshake in formal encounters, a light nod or a wave in casual settings, and maintaining appropriate personal space. Estonia's relatively reserved communication style tends to favor concise greetings, with more extensive pleasantries often avoided in daily interactions. The norms can vary by age, region, and context, and recent years have seen a rise in noncontact forms in line with global trends.