Kaixo, agur and other greetings

In Basque, greetings change depending on the time of day. The universal and most common formula is Kaixo, which is used at any time with almost anyone — just like “hola” in Spanish. Hepa or Aupa are even more informal alternatives, especially among young people and friends.

Greetings by time of day

When	Basque	Spanish
Morning, until noon	Egun on	Good morning
Midday / lunchtime	Eguerdi on	Good midday
Afternoon, after lunch	Arratsalde on	Good afternoon
Night and nighttime farewell	Gabon	Good night
Any time	Kaixo / Hepa / Aupa	Hello

On means “good”, and it appears in many greetings: egun on is literally “good day”.

Meeting again

When you see someone you haven’t seen in a while, the natural greeting is Aspaldiko! (“long time no see!”).

Farewells

The most universal farewell is Agur, equivalent to “goodbye”. The following are also common:

• Gero arte — see you later
• Bihar arte — see you tomorrow
• Hurrengora arte — until next time
• Ondo ibili / Ondo segi — take care (literally: “go well”)

“Thank you” and “you’re welcome”

Two phrases you will use constantly:

• Eskerrik asko (or Mila esker) — thank you very much
• Ez horregatik — you’re welcome

Cultural note: in the Basque Country, many people switch between Spanish and Basque naturally. Starting a conversation with Kaixo or Egun on is a friendly way to show that you know the language.