Are you planning to visit a German-speaking country? Or are you a German learner who wants to meet fluent speakers and engage in conversation?
Knowing German greetings and farewells — and the etiquette that goes with them — will politely open the door to German-language interactions.
In German, there are greetings and farewells for both formal and informal situations. We’ll look at several of these and help you decide which to choose.
Learning German also means discovering how to use words and phrases in their cultural context. Therefore, we’ll also talk about the role handshakes, hugs, and “Sie” and “du” play in saying a German “Hello.”
Keep reading to learn more or discoveronline German classeson Preply.
Formal and informal greetings in German: What’s the difference?
First, it’s important to know that even something as simple as saying “Hello” in German can be more complicated than you might imagine. This is because German culture maintains a certain formality, and the language respects that.
Before you say a German “Hello,” you’ll need to know your audience. Ask yourself:
- Is the person I’m addressing more of an acquaintance than a friend?
- Are they a complete stranger?
- Are they older than me?
- Are they an authority figure, like an employer?
If any of the above are true, address that person using Sie.
Sie (formal “you”) puts a little social distance between you and unfamiliar people. It also shows extra politeness and respect.
The formal “you” in German is always capitalized: Sie. (When spelled with a lowercase s, sie can mean “she” or “they”).
Sie can be used to formally address one or more people.
You would pair Sie with more formal greetings and farewells — such as Guten Tag (Hello/Good day) or Auf Wiedersehen (Goodbye). And, of course, you would use a respectful title with the person’s family name, rather than their given name.
For example, you might say, “Guten Tag, Herr Schmidt” (“Hello, Mr. Schmidt”) or “Auf Wiedersehen, Frau Müller” (“Goodbye, Mrs. Müller”).
If you’re talking to a friend or family member, someone your own age, or someone younger than you, you can use informal greetings and farewells with du (informal, singular “you”). You can also address that person by their first name.
To address more than one person informally, you can use ihr, which is sometimes likened to “y’all” in English.
Common German greetings and farewells
In this section we’ll look at some of the most common German greetings and farewells. Since you might encounter a lot of strangers — especially if you’re traveling — we’ll start with formal phrases:
Formal German greetings and farewells
If you need to greet or say goodbye to people you don’t know, like hotel desk clerks, salespeople, and restaurant waitstaff, these formal German phrases will serve you well.
They’ll also work with older people, authority figures, coworkers, and acquaintances.
| German Phrase | English Equivalent |
| Guten Morgen. | Good morning. |
| Guten Tag. | Good day; hello. [used from around noon until 6 PM] |
| Guten Abend. | Good evening. |
| Gute Nacht. | Good night. |
| Sehr erfreut! | Delighted! [used when meeting someone for the first time] |
| Wie geht es Ihnen? | How are you? [Not often asked in formal settings] |
| Schönen Tag! | Have a nice day! |
| Schönes Wochenende! | Have a nice weekend! |
| Auf Wiedersehen. | Goodbye. |
Informal German greetings and farewells
Use these phrases with people your own age, younger people, family members, and friends.
| German Phrase | English Equivalent |
| Hallo. | Hello. |
| Hi. | Hi. |
| Ciao. | Goodbye [from the Italian; used widely in Europe] |
| 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] |
| Wie geht’s? | How’s it going? |
| Es geht. | It’s going / it’s okay. |
| Alles klar? / Alles gut? | All good? [Answered with “Alles klar.”] |
| Na? | Hey, what’s up? |
| Lange nicht mehr gesehen! | Long time, no see! |
| Bis morgen. | See you tomorrow. / Until morning. |
| Bis bald. | See you soon. |
| Bis später. | See you later. |
| Tschüss! | Bye! |
Regional German greetings and farewells
These phrases are often heard in various parts of the German-speaking world.
Moin!
Used in Bremen, the Jutland Peninsula, Hamburg, parts of Lower Saxony, and other places in and around north-east Germany, Moin — sometimes doubled to become Moin! Moin! — is a common regional German greeting.
In a few places, such as Hessen, it can be used to mean both “hello” and “goodbye.”
Moin can be used at any time of the day or night, just like “Hello” in English.
Servus
This greeting, which derives from the Latin word for “servant,” is similar to “at your service” in English.
It’s usually used by older German speakers in Austria, as well as Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and other parts of southwestern Germany. It serves as both “hello” and “goodbye.”
You’ll also find it in other Central and Eastern European countries, such as Poland, Hungary, and Romania.
Habediehre
This word is a corruption of the phrase Habe die Ehre.
It literally means, “I have the honor.” It’s more commonly used by older generations in regions like Regensburg (eastern Bavaria).
Like Servus, you can also use Habediehre to say “goodbye.”
Grüß Gott
Grüß Gott is an abbreviated form of the phrase grüß dich Gott (“the greeting of God to you”).
In English, we might render grüß Gott as “may God bless you.” For Austrians and Southern Germans, it’s really just a way of saying “Hello.”
A Bavarian variation of Grüß Gott is Grüß dich, which also hearkens back to the longer version of the original phrase (grüß dich Gott).
If you visit eastern or central Switzerland, you’ll find still another version of this phrase: Grüezi. You can use Grüezi both formally and informally.
Salü
You can feel the Swiss influence in Baden-Württemberg, which uses the French-sounding Salü as a local greeting.
Tagchen
Meaning “little day,” Tagchen is used to say “hello” in Saxony and Leipzig.
Was geht?
In Saxony, Was geht? (What’s up?) can be used among friends, instead of Hallo (Hello).
German greeting etiquette
When you greet a German speaker, you’ll want to use the proper form of address — Sie (formal “you”) or du / ihr (informal “you”), as we discussed earlier.
In addition, you’ll need to know about the role that body language and gestures play in German greetings.
Handshakes
Handshakes are well-established in German culture as a polite gesture of greeting.
A firm (but not bone-crushing) handshake is perfectly acceptable in most cases.
Hugs & kisses
Have you ever met someone for the first time and found yourself getting an unexpected hug, maybe with a peck on the cheek as a chaser? That’s not likely to happen in German culture.
Hugs and kisses — even kisses on the cheek — would generally be reserved for someone you know well, probably a family member or close friend. However, what you do depends on the place, too.
For example, in Germany it’s common among friends to do a kind of half hug (with one arm), but two kisses on the cheek are more common in Austria.
The best advice is to use your best judgment, and to be aware of and follow the example of the people around you.
Practicing German greetings and farewells
The greetings and farewells we’ve explored are some of the most important German words and phrases for beginners.
Try to listen for them in real German-language media, so you can get a better understanding of how they’re used by native speakers. For example, German podcasts are an entertaining and effective way to learn German greetings, since the hosts often use them to welcome guests to their shows.
You’ll also hear these phrases in German dialogues and movies, and on German TV shows.
To get real-life practice using all kinds of German greetings and farewells, you can try out these words and phrases with a German-speaking friend or a tutor. A tutor can coach on your word choices and pronunciation, helping you to understand the cultural context and etiquette so you’re better prepared to interact with native German speakers.
Preply has a huge community of German tutors from all over the German-speaking world. A Preply tutor will tailor conversations and lessons to your specific goals and needs, working with you 1-on-1 when it’s most convenient.
No matter how you practice your German greetings and farewells, don’t be shy! Whether you speak with strangers or friends, using formal or informal language, get out there and start saying Hallo.
