How to say "hello" in German
Do you want to know how to greet someone in German? Would you like to say "Hello" to your friends in German or know how to greet people on a trip to Germany? Here, you can learn how to greet someone in German and how to strike the right note. We have provided an overview of where you can learn the difference between informal greetings and formal greetings. Whenever you meet someone informally, you can greet them with the word "Hallo!" In daylight, you can always say "Guten Tag!" and in the dark, you can say "Guten Abend", and when you go to sleep, you can say "Gute Nacht". Are you interested in more useful knowledge? There are also helpful videos, many audio examples, and exciting interactive exercises waiting for you.
Do you want to know how to greet someone in German? Would you like to say "Hello" to your friends in German or know how to greet people on a trip to Germany? Here, you can learn how to greet someone in German and how to strike the right note. We have provided an overview of where you can learn the difference between informal greetings and formal greetings. Whenever you meet someone informally, you can greet them with the word "Hallo!" In daylight, you can always say "Guten Tag!" and in the dark, you can say "Guten Abend", and when you go to sleep, you can say "Gute Nacht". Are you interested in more useful knowledge? There are also helpful videos, many audio examples, and exciting interactive exercises waiting for you.
Watch video: Basic Greetings in German
In this video, you will learn how to greet someone informally in German. The most common way is "Hallo". As well there are two words from English which are used quite often in Germany: "Hi" and "Hey", and then there is a common one which German learners should remember: "Na?!" To sum it up in German to say "Hey, how are you?" a possible translation is: "Na?! Wie geht's?!", and the last example you can use to impress your German friends is: "Halli hallo."
This video deals with formal greetings. "Guten Tag - Hallo alle zusammen. In diesem Video sprechen wir über formelle Begrüßungen". First, in the morning, you would say "Guten Morgen". This is not only formal, but it is also informal; you also say that to your family, for example. Then during the day from about 11 a.m. until the sun sets, you would say "Guten Tag", and in the evening you would use "Guten Abend".
How do you say goodbye, informally in German? There are a few ways, and the most common one is "Tschüss". There are a few variations of this word, for example, "Tschüssi" or "Tschü". Once you are in Germany, you will start noticing what people say around you. Another word we use quite often, and which is adapted from Italian, is "Tschau".
How do you say goodbye formally in German? The most common way is to say, "Auf Wiedersehen!". "Auf" is a preposition, and in this case, it means “to”. "Wieder" means “again”, and "sehen" means to “see”. "Auf Wiedersehen" literally means - "to see you again". It is usually used formally - so if you go shopping in Germany, for example, the salesperson will probably farewell you with this "Auf Wiedersehen".
Examples & Rules: Basic Greetings in German
How to say "hello" in German?
Imagine you are standing at the airport in Germany. Do you have any idea how to greet the staff there? Have a look at the following examples and find out what kind of greeting suits you.
The greeting "Hallo" is the simplest and most common informal greeting in the German language. You can use it everywhere and to address everyone very shortly. You can also just smile, raise your hand to greet them or wave to them.
- InformalInformal
- Multiple personsOne person
Welcoming
Friendly
at a party, at home, at work
The greeting "Guten Tag" is polite and a little formal. At a meeting at work you can address a group of colleagues, but you can also greet friends with a "Guten Tag". When entering a shop you are often greeted with a "Guten Tag".
- FormalFormal
- One personMultiple persons
Professional
Friendly
at work, at school, in the street
The greeting "Guten Tag Ihnen!" is very polite and very formal. At a workplace meeting a group of colleagues you can address and wish them a good day.
- FormalFormal
- One personMultiple persons
Old fashioned
Peaceful
at home, at work, in the hospital
The greeting "Hi" is very informal. If you meet a group of colleagues at a workplace that you do not know well, you would never say "Hi". It is very common for young people and used to say hello to a group informally. Many variants are possible in the colloquial language.
- InformalInformal
- Multiple personsOne person
Cool
at school, at a party, at home
"Hallo zusammen" is used to say hello to a group. It can be used by all groups of people and is considered a polite and formal greeting. "Wie geht es Ihnen?", in English "How are you?" It is one way to follow up a greeting with a nice question.
- Formal
- Multiple persons
Professional
Friendly
at school, at work
The greeting "Na?!" is very informal. At the workplace, you would never say just "Na?" It is very common for young people and used to say hello to a group informally. Some variants like "Na?! Was geht?" are possible in the colloquial language.
- InformalInformal
- Multiple personsOne person
Curious
Amused
at a party, at home
"Guten Tag zusammen" is used to say hello to a group. It can be used by all groups of people and is considered a polite and formal greeting.
- Formal
- Multiple persons
Professional
Sympathetic
at school, at work, at a meeting
The "Guten Morgen" greeting is only used in the morning until 11 a.m. It can be used by all groups of people and is considered a polite greeting in the morning.
- FormalFormal
- One personMultiple persons
Waking up
Friendly
Energetic
at home, at school, at work
The greeting "Halli hallo" is very informal. At a workplace you would never say "Halli hallo." It is very common to young people and and used to say hello to a group informally. Some variants like "Halli hallo hallöle" are possible in the colloquial language.
- InformalInformal
- One personMultiple persons
Funny
Energetic
at a wedding, at a party
The greeting "Hey!" is very informal. If you meet a group of colleagues at a workplace that you do not know well, you would never say "Hey". It is very common for young people and used to say hello to a group informally.
- InformalInformal
- Multiple personsOne person
Cool
Energetic
at school, at a party, at home
The "Guten Abend" greeting only used in the evening after 5 pm. It can be used by all groups of people and is considered a polite greeting in the evening.
- FormalFormal
- Multiple personsOne person
Friendly
Relaxing
at a party, at home
Would you like to get to know the north of Germany and greet the inhabitants appropriately? The greeting "Moin" is only used in Northern Germany. Sometimes, there is also the form "Moin-Moin". So, if you are in Bremen or Hamburg and order a cup of tea, you can greet the waiter with a nice "Moin".
- InformalFormal
- One personMultiple persons
Friendly
Calm
at home, at a party, at work, in the street
Have you ever been to the Oktoberfest in Munich? The greeting "Servus" is used there and only in Southern Germany and Austria. But there you can greet and say goodbye with "Servus" all day long, and do not forget to drink a Maß (a beer) and eat pretzels (German bread) when you are there.
- Informal
- One person
Friendly
at home, at a party, at work, in the street
How do you say "goodbye" in German?
Often it is not so easy to find out how best to address someone and say "Tschüss" or "Auf Wiedersehen!" which means "Goodbye" in German, whether the farewell is formal or informal. Here you can learn many different ways of saying goodbye in German.
The farewell "Tschüss!" is the simplest and most common greeting in the German language. Sometimes it is written with the "ß" - Tschüß! - which has the same sound as "ss". You can use it when saying goodbye to friends or colleagues.
- InformalInformal
- One personMultiple persons
Joyful
Cheerful
at home, at schol, at work
The farewell "Auf Wiedersehen!" is the most common formal greeting in the German language. "Auf" is a preposition and in this case, it means to "wieder" means again and "sehen" means to see. In summary, "Auf Wiedersehen" literally means - "to see you again".
- FormalFormal
- One personMultiple persons
Professional
at work, at party, at home
The farewell "Bis bald!" is more informal and means "see you in a while”. You use it to say goodbye to a friend or as a greeting in a letter, as an invitation to meet again.
- InformalInformal
- One personMultiple persons
Friendly
Excited
at a party, at home, at the train station
The farewell "Guten Tag" is not often used in Germany. It is a rather formal farewell among good acquaintances. Elderly people often use this farewell.
- FormalFormal
- One personMultiple persons
Friendly
Good
at work, at school, in the street
The farewell "Tschau! " is very informal and inspired by the Italian “Ciao”. Germans use it quite often in informal situations. At a workplace meeting a group of colleagues, you can not just say "Tschau!" to say goodbye.
- InformalInformal
- One personMultiple persons
Joyful
Cheerful
at home, at work, at school
The farewell "Bis denn!" is a colloquial farewell among friends and young people. It can also be used on the phone with friends. The word “denn” comes from the word “dann”, which means later.
- InformalInformal
- Multiple personsOne person
Friendly
Joyful
at a party, at work
The farewell greeting "Tschüssi!" is a variation of "Tschüss" and in German-speaking countries a simple greeting. Sometimes it is written with the "ß" - Tschüßi - which has the same sound as "ss". The "i" at the end of the word is used to make it more trivial.
- InformalInformal
- One personMultiple persons
Joyful
Cute
Dreamy
at home, at school, with friends, on the phone
The farewell "Einen schönen Tag noch" is very polite and very formal. When meeting at the workplace, you can address a group of colleagues and wish them a nice day. The farewell is also often used on the telephone.
- FormalFormal
- One personMultiple persons
Professional
Very good.
at work, on the phone
Have you ever been to the Oktoberfest in Munich? The farewell "Servus" is used there and only in southern Germany and Austria.But there you can greet and say goodbye with "Servus" all day long, and do not forget to drink a Maß (a beer) and eat pretzels (German bread) when you are there.
- InformalInformal
- One personMultiple persons
Friendly
Good
South of Germany
The farewell greeting "Bis dann!" is a colloquial farewell that is used among good friends. It can also be used on the telephone. It is used when you have not yet decided when you will meet again.
- Informal
- One person
Friendly
Good
at a party, at work, on the phone
The farewell "Gute Nacht" is used in the evening to say goodbye to the other person when it is already late or when you go to bed. It can be used by all groups of people and is considered a polite and informal farewell before going to bed.
- InformalInformal
- One personMultiple persons
Friendly
Relaxing
Peaceful
at home, at a party, on the phone
The farewell greeting "Tschü!" is a variation of "Tschüss" and in German-speaking countries a simple greeting. There are also other forms of greeting, such as "Tschö".
- InformalInformal
- Multiple personsOne person
Joyful
Funny
at home, at school, with friends, on the phone
Practice German Dialogues
Dialogue #1 - When you meet your friend at the bus stop
Below you will find a dialogue that will give you an understanding of the use of "Hello" and "Auf Wiedersehen" in Germany.
Dialogue #2 - When you meet a colleague in a business meeting
Practice a formal dialogue to properly welcome colleagues and business partners in a meeting.
Dialogue #3 - When you go home from Oktoberfest
This is a dialogue that is held in Munich, in the south of Germany. You can recognize this by the "Servus".
Dialogue #4 - When you are chatting informally in the city center.
This is an informal dialogue using "Hi" and "Na?! Was geht?!" that takes place on the street in the city center.
Free e-book: 10 most important conversations in German
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10 Most Important Conversations in German
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