Greetings and Partings

The handshake is the traditional Slovak greeting, regardless of age, gender, or relationship. The woman extends the hand first to the man, whereas an older person extends it to a younger person. A kiss on each cheek may accompany the handshake between friends of opposite gender or two women. Verbal greetings differ in formality; “dobrý den” is the formal greeting; “ahoj” and "cau” are informal, including the plural forms “ahojte” and “caute” in addressing more than one person. “Nazdar” is a slang adopted from Czech and is least formal. “Dovidenia” is a formal parting; “ahoj,” “cau,” and “maj sa,” are used as informal partings.