Greetings and introductions in German
A greeting is the first thing you'll say in German, and it's also where you meet the language's biggest social rule: there are two words for "you".
du or Sie?
- du is for friends, family, children and, these days, most people your own age in informal settings.
- Sie (always with a capital S) is for strangers, shop staff, officials and anyone you'd call "Mr" or "Ms".
That's why some phrases come in pairs: Wie geht es Ihnen? is the formal "How are you?", Wie geht's? the casual one. If you're unsure, start with Sie; the other person will offer du if they want it.
Hello and goodbye
| Formal | Informal |
|---|---|
| Guten Tag | Hallo |
| Auf Wiedersehen | Tschüss |
Guten Tag literally means "good day", but it works as a plain "hello". Unlike in English, Wie geht's? is a real question: people expect an answer such as Gut, danke. Und dir?
One word, three jobs
Bitte means "please", "you're welcome" and, as Wie bitte?, "sorry, what did you say?". Danke – Bitte! is the standard exchange after someone thanks you.
Practise with flashcards
Every word on this page, with its pronunciation and an example sentence, is in the deck below. Add it to your decks and Echoes will bring each card back just before you would forget it.