Greetings & Farewells in German

Hallo, Deutschlerner. Today I’m going to introduce you to a bunch of different greetings and farewells in German. I’ll 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 Antrim’s new e-book ā€œBeginner German with Herr Antrimā€œ. 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 ā€œhelloā€, but the Germans spell it with an ā€œAā€ and, due to the two ā€œL’sā€, we use the short ā€œAā€ sound when we say ā€œHalloā€. 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 isn’t what I would use when greeting my potential boss at a job interview in German, but I might greet friends with ā€œHalloā€ and I even used it at the beginning of this video to greet you all. ā€œHallo, Deutschlernerā€.

You can also greet more than one person without addressing them individually by saying ā€œHallo zusammenā€, which is like ā€œhello togetherā€. This makes it so you don’t necessarily have to go around the group and shake each person’s hand and say hello. ā€œHallo zusammenā€ is again casual, but used in groups.

Hallo with flair

While ā€œHalloā€ on its own is casual enough, but you can make it even more casual by adding some flair to your ā€œHalloā€. 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 ā€œHallƶchenā€, which is literally a ā€œlittle helloā€, because the suffix ā€œ-chenā€ is a diminutive, which is used to indicate that something is small. For example ā€œeine Blumeā€ is a flower, while ā€œein Blümchenā€ is a little flower. ā€œHallƶchenā€ then is a little ā€œhelloā€.

You can make it even more ridiculous by saying ā€œHalli Hallo Hallƶchenā€, but that is basically like saying ā€œhowdily doodilyā€, which makes you sound like Ned Flanders from the Simpsons. If that’s the kind of personality you want to portray, maybe this is the greeting for you, but suffice it to say that ā€œHallƶchenā€ 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 ā€œGuten Morgenā€ (good morning). From the middle of the day up until the afternoon you say ā€œGuten Tagā€ (good day). In the evening you say ā€œGuten Abendā€ (good evening). These are more formal than saying ā€œHalloā€, but aren’t 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 ā€œGuten Tagā€, as you can use it most of the day, but you wouldn’t say ā€œGuten Morgenā€ in the evening or ā€œGuten Abendā€ in the morning. There isn’t a specific hour of the day that constitutes time to use ā€œGuten Tagā€. While it is pretty obvious that you can’t really use ā€œGuten Morgenā€ after noon, there isn’t really a deadline for when you need to switch to ā€œGuten Abendā€. In fact, you can get away with never using ā€œGuten Abendā€ and just say ā€œGuten Tagā€ the entire day to everyone you see. It is that versatile. If you are unsure which greeting to use, use ā€œGuten Tagā€ and you will be safe. If it is morning use ā€œGuten Morgenā€. In the evening ā€œGuten Abendā€.

Mahlzeit

If you are at work and your colleagues are going to lunch, you can greet them in passing with ā€œMahlzeitā€. This basically translates as ā€œmealtimeā€. This may sound like a weird way to greet people, but this is like saying ā€œenjoy your lunchā€ as someone leaves to go to lunch. It is kind of a greeting for when people are leaving. ā€œMahlzeitā€ is not used to start a conversation or to end one necessarily. It is simply used in passing when you don’t really intend to talk.

Regional German Greetings

Now let’s get into some regional greetings. If you haven’t 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

ā€œMoinā€ 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 ā€œMorgenā€, which morphed into ā€œMoinā€, but there is also a theory that says it came from a Middle Low German word for ā€œniceā€, ā€œbrightā€, or ā€œshinyā€, which indicates it could mean something like ā€œhave a good oneā€. Whatever the case, the greeting ā€œMoinā€ is used in northern Germany and is considered to be a pretty casual greeting.

Servus

ā€œServusā€ is commonly used to greet people in southern Germany and Austria. This one doubles as a farewell, so it is basically like the Bavarian ā€œAlohaā€, as it means both ā€œhelloā€ and ā€œgood-byeā€. ā€œServusā€

Grüß dich & Grüß Gott

A casual greeting in southern Germany and Austria would be ā€œGrüß dichā€. Both ā€œGrüß dichā€ and its more formal counterpart ā€œGrüß Gottā€ share the same etymology. They both stem from the phrase ā€œGrüß dich Gottā€, which means something like ā€œGod bless youā€. I generally translate it as ā€œgreet youā€ for ā€œGrüß dichā€ and ā€œgreetings from Godā€ for ā€œGrüß 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 ā€œGrüß dichā€ and the more formal nature of ā€œGrüß Gottā€. You will often hear ā€œGrüß Gottā€ when you walk into a store in Bavaria and are greeted by an employee.

A third variation of this greeting is ā€œGrüß Sieā€, which basically just switches out the ā€œdichā€, which is a form of the informal ā€œyouā€ in German, for the formal version ā€œSieā€. Again, I would translate it as ā€œgreet youā€, but this time it is considered to be more formal than ā€œGrüß dichā€ and doesn’t include the direct reference to God, although the origin sentence is the same for all of these greetings. ā€œGrüß 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 ā€œGrüeziā€. This is basically the same as ā€œGrüß Sieā€, as you can hear in the pronunciation, but the Swiss dialect, morphs this greeting just a bit more to make it ā€œGrüeziā€.

Sei gegrüßt

I don’t know why, but the southern Germans have a lot of casual greetings. Next up on the list is ā€œSei gegrüßtā€, which is literally ā€œbe greetedā€. It is considered casual, as ā€œSeiā€ is the informal command form of the verb ā€œseinā€ (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. ā€œSei gegrüßtā€

Glück auf

You can also say ā€œGlückaufā€ (also “Glück auf”) in southern Germany. This one is listed as a ā€œbergmƤnnischer GruĆŸā€ in my dictionary, which means it is a ā€œminer greetingā€. It is thought to have originated as a way for miners to wish the others good luck and that they hoped the mine didn’t collapse. ā€œAufā€ means ā€œupā€, which indicates that they were wishing luck for the other miners to go back up when their work was done. ā€œGlückaufā€.

Na

The last one on my list for today is the fantastic German word that Trixi from Don’t Trust the Rabbit made an entire video about, because it means everything and nothing in German. That word is, of course, ā€œNaā€. While there are a wide range of uses for this word which aren’t greetings, when it is used as a greeting, it roughly translates ā€œwellā€.

I think of it as ā€œyepā€ as used in the intro to King of the Hill when the guys are standing by the fence and just saying ā€œyepā€ to each other. ā€œNaā€ 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 ā€œhow are youā€ or ā€œwhat’s going onā€. ā€œNaā€ is the perfect casual greeting.

Ahoi

The greeting that isn’t on my official list is ā€œAhoiā€. It is a sailor greeting and is used exactly as it is in English when it is spelled ā€œAhoyā€. It even shows up in the Rammstein song ā€œReise, Reiseā€. Now click below listen and enjoy.

German Farewells

auf Wiedersehen

Probably the most widely known farewell in German is ā€œauf Wiedersehenā€. If you translate it literally, it means ā€œuntil again seeingā€ or ā€œuntil we see each other againā€. It is also considered to be pretty formal. I personally almost never use ā€œauf Wiedersehenā€ unless I want to say something fancier than usual. You don’t have to have the word ā€œaufā€ at the front. You can simply say ā€œWiedersehenā€. ā€œAuf Wiedersehenā€ or ā€œWiedersehenā€.

auf Wiederhƶren

If you are on the phone, you won’t say ā€œauf Wiedersehenā€, because you aren’t ā€œsehenā€ (seeing) that person right now. You are hearing them, so you say ā€œauf Wiederhƶrenā€, which means ā€œuntil we hear from each other againā€. Again, you can leave off the ā€œaufā€ if you want to shorten it a bit. ā€œAuf Wiederhƶrenā€ or ā€œWiederhƶrenā€.

Wir sehen uns

A similar farewell would be ā€œWir sehen uns.ā€ This is like the English ā€œsee youā€. It is more casual than ā€œauf Wiedersehenā€, but the general meaning of seeing the other person again is still there. ā€œWir sehen unsā€

Tschüss

My preferred farewell is ā€œTschüssā€. It is a much more casual, everyday farewell and is more than likely what your German friends will say to you when they say ā€œbyeā€. This farewell evolved from the Latin ā€œad Deumā€, which became the French ā€œĆ  Dieuā€. This eventually evolved into ā€œtschĆ¶ā€ in some dialects, but ā€œtschüsā€ 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 ā€œS’sā€, one ā€œSā€ or an ā€œĆŸā€. I usually spell it with two ā€œS’sā€, but vary my pronunciation based on my mood at the time. I usually default to the short vowel sound ā€œtschüssā€ if I simply want to say bye, but am not overly enthusiastic about it and the long vowel sound ā€œtschüsā€ or ā€œtschĆ¼ĆŸā€ when I am feeling more playful. I personally never spell it with an ā€œĆŸā€, as Duden only lists the single ā€œSā€ and double ā€œSā€ version. You will still see the ā€œĆŸā€ version, however, as not everyone agrees with the decision to leave that version out. So, it doesn’t matter if you say ā€œtschüssā€ or ā€œtschüsā€, just remember that it is a casual farewell and shouldn’t be the one you choose when you are leaving a fancy dinner with some politicians.

If I am feeling particularly playful, I sometimes say ā€œtschüssiā€, which is just a more fun version of ā€œtschüssā€.

Tschau

While we are on the topic of valedictions based on other languages, Germans also sometimes say ā€œciaoā€. The recommended spelling from Duden is ā€œtschauā€, but many people prefer the original Italian spelling, so you will see both. Just remember to pronounce it as ā€œtschauā€. Despite the original Italian meaning being a greeting and a farewell, Germans only use ā€˜ciao/Tschau’ as a farewell.

Servus

In southern Germany and Austria, you can say ā€œservusā€. This is another informal farewell and can also be used as a greeting. ā€œServusā€ derives from the Latin phrase ā€œservus humillimusā€, which translates as ā€œI am a humble servantā€, but doesn’t carry this connotation in modern German. ā€œServusā€ in modern usage is simply a way of saying ā€œhelloā€ or ā€œgood-byeā€ in a less formal way.

Gute Nacht

ā€œGuten Morgenā€, ā€œGuten Tagā€ and ā€œGuten Abendā€ are all greetings, but ā€œGute 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. ā€œGute Nacht, Kleine. Schlaf gut.ā€

Mahlzeit

In my last video I mentioned the greeting ā€œMahlzeitā€ as used when you see people going to lunch at work. You can also use this as a farewell in the same circumstance. ā€œMahlzeitā€

Schƶnen Tag noch

While you can’t say ā€œGuten Tagā€ as a farewell, you can say ā€œSchƶnen Tag nochā€, which roughly translates to ā€œhave a nice rest of your dayā€. Literally, it is just ā€œbeautiful day stillā€, but you get the idea. This greeting really only works if there is enough of the day left to merit saying ā€œrest of your dayā€. As you leave a store, an employee might say ā€œSchƶnen Tag nochā€. Technically speaking, you can use any greeting with the word ā€œnochā€ behind it to mean something similar. ā€œGuten Morgen nochā€ would be ā€œhave a nice morningā€. ā€œGuten Abend nochā€ would be ā€œhave 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 ā€œSchƶnen Tag nochā€.

Gute Fahrt / Gute Reise

If someone is going on a trip, you can say ā€œGute 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 don’t know how they are traveling, it is probably safer to say ā€œGute Reiseā€. The meaning of these two are basically the same, but ā€œGute Fahrtā€ includes the word ā€œFahrtā€, which is a drive as opposed to any other kind of trip. ā€œGute Reiseā€ is a more general farewell.

Take Care

There are several ways to say ā€œtake careā€ in German. The first one on my list is ā€œMach’s gutā€. This literally translates as ā€œdo it wellā€. You can respond to this farewell with ā€œdu auchā€, which is like ā€œyou tooā€ or if you are feeling more playful, you can play off of the literal translation of this farewell and say ā€œmach’s besserā€, which is like do it betterā€. ā€œMach’s gutā€ ā€œMach’s besserā€ ā€œdu auchā€

Pass auf dich auf

A more literal translation of the English farewell ā€œtake careā€ would be ā€œPass auf dich auf.ā€ The verb ā€œaufpassenā€ means ā€œto watch outā€ or ā€œpay attentionā€. The literal translation of ā€œPass auf dich aufā€ would be ā€œwatch out for yourselfā€ or ā€œpay attention to yourselfā€. I think this gets the general idea of the English farewell ā€œtake careā€. ā€œPass auf dich aufā€

Leb wohl

The last version of ā€œtake careā€ on my list is ā€œLeb wohlā€. This is like a final good-bye. It is like saying ā€œhave a nice lifeā€. ā€œLeb wohlā€ is like the word ā€œfarewellā€ in English, as it suggests finality. If you want to be a bit more rude, you can also use a play on the classic ā€œauf Wiedersehenā€ and say ā€œauf Nimmerwiedersehenā€, which is like ā€œUntil we never see each other againā€. While ā€œLeb wohlā€ is a bit sad that you won’t see them again ā€œauf Nimmerwiedersehenā€ sounds more like you are looking forward to the fact that you won’t see them again.

Viel Glück / Viel Erfolg

If you want to say ā€œgood luckā€ in German as a farewell, you have two options. ā€œViel Glückā€ is the more common one and literally means ā€œmuch luckā€, but you can also use ā€œviel Erfolgā€, which is like wishing someone ā€œmuch successā€. ā€œViel Glückā€ is more universal, but ā€œviel Erfolgā€ can only be used before something that would require success. You can also say ā€œviel Glückā€ if you kidnap Liam Neeson’s daughter and you don’t 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 ā€œAlles 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. ā€œAlles Guteā€ literally translates as ā€œall the bestā€.

bis + time

The most versatile farewell on my list today is any combination with the word ā€œbisā€ in it. ā€œBisā€ means ā€œuntilā€. This is used like ā€œsee 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 Übermorgen – see you the day after tomorrow
bis zehn Uhr – see you at 10 o’clock
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, ā€œbis zum nƤchsten Malā€ – until next time

Beginner German with Herr Antrim

Herr Antrim’s new e-book ā€œBeginner German with Herr Antrimā€œ 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”

Herr Antrim
Herr Antrim is a German teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience. In 2011 he started his successful YouTube Channel "Learn German with Herr Antrim". In 2015 he created this website to enhance the German language lessons he was providing on YouTube. He is now the author of his own e-book, "Beginner German with Herr Antrim". He has also been featured on numerous blogs and other sites. *This site uses a variety of affiliate links. If there is a link that leads to an outside site from which you could potentially make a purchase, it is very likely an affiliate link for which Herr Antrim will receive a small portion of your purchase. This does not cost you any extra, but it does help keep this website going. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you would like more information about the affiliate programs this site uses, click here.
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