Hallo, Deutschlerner. Today Iām going to introduce you to a bunch of different greetings and farewells in German. Iāll explain when to use each one and a little bit of the background of each of the German greetings and farewells.
This lesson is a part of Herr Antrimās new e-book āBeginner German with Herr Antrimā. Within the e-book, this lesson includes a worksheet and answer key to practice the skills you are about to learn. You will also get access to online flashcards and a whole lot more. Find out more about the e-book here.
German Greetings
Hallo
The first greeting on my list for today is the easiest, as it is basically the same as the English āhelloā, but the Germans spell it with an āAā and, due to the two āLāsā, we use the short āAā sound when we say āHalloā. It is used exactly the same as the English is, but is considered to be a bit more informal than other greetings on our list for today. This isnāt what I would use when greeting my potential boss at a job interview in German, but I might greet friends with āHalloā and I even used it at the beginning of this video to greet you all. āHallo, Deutschlernerā.
You can also greet more than one person without addressing them individually by saying āHallo zusammenā, which is like āhello togetherā. This makes it so you donāt necessarily have to go around the group and shake each personās hand and say hello. āHallo zusammenā is again casual, but used in groups.
Hallo with flair
While āHalloā on its own is casual enough, but you can make it even more casual by adding some flair to your āHalloā. I personally find the following examples completely ridiculous, but some people use them, usually in an attempt to be humorous, so I kept them on the list. You can say āHallƶchenā, which is literally a ālittle helloā, because the suffix ā-chenā is a diminutive, which is used to indicate that something is small. For example āeine Blumeā is a flower, while āein Blümchenā is a little flower. āHallƶchenā then is a little āhelloā.
You can make it even more ridiculous by saying āHalli Hallo Hallƶchenā, but that is basically like saying āhowdily doodilyā, which makes you sound like Ned Flanders from the Simpsons. If thatās the kind of personality you want to portray, maybe this is the greeting for you, but suffice it to say that āHallƶchenā and all of its other variations are very casual greetings and should be used with people you know well.
The “Gutens” – Guten Morgen, Guten Tag, Guten Abend
The standard three greetings in German follow a similar pattern to English greetings. In the morning you say āGuten Morgenā (good morning). From the middle of the day up until the afternoon you say āGuten Tagā (good day). In the evening you say āGuten Abendā (good evening). These are more formal than saying āHalloā, but arenāt considered stiff in any way. I personally use these more often than any other greeting in German.
The times of the day are pretty flexible with āGuten Tagā, as you can use it most of the day, but you wouldnāt say āGuten Morgenā in the evening or āGuten Abendā in the morning. There isnāt a specific hour of the day that constitutes time to use āGuten Tagā. While it is pretty obvious that you canāt really use āGuten Morgenā after noon, there isnāt really a deadline for when you need to switch to āGuten Abendā. In fact, you can get away with never using āGuten Abendā and just say āGuten Tagā the entire day to everyone you see. It is that versatile. If you are unsure which greeting to use, use āGuten Tagā and you will be safe. If it is morning use āGuten Morgenā. In the evening āGuten Abendā.
Mahlzeit
If you are at work and your colleagues are going to lunch, you can greet them in passing with āMahlzeitā. This basically translates as āmealtimeā. This may sound like a weird way to greet people, but this is like saying āenjoy your lunchā as someone leaves to go to lunch. It is kind of a greeting for when people are leaving. āMahlzeitā is not used to start a conversation or to end one necessarily. It is simply used in passing when you donāt really intend to talk.
Regional German Greetings
Now letās get into some regional greetings. If you havenāt heard this yet, Germany is full of many different dialects and variations of how German is spoken. This leads to some fun ways to say hello, but you need to know where they are used so you can avoid using them in the inappropriate region.
Moin
āMoinā is used in northern Germany. The etymology of this word is disputed. My money is on the theory that it is a derivative of a dialect version of āMorgenā, which morphed into āMoinā, but there is also a theory that says it came from a Middle Low German word for āniceā, ābrightā, or āshinyā, which indicates it could mean something like āhave a good oneā. Whatever the case, the greeting āMoinā is used in northern Germany and is considered to be a pretty casual greeting.
Servus
āServusā is commonly used to greet people in southern Germany and Austria. This one doubles as a farewell, so it is basically like the Bavarian āAlohaā, as it means both āhelloā and āgood-byeā. āServusā
Grüà dich & Grüà Gott
A casual greeting in southern Germany and Austria would be āGrüà dichā. Both āGrüà dichā and its more formal counterpart āGrüà Gottā share the same etymology. They both stem from the phrase āGrüà dich Gottā, which means something like āGod bless youā. I generally translate it as āgreet youā for āGrüà dichā and āgreetings from Godā for āGrüà Gottā. While these translations are less accurate than the previous one I just gave you, it does help to convey the difference in the casual nature of āGrüà dichā and the more formal nature of āGrüà Gottā. You will often hear āGrüà Gottā when you walk into a store in Bavaria and are greeted by an employee.
A third variation of this greeting is āGrüà Sieā, which basically just switches out the ādichā, which is a form of the informal āyouā in German, for the formal version āSieā. Again, I would translate it as āgreet youā, but this time it is considered to be more formal than āGrüà dichā and doesnāt include the direct reference to God, although the origin sentence is the same for all of these greetings. āGrüà Sieā is also used in southern Germany and Austria.
Grüezi
If you travel to Switzerland you might hear yet another variant of this greeting as āGrüeziā. This is basically the same as āGrüà Sieā, as you can hear in the pronunciation, but the Swiss dialect, morphs this greeting just a bit more to make it āGrüeziā.
Sei gegrüĆt
I donāt know why, but the southern Germans have a lot of casual greetings. Next up on the list is āSei gegrüĆtā, which is literally ābe greetedā. It is considered casual, as āSeiā is the informal command form of the verb āseinā (to be). This greeting is also listed as archaic in some dictionaries, so it is unlikely you are going to encounter it, but some people still use it, so I thought I would include it. āSei gegrüĆtā
Glück auf
You can also say āGlückaufā (also “Glück auf”) in southern Germany. This one is listed as a ābergmƤnnischer GruĆā in my dictionary, which means it is a āminer greetingā. It is thought to have originated as a way for miners to wish the others good luck and that they hoped the mine didnāt collapse. āAufā means āupā, which indicates that they were wishing luck for the other miners to go back up when their work was done. āGlückaufā.
Na
The last one on my list for today is the fantastic German word that Trixi from Donāt Trust the Rabbit made an entire video about, because it means everything and nothing in German. That word is, of course, āNaā. While there are a wide range of uses for this word which arenāt greetings, when it is used as a greeting, it roughly translates āwellā.
I think of it as āyepā as used in the intro to King of the Hill when the guys are standing by the fence and just saying āyepā to each other. āNaā is kind of a prompt for more information. It is a conversation starter. It is a way of getting your friend to tell you about their day without having to go through the whole phrase of āhow are youā or āwhatās going onā. āNaā is the perfect casual greeting.
Ahoi
The greeting that isnāt on my official list is āAhoiā. It is a sailor greeting and is used exactly as it is in English when it is spelled āAhoyā. It even shows up in the Rammstein song āReise, Reiseā. Now click below listen and enjoy.
German Farewells
auf Wiedersehen
Probably the most widely known farewell in German is āauf Wiedersehenā. If you translate it literally, it means āuntil again seeingā or āuntil we see each other againā. It is also considered to be pretty formal. I personally almost never use āauf Wiedersehenā unless I want to say something fancier than usual. You donāt have to have the word āaufā at the front. You can simply say āWiedersehenā. āAuf Wiedersehenā or āWiedersehenā.
auf Wiederhƶren
If you are on the phone, you wonāt say āauf Wiedersehenā, because you arenāt āsehenā (seeing) that person right now. You are hearing them, so you say āauf Wiederhƶrenā, which means āuntil we hear from each other againā. Again, you can leave off the āaufā if you want to shorten it a bit. āAuf Wiederhƶrenā or āWiederhƶrenā.
Wir sehen uns
A similar farewell would be āWir sehen uns.ā This is like the English āsee youā. It is more casual than āauf Wiedersehenā, but the general meaning of seeing the other person again is still there. āWir sehen unsā
Tschüss
My preferred farewell is āTschüssā. It is a much more casual, everyday farewell and is more than likely what your German friends will say to you when they say ābyeā. This farewell evolved from the Latin āad Deumā, which became the French āĆ Dieuā. This eventually evolved into ātschƶā in some dialects, but ātschüsā in others.
Due to some regions using the long vowel sound and others using the short vowel sound, the spelling of this farewell varies. It can be spelled with two āSāsā, one āSā or an āĆā. I usually spell it with two āSāsā, but vary my pronunciation based on my mood at the time. I usually default to the short vowel sound ātschüssā if I simply want to say bye, but am not overly enthusiastic about it and the long vowel sound ātschüsā or ātschüĆā when I am feeling more playful. I personally never spell it with an āĆā, as Duden only lists the single āSā and double āSā version. You will still see the āĆā version, however, as not everyone agrees with the decision to leave that version out. So, it doesnāt matter if you say ātschüssā or ātschüsā, just remember that it is a casual farewell and shouldnāt be the one you choose when you are leaving a fancy dinner with some politicians.
If I am feeling particularly playful, I sometimes say ātschüssiā, which is just a more fun version of ātschüssā.
Tschau
While we are on the topic of valedictions based on other languages, Germans also sometimes say āciaoā. The recommended spelling from Duden is ātschauā, but many people prefer the original Italian spelling, so you will see both. Just remember to pronounce it as ātschauā. Despite the original Italian meaning being a greeting and a farewell, Germans only use āciao/Tschauā as a farewell.
Servus
In southern Germany and Austria, you can say āservusā. This is another informal farewell and can also be used as a greeting. āServusā derives from the Latin phrase āservus humillimusā, which translates as āI am a humble servantā, but doesnāt carry this connotation in modern German. āServusā in modern usage is simply a way of saying āhelloā or āgood-byeā in a less formal way.
Gute Nacht
āGuten Morgenā, āGuten Tagā and āGuten Abendā are all greetings, but āGute Nachtā is a farewell. This is the same as it is in English. I say this every night to my daughter when I put her in bed. āGute Nacht, Kleine. Schlaf gut.ā
Mahlzeit
In my last video I mentioned the greeting āMahlzeitā as used when you see people going to lunch at work. You can also use this as a farewell in the same circumstance. āMahlzeitā
Schƶnen Tag noch
While you canāt say āGuten Tagā as a farewell, you can say āSchƶnen Tag nochā, which roughly translates to āhave a nice rest of your dayā. Literally, it is just ābeautiful day stillā, but you get the idea. This greeting really only works if there is enough of the day left to merit saying ārest of your dayā. As you leave a store, an employee might say āSchƶnen Tag nochā. Technically speaking, you can use any greeting with the word ānochā behind it to mean something similar. āGuten Morgen nochā would be āhave a nice morningā. āGuten Abend nochā would be āhave a nice eveningā. Those versions, however, are not common and might get you a weird look if you say them. Stay on the safe side and just stick to āSchƶnen Tag nochā.
Gute Fahrt / Gute Reise
If someone is going on a trip, you can say āGute Fahrtā. This is like wishing them a good trip. This farewell only works if they are driving. If they are traveling by other means or you donāt know how they are traveling, it is probably safer to say āGute Reiseā. The meaning of these two are basically the same, but āGute Fahrtā includes the word āFahrtā, which is a drive as opposed to any other kind of trip. āGute Reiseā is a more general farewell.
Take Care
There are several ways to say ātake careā in German. The first one on my list is āMachās gutā. This literally translates as ādo it wellā. You can respond to this farewell with ādu auchā, which is like āyou tooā or if you are feeling more playful, you can play off of the literal translation of this farewell and say āmachās besserā, which is like do it betterā. āMachās gutā āMachās besserā ādu auchā
Pass auf dich auf
A more literal translation of the English farewell ātake careā would be āPass auf dich auf.ā The verb āaufpassenā means āto watch outā or āpay attentionā. The literal translation of āPass auf dich aufā would be āwatch out for yourselfā or āpay attention to yourselfā. I think this gets the general idea of the English farewell ātake careā. āPass auf dich aufā
Leb wohl
The last version of ātake careā on my list is āLeb wohlā. This is like a final good-bye. It is like saying āhave a nice lifeā. āLeb wohlā is like the word āfarewellā in English, as it suggests finality. If you want to be a bit more rude, you can also use a play on the classic āauf Wiedersehenā and say āauf Nimmerwiedersehenā, which is like āUntil we never see each other againā. While āLeb wohlā is a bit sad that you wonāt see them again āauf Nimmerwiedersehenā sounds more like you are looking forward to the fact that you wonāt see them again.
Viel Glück / Viel Erfolg
If you want to say āgood luckā in German as a farewell, you have two options. āViel Glückā is the more common one and literally means āmuch luckā, but you can also use āviel Erfolgā, which is like wishing someone āmuch successā. āViel Glückā is more universal, but āviel Erfolgā can only be used before something that would require success. You can also say āviel Glückā if you kidnap Liam Neesonās daughter and you donāt think he actually has that particular set of skills that make him a nightmare for people like you.
Alles Gute
Speaking of wishing people well, you can also say āAlles Guteā, which is used for wishing people happy birthday and other special occasions, but it can also be used to say farewell, when you want to wish someone well. āAlles Guteā literally translates as āall the bestā.
bis + time
The most versatile farewell on my list today is any combination with the word ābisā in it. āBisā means āuntilā. This is used like āsee youā in English. You simply add when you will see that person again to the end and now you have your farewell. The options are endless.
bis dann – see you then
bis spƤter – see you later
bis nachher – see you afterwards
bis Morgen – see you tomorrow
bis Ćbermorgen – see you the day after tomorrow
bis zehn Uhr – see you at 10 oāclock
bis heute Abend – see you this evening
bis heute Nachmittag – see you this afternoon
And the one that I use at the end of every video, ābis zum nƤchsten Malā – until next time
Beginner German with Herr Antrim
Herr Antrimās new e-book āBeginner German with Herr Antrimā is your guide to having your first conversation in German. Within the e-book, each lesson includes a worksheet and answer key to practice the skills in that lesson. You will also get access to online flashcards and a whole lot more. Find out more about the e-book here.
Lessons within “Beginner German with Herr Antrim”
- Download the E-Book
- #1 – Pronunciation
- #2 –Ā Greetings
- #3 –Ā Farewells
- #4 –Ā Du vs Ihr vs Sie
- #5 –Ā How to Say You Don’t Speak German
- #6 –Ā das Alphabet
- #7 –Ā 24 Most Common Verbs with Example Sentences
- #8 –Ā Subject PronounsĀ &Ā Conjugation
- #9 –Ā Basic Questions & Answers
- #10 –Ā Formation of Questions
- #11 –Ā Describe Yourself in German
- #12 –Ā Present Tense of “sein”
- #13 –Ā Present Tense of “haben”
- #14 –Ā Family Vocabulary
- #15 –Ā The Ultimate Guide to German Numbers
- #16 –Ā Word Order with Time
- #17 –Ā Read & Write Dates in German
- #18 –Ā Word Order Basics
- #19 –Ā Shopping
- #20 –Ā A Beginner German Conversation