How do you say hello in old German?
When meeting someone for the very first time, you'll be better off knowing how to respond. You can opt to say “Freut Mich” (“Nice to meet you”) after the introduction, or you can always reply with “Ebenso” (literally “likewise”) in case they said it first. Wie heißen Sie?
When meeting someone for the very first time, you'll be better off knowing how to respond. You can opt to say “Freut Mich” (“Nice to meet you”) after the introduction, or you can always reply with “Ebenso” (literally “likewise”) in case they said it first. Wie heißen Sie?
"Guten Morgen!": You can simply respond with the same greeting, "Guten Morgen," which means "Good morning" in German. "Morgen!": This is a shortened and informal way to respond, essentially saying "Morning!" to acknowledge the greeting. "Hallo!": You can respond with a friendly "Hello!" as a general greeting.
The most common responses have been (in no particular order): 'Moin', 'Guten Tag' (or '… Morgen'/'… Abend') and 'Hallo'.
German Phrase | English Equivalent |
---|---|
Freut mich. | Nice to meet you. |
Wie geht es dir? | How are you? [when talking to one person] |
Mir geht es gut. Und dir? | I'm doing well. And you? |
Wie geht es euch? | How are you? [when speaking informally to more than one person] |
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"Guten Tag" (Good day) or “Hallo” (Hello) are the most common verbal greetings used in Germany. In the South, some people may say “Grüß Gott” (literally translating as 'Greet God'). In formal situations, one should address another person with their title and last name, “Herr” (Mr.) for men and “Frau” (Mrs.) for women.
“Was geht ab?” is the German equivalent of “What's up?” or “What's happening?” It is used as a greeting and to inquire after the other person's well-being in a very informal way.
German interjection
gu·ten Tag ˌgü-tən-ˈtäk. : good day : good afternoon : hello.
How do you respond to Danke schon?
Bitte schön (“you're very welcome”): If someone says, “Danke schön,” you would automatically respond, “Bitte schön.” It's saying, “You're very welcome,” responding to their level of thanks in kind. “Bitte sehr” is another way of saying “you're very welcome,” and is a good response to “Danke sehr.”
Grüß Gott is shortened from “Grüß dich Gott,” an old way of saying “God bless you” in German. The phrase is more religious than “Guten Tag” so it's a phrase befitting Germany's most religious and most Roman Catholic region.
Servus is a casual, regional greeting that is used all over southern Germany and it can mean both “hello” and “goodbye.” The phrase has Latin roots which can be translated as “at your service.” Servus (hello). Servus (goodbye)! This respectful greeting, which means “God greets you,” is used across Bavaria and Austria.
Alles gut? - Everything good? Answer: Ja, alles gut. - Yes, Everything's good.
Even though it is a direct translation of I'm good, it has an entirely different meaning to Mir geht es gut. Ich bin gut implies that you're good (at something) rather than that you're feeling good. This is a common mistake many English speakers make, and it's important that you avoid it. Always say Mir geht es gut.
Both bis dann and bis später mean “see you later”, but bis dann more literally means “see you then”.
you're a woman.
It is rude to chew gum or keep one's hands in one's pockets whilst talking with someone. Cross your legs by putting one knee over the other. It is impolite to rest your feet on furniture. Tight punctuality (Pünktlichkeit) is expected in most professional and social situations.
- Guten Tag = Good day.
- Hallo = Hello.
- Auf Wiedersehen = Goodbye.
- Bitte = Please.
- Danke = Thanks, Thank you.
- Entschuldigung = Sorry.
- Gesundheit = Bless you (after someone sneezes)
- Ja = Yes.
Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei.
The Germans love a good wurst (sausage) so much that they can't help but write proverbs about them. This one is easy to understand as it's quite literal—everything has an end, no matter how long something takes.
Can I learn German by myself?
The short answer is, you can, and with free online resources at your disposal, there's really no reason you can't learn German from home.
About 40% of German and English vocabulary are very similar to each other, which makes German one of the easiest languages to learn for native English speakers. So, basically, if you already know English, it should be a piece of cake for you to learn German.
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“Hei” and “he” are ways to say “hi” and “hey” in German. The spelling of “hei” may be a little counterintuitive to people used to reading English, but remember that “ei” in German makes what in English we would call the “I” sound. But confusing spelling aside, “he” and “hei” can be used like “hey” or “hi”!
Guten Morgen – “Good morning” – can only be used before midday; Guten Tag – “Good day” – the recommendation is from midday until dusk (around 6 pm), but can be used all day; Guten Abend – “Good evening” – can only be used from dusk to bedtime.
References
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