GREETINGS

If you’re planning a trip to a German-speaking country, you don’t want to fall at the first hurdle, the greeting! How to greet someone can vary depending on , the area and personal preference. Here are some of the main greetings to get you started:

Guten Morgen! The German equivalent of “good morning.” It can be used in both formal and informal situations. If you’re being greeted, don’t forget to respond with your own Morgen” or “Hallo.” As with all greetings, forgetting to reply is impolite. I remember an occasion when my Oma (grandmother) didn’t talk to me for a whole day because I didn’t reply to her “Guten Morgen!” (I’m not a morning person 😅.) So that was my lesson learned. A shortened version of “Morgen” can also be used, but this has a more casual feel to it.

Guten Tag! This is the German equivalent of “good day.” The shortened, less formal version is simply “Tag.”

Guten Nachmittag! This one is easy and self-explanatory: “good afternoon.”

Guten Abend! The German equivalent of “good evening.” This can be shorted to “Abend” when in an informal setting.

Hallo! / Hi! / Hey! / Hallöchen! These are informal greetings. You probably guessed the first three, equivalent to “hello,” “hi” and “hey.” “Hallöchen” is the diminutive form of hello (small and cute form of hello). It’s just like saying “hey there” in English.

Na? (or Na, du?): This may confuse you when you first hear it, as it may not sound like a real word at all. Na is commonly used by local Germans and its meaning varies according to context. To give you an idea of the meaning, it’s close to the English word “well.” It can be used as an informal greeting to say, “hello, how are you?”

Moin! This greeting is commonly used in northern Germany. It’s also common to double it up and say, “Moin Moin,” or use the more playful version of “Moinsen.” It’s mainly used in informal settings and can be used at any time of day.

Servus! This greeting is commonly used in southern Germany and Austria and has roots in Latin where the word means “slave” or “servant.” It roughly translates to “at your service.” It can be used both as a greeting and a goodbye.

Grüß Gott! Literally, this greeting translates to “greet God.” This may seem like a strange request, but it’s actually a shortened version of “Grüß dich Gott,” which means, “God greets you.” It’s the equivalent of the English “God bless you” and is still quite common in southern Germany and Austria. It’s how my Oma would greet passersby on the street, in her strong Swabian accent: “Grias Gott!”

Grüß dich! / Grüß Sie! This greeting is also a shortened version of “Grüß dich Gott” and is commonly heard in southern Germany and Austria. “Grüß dich” is informal and “Grüß Sie” is the formal version.

Grüezi! This is the Swiss-German version of the above two greetings which comes from “Gott grüez i.” It’s generally used in more formal situations to say, “hello.”

Wie geht es dir? This is an informal way to ask, “How are you?” It’s used in a friendly and casual context. In a formal setting, the more polite version of “Wie geht es Ihnen?” would be more appropriate.

Wie geht’s? This is the shortened version of the above greeting. It’s similar to saying: “How’s it going?” in English.

Was ist los? This translates to “What’s up?” or “What’s going on?” You can use it with friends, family, or in casual conversations to check in with someone.

Alles klar? This literally translates to “Everything clear?” It’s a friendly greeting used among family and friends to ask if everything is alright. It can also be used after giving instructions to make sure everything has been understood.

GOODBYES

When the conversation is over it’s time for goodbyes. As with the greeting, the best way to say goodbye also depends on the context, area and personal preference. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common ways to say goodbye:

Auf Wiedersehen. This is the formal, polite way of saying “goodbye.” It literally means, “see you again,” although it’s said even when you don’t expect to see the person again. The telephone version is “Auf Wiederhören,” which translates to, “until we hear each other again.”

Tschüss! This is the most common way to say “bye” in a casual context among friends, family or colleagues. For “bye bye” you can say, “Tschüss tschüss.” Tschüssi is another option, a cute “little bye.”

Ciao!/Tschau! Taken from Italian, this is a friendly and casual way of saying “bye It’s also international, as it has been adopted by many countries over the world.

Yes.

Bis bald! / Bis später! / Bis dann! / Bis zum nächsten Mal! “Bis bald” is “see you soon.” “Bis später” is “see you later.” “Bis dann” is “see you then.” These are cool and causal ways to say goodbye. “Bis zum nächsten Mal” can be used with someone you see often, meaning, “until next time.” You can also say, “Bis gleich,” if you’re literally about to see the other person again in a few minutes or hours.

Bis Morgen! If you remember that “bis” is “till,” you can match up your own goodbyes. “Bis Morgen” is “till tomorrow,” meaning, “see you tomorrow,” and bis Montag is “see you on Monday,” and so on. This is a good way to say goodbye to friends and even business partners if you know exactly when you’ll see them next.

Wir sehen uns! / Man sieht sich! This is another friendly way of saying “see you later.” You can also add dann to the end, which is like saying “see you then.”

Wir sprechen uns bald/später! This is the same as saying “talk to you soon” or “talk to you later.” It’s used among family and friends.

Guten Abend! The German equivalent of “good evening.”

Gute Nacht! The German equivalent of “good night.” If you’re wondering whether the missing “n” in gute is a typo, it’s not! That’s because Morgen, Tag, Nachmittag and Abend are all masculine nouns, whereas Nacht is a feminine noun.

Mach’s gut! This is equivalent to the English “take care” and is used in a similar way between friends and family.

(Einen) schönen Tag/Abend (noch)! This is like saying “have a nice day/evening.” Using Einen makes it more formal, whereas the noch is optional. This way of saying goodbye is often used when leaving a shop or business.

(Ein) schönes Wochenende! This is what you can say to wish someone a nice weekend. Again, using the ein makes it more formal.

Viel Spaß! This is equivalent to “have fun” and is used in a similar context. Maybe your friend is off to a party, and you say, “Viel Spaß!”

Servus! This way of saying “goodbye” is commonly used in southern Germany and Austria. Check out the greetings section to understand the meaning.

We hope our simple guide to German greetings and goodbyes will boost your confidence when travelling to a German-speaking country. If you’re not sure about which greeting or goodbye you should use, just let the other person take the lead and copy what they say. We’d love to hear which greeting you would like to use in the comments section below.

TO THE POINT

Remember, locals appreciate the effort, even if your accent isn’t perfect or you mix up a word or two. So, pick a few, throw them into your conversations, and watch the smiles roll in. Before you know it, you’ll be a greeting and goodbye pro without breaking a sweat. Happy practicing! 🌟

Foto von Jonathan Kemper auf Unsplash