How to Say Hello in German

Basic German Greetings

In your initial German lessons, you'll come across several standard greetings. These are essential for everyday interactions and are a great starting point for beginners.

Common Greetings

German	English
Hallo	Hello
Hi	Hi
Guten Tag	Hello (Good day)
Guten Morgen	Good morning
Guten Abend	Good evening

1. Hallo: This is the most straightforward way to say "hello" and can be used in both formal and informal settings.

2. Hi: Just like in English, "Hi" is a casual greeting perfect for friends and family.

3. Guten Tag: Literally translating to "good day," this greeting is more formal and appropriate for professional or unfamiliar encounters.

4. Guten Morgen: Use this phrase to wish someone "good morning." It's a friendly and polite way to start the day.

5. Guten Abend: This means "good evening" and is suitable for use in the late afternoon and evening hours.

Formal and Informal Greetings in German: What’s the Difference?

Understanding when to use formal and informal greetings in German is essential for proper communication. This guide will explain the differences and provide examples for both types of greetings.

Informal Greetings

Informal greetings are used with friends, family, and people of the same age or younger. These greetings are casual and friendly.

Greeting	Pronunciation	Meaning
Hallo	HAH-loh	Hello
Hi	HEE	Hi
Wie geht’s?	VEE gates?	How are you?
Guten Morgen	GOO-ten MOR-gen	Good Morning
Guten Abend	GOO-ten AH-bent	Good Evening

Formal Greetings

Formal greetings are used in professional settings, with elders, or with people you don’t know well. These greetings show respect and politeness.

Greeting	Pronunciation	Meaning
Guten Morgen	GOO-ten MOR-gen	Good Morning
Guten Tag	GOO-ten Tahk	Good Day
Guten Abend	GOO-ten AH-bent	Good Evening
Wie geht es Ihnen?	VEE gate es EE-nen?	How are you?
Grüß Gott (Southern Germany/Austria)	GRUESS got	God Bless

Key Differences

• Usage Context: Informal greetings are for casual, friendly interactions. Formal greetings are for professional or respectful interactions.
• Language Structure: Informal greetings often use "du" (you), while formal greetings use "Sie" (you, formal).

Simple German Phrases to Help You Make Friends

These easy-to-remember German phrases will help you connect with new people and make friends. Use this guide to get started with basic greetings and introductions.

Basic Greetings

Use these phrases to greet people at different times of the day.

Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning
Hallo	HAH-loh	Hello (any time)
Guten Morgen	GOO-ten MOR-gen	Good morning
Guten Tag	GOO-ten Tahk	Good afternoon
Guten Abend	GOO-ten AH-bent	Good evening
Gute Nacht	GOO-teh Nahkt	Good night

Starting Conversations

Initiate conversations with these simple phrases.

Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning
Hallo, wie geht’s?	HAH-loh, vee gates?	Hello, how are you?
Schönes Wetter heute, nicht wahr?	SHER-nes VET-ter hoy-te, nicht var?	It's lovely weather today, isn't it?
Freut mich	Froyt mikh	Nice to meet you!

Introducing Yourself

Introduce yourself and share where you're from with these phrases.

Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning
Mein Name ist _	Mine NAH-me ist _	My name is _
Ich bin Amerikaner (male)	Ish bin ah-meh-ree-KAH-ner	I’m American (male)
Ich bin Amerikanerin (female)	Ish bin ah-meh-ree-KAH-ner-in	I’m American (female)
Woher kommen Sie?	VO-her KOM-men zee?	Where are you from?

Expressing Gratitude

Show appreciation with these common phrases.

Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning
Vielen Dank	FEE-len dahnk	Thank you very much
Ich danke Ihnen auch	Ish DAHN-ke EE-nen owkh	Thank you, too

Saying Goodbye

End conversations politely with these farewells.

Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning
Tschüss, bis zum nächsten Mal	CHUESS, biss tsoom NEXT-en mahl	Goodbye, see you next time

How to Ask How Are You? in German

Asking someone how they are is a common part of social interactions in many cultures, including German. Just like in English, there are various ways to ask this question in German, depending on the level of formality.

Formal Ways to Ask How Are You? in German

Use these phrases in professional settings or when speaking with someone you don’t know well.

English Translation	German Phrase	Pronunciation
How are you?	Wie geht es Ihnen?	Vee gate es EE-nen?
Are you doing fine?	Geht es gut?	Gate es goot?
Hi, how are you?	Hallo, wie geht es Ihnen?	HAH-loh, vee gate es EE-nen?
Fine, thanks, how are you?	Gut, danke, und Ihnen?	Goot, DAHN-ke, oond EE-nen?

Informal Ways to Ask How Are You? in German

These phrases are suitable for casual conversations with friends, family, or people of the same age.

English Translation	German Phrase	Pronunciation
How’s it going?	Wie geht’s?	Vee gates?
Is everything OK?	Ist alles OK?	Ist AH-les oh-KAY?
How’s it going?	Wie geht es dir?	Vee gate es deer?
Everything alright?	Alles gut?	AH-les goot?

How to Say Goodbye in German

Saying goodbye in German can vary based on the formality of the situation. This guide covers both formal and informal ways to bid farewell.

Formal Goodbyes

Use these phrases in professional settings or with people you don’t know well.

English Translation	German Phrase	Pronunciation
Goodbye	Auf Wiedersehen	[aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌzeːən]
Goodbye, until next time	Auf Wiedersehen, bis zum nächsten Mal	[aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌzeːən bɪs t͡sʊm ˈnɛːçstən maːl]
Farewell	Lebe wohl	[ˈleːbə voːl]
Goodbye, my friend	Auf Wiedersehen, mein Freund	[aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌzeːən maɪn frɔɪnt]
Goodbye, friends	Auf Wiedersehen, Freunde	[aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌzeːən ˈfrɔɪndə]
Goodbye, my love	Auf Wiedersehen, mein Schatz	[aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌzeːən maɪn ʃats]

Informal Goodbyes

These phrases are suitable for casual conversations with friends, family, or colleagues.

English Translation	German Phrase	Pronunciation
Bye	Tschüss	[t͡ʃyːs]
Bye bye	Tschüss Tschüss	[t͡ʃyːs t͡ʃyːs]
See you soon	Bis bald	[bɪs ˈbalt]
See you then	Bis dann	[bɪs ˈdan]
See you	Man sieht sich	[man ziːt zɪç]
Goodbye, have a nice day	Tschüss, schönen Tag	[t͡ʃʏs ˈʃøːnən taːk]
Good evening	Guten Abend	[ˈɡuːtn̩ ˈaːbn̩t]
Good night	Gute Nacht	[ˌɡutə ˈnaxt]

Basic German Phrases for Travel

Knowing basic German phrases can be incredibly useful while traveling. These phrases will help you navigate common situations and scenarios.

Asking for Directions

When you need to find your way, these phrases will come in handy.

English Translation	German Phrase	Pronunciation
Where is…	Wo ist …	Voh ist …
…the train station?	…der Bahnhof?	…der BAHN-hohf?
…the bus station?	…die Bushaltestelle?	…dee BOOS-hal-te-shtel-le?
…the bathroom/toilet?	…die Toilette?	…dee Toy-LET-te?

Handling Transactions

Use these phrases when making purchases or handling reservations.

English Translation	German Phrase	Pronunciation
How much does this cost?	Wie viel kostet das?	Vee feel KOS-tet das?
I would like the bill, please	Ich möchte bitte die Rechnung	Ish MER-kte BIT-te dee REKH-nung
I have a reservation	Ich habe eine Reservierung	Ish HAH-be eye-ne REH-zer-vee-RUNG
I would like to buy this	Ich möchte das kaufen	Ish MER-kte das KAU-fen
I’m lost	Ich bin verloren	Ish bin fer-LOH-ren

Common Expressions and Slang

Blend in with the locals using these common expressions.

English Translation	German Phrase	Pronunciation
Cheers!	Prost! / Zum Wohl!	Prohst! / Tsoom vohl!
Good morning or hello	Moin	Moin
This is tasty!	Lecker	LEK-er
Oh man!	Mensch!	Mensh!
Yes and no	Jein	Yine
Go away or get lost	Abhauen	AHB-how-en

Basic German Words for Beginners

• hospital Krankenhaus
• supermarket Supermarkt
• school Schule
• downtown Innenstadt
• university Universität
• city hall Rathaus
• main square Hauptplatz
• bank Bank
• museum Museum
• restaurant Restaurant
• café Café
• police station Polizeistation
• train station Bahnhof
• bus station Bushaltestelle
• Monday Montag
• Tuesday Dienstag
• Wednesday Mittwoch
• Thursday Donnerstag
• Friday Freitag
• Saturday Samstag
• Sunday Sonntag
• Guten Tag - Good day
• Hallo - Hello
• Auf Wiedersehen - Goodbye
• Bitte - Please
• Danke - Thanks, Thank you
• Entschuldigung - Sorry
• Ja - Yes
• Nein - No
• Wer? - Who?
• Was? - What?
• Warum? - Why?
• pen Kugelschreiber
• notebook Notizbuch
• computer Computer
• pencil case Federmappe
• headphones Kopfhörer
• mouse Maus
• keyboard Tastatur
• wifi WLAN
• charger Ladegerät
• cable Kabel
• backpack Rucksack
• desk Schreibtisch
• copybook Heft
• eye Auge
• nose Nase
• ear Ohr
• face Gesicht
• arm Arm
• chest Brust
• cheek Wange
• forehead Stirn
• mouth Mund
• chin Kinn
• armpit Achselhöhle
• abdomen Bauch
• leg Bein
• toe Zeh
• finger Finger
• ankle Knöchel
• hip Hüfte
• forearm Unterarm
• elbow Ellbogen
• wrist Handgelenk
• ٍٍvegetables Gemüse
• fruit Obst
• meat Fleisch
• milk Milch
• egg Ei
• coffee Kaffee
• yogurt Joghurt
• bread Brot
• bacon Speck
• pie Kuchen
• ham Schinken
• chicken Huhn
• juice Saft
• sausage Wurst
• cool kühl
• frigid kalt
• foggy neblig
• windy windig
• stormy stürmisch
• breezy luftig
• windless windstill
• calm ruhig
• and und
• but aber
• then dann
• because weil
• so so / also
• sure klar
• simply halt
• well tja
• already schon
• nehmen to take
• verstehen to understand
• treffen to meet
• einladen to invite
• gehen to go
• kaufen to buy
• essen to eat
• gehen to walk
• sprechen to say, to tell, to speak
• wissen to know
• kommen to come
• besuchen to visit
• wollen to want
• sehen to see
• stehen to stand
• denken to think
• fragen to ask
• Kaffee coffee
• Bier beer
• Tee tea
• Wein wine
• Salat salad
• Suppe soup
• Hähnchen chicken
• Rindfleisch beef
• Fisch fish