Hello, goodbye, please and thank you
Greet people at any time of day, thank them and say sorry
Part of the free A0 German course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
Saying hello
| German | When | English |
|---|---|---|
| Hallo! | any time, friendly | Hello! Hi! |
| Guten Morgen! | until about 10 or 11 a.m. | Good morning! |
| Guten Tag! | during the day, a little formal | Hello! Good afternoon! |
| Guten Abend! | from about 6 p.m. | Good evening! |
| Gute Nacht! | when someone goes to bed | Good night! |
Gute Nacht is only for going to bed. When you arrive somewhere at night, say Guten Abend.
Saying goodbye
- Tschüss! Bye! Friendly and very common, also in shops.
- Auf Wiedersehen! Goodbye! Polite, for people you say Sie to.
- Auf Wiederhören! Goodbye! Only on the phone ("until we hear each other again").
- Bis später! See you later! Bis morgen! See you tomorrow! Bis bald! See you soon!
- Schönen Tag noch! Have a nice day!
How are you?
- Wie geht's? How are you? (friendly) Wie geht es Ihnen? (polite)
- Gut, danke. Und dir? Fine, thanks. And you? (polite: Und Ihnen?)
- Sehr gut! Very good! Es geht. So-so. Nicht so gut. Not so good.
Thank you, please, sorry
- Danke! Thanks! Danke schön! Thank you! Vielen Dank! Thanks a lot!
- Bitte! has three jobs: please, you're welcome and here you are. Bitte schön! is a friendlier version.
- Gern geschehen! or just Gern! You're welcome!
- Entschuldigung! Excuse me! Sorry! (to get attention or after bumping into someone)
- Es tut mir leid. I'm sorry. (for real regret)
- Guten Morgen, Frau Weber!Good morning, Mrs Weber!
- Hallo, Lena! Wie geht's?Hi Lena! How are you?
- Gut, danke. Und dir?Fine, thanks. And you?
- Guten Abend, Herr Schmidt.Good evening, Mr Schmidt.
- Vielen Dank für den Kaffee!Thanks a lot for the coffee!
- Entschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof?Excuse me, where is the station?
- Tschüss, bis morgen!Bye, see you tomorrow!
- Gute Nacht, schlaf gut!Good night, sleep well!
Regional greetings
You will hear other greetings depending on where you are. They are all correct; you don't have to use them yourself.
- Moin! Hello! In northern Germany, at any time of day.
- Grüß Gott! Hello! In southern Germany and Austria.
- Servus! Hi! and Bye! In Bavaria and Austria, among friends.
- Grüezi! Hello! In Switzerland.
When in doubt, Hallo to say hello and Tschüss to say goodbye work almost everywhere. Use Guten Tag and Auf Wiedersehen in formal situations.
Common mistakes
- Saying Gute Nacht when you arrive in the evening. That is Guten Abend; Gute Nacht is for going to bed.
- Answering Danke with Danke. Say Bitte! or Gern geschehen!
- Writing
Gutenmorgenas one word. Greetings are two words with capitals: Guten Morgen, Guten Tag. - Using Entschuldigung for real grief. For bad news, say Es tut mir leid.
Practice
- It's 8 a.m. You walk into a bakery. What do you say?Options: Guten Morgen! · Gute Nacht! · Guten Abend!
Show the answer
Guten Morgen! — Guten Morgen is the morning greeting.
- It's 8 p.m. and you meet a neighbour on the stairs. What fits best?Options: Guten Abend! · Guten Morgen! · Gute Nacht!
Show the answer
Guten Abend! — In the evening you say Guten Abend. Gute Nacht is for going to bed.
- You leave a doctor's waiting room. What do you say to the receptionist?Options: Auf Wiedersehen! · Gute Nacht! · Guten Tag!
Show the answer
Auf Wiedersehen! — Auf Wiedersehen is the polite goodbye. Guten Tag is a hello.
- Which reply means 'You're welcome'?Options: Gern geschehen. · Es tut mir leid. · Gute Nacht.
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Gern geschehen. — Gern geschehen (or just Bitte!) answers a thank-you.