Learning German Common Greetings & Introductions

Formal German Greetings

It is sometimes considered rude to use the du form of address with someone who isn't a friend or relative. Because you don't know the person you're speaking to, it is definitely best to take the formal approach. It is worth noting, however, that younger generations are tending more and more to use the informal du form.
German
Pronunciation
English
Guten Tag
gew-tuhn-tahk
Hello
Guten Abend
gew-tuhn ah-bent
Good evening
mein Herr
mayn heR
Sir
meine Dame
may-nuh dah-muh
Miss, Mrs
Ich heibe.
iH hay-suh
My name is.
Wie heiben Sie?
vee hay-suhn zee
What is your name?
Wie geht es Ihnen?
vee gayt es ee-nuhn
How are you?
Sehr gut
zeyR gewt
Very well
Nicht schlecht
niHt shleHt
Not bad
Es geht so
es gayt zo
So so
Informal Hellos
You hit it off with your plane buddy right away, and he says, "Dutzen Sie mich , bitte ( dew-tsuhn zee miH, bi-tuh)," which means, "Please use du with me." When this happens, it means that you've earned the right to a certain degree of intimacy with this person. You can now use the following phrases:
German
Pronunciation
English
Hallo!
hA-lo
Hi!
Ich heibe.
iH hay-suh
My name is.
Wie heibt du?
vee hayst dew
What is your name?
Wie geht's?
vee gayts
How are you?
Wie geht es dir?
vee gayt es deeR
How's it going with you?
Was machst du so?
vAs mACHst dew zo
What's up?
Ganz gut
gAns gewt
Okay
Ich kann nicht klagen
iH kAn niHt klah-guhn
I can't complain
Mal so, mal so
Mahl zo, mahl zo
So so
So, Where Are You From?
Eventually, you are going to want to know where the person to whom you are speaking is from. You're also going to want to respond correctly when he asks you where you are from. To do this, you will need to familiarize yourself with the irregular verb kommen ko-muhn ).
Person
Singular
English
Plural
English
First
Ich komme
iH ko-muh
I come
wir kommen
veer ko-muhn
We come
Second
du kommst
dew komst
You come
Sie komme
zee ko-muhn
You come
(Formal)
ihr kommt
eeR komt

Sie kommen
zee ko-muhn

Third
er, sie,
es kommt
eR, zee,
es kmot
He, she,
it comes
sie kommen
zee ko-muhn
They come
To question someone about his or her origins, try the following:
Formal Use:

  • German: "Woher kommen Sie?"
    • Pronunciation: "Voh-heR ko-muhn zee."
      • English: "Where are you from?"
Informal Use:
  • German: "Woher kommst du? Ich komme aus."
    • Pronunciation: "Voh-heR komst dew itt ko-muh ous."
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