Greetings & Introductions
German greetings are straightforward, and the formal/informal split is clearer than in most languages — Sie is capitalised wherever it appears, which makes it easy to spot in writing.
Regional greetings vary a lot: Moin in the north, Servus in Bavaria and Austria, Grüezi in Switzerland. Hallo works everywhere.
Vocabulary
- Hallo
- Hello
- Guten Morgen
- Good morning
- Guten Tag
- Good day
- Guten Abend
- Good evening
- Tschüss
- Bye (informal)
- Auf Wiedersehen
- Goodbye (formal)
- Bitte
- Please / You're welcome
- Danke
- Thank you
- Entschuldigung
- Excuse me / Sorry
- Ja / Nein
- Yes / No
Example Phrases
Wie heißen Sie?
What is your name? (formal)
Ich heiße Anna.
My name is Anna.
Wie geht es Ihnen?
How are you? (formal)
Mir geht es gut, danke.
I'm well, thank you.
Freut mich.
Pleased to meet you.
Grammar note
du vs. Sie
Sie is the formal you, used with strangers, in shops, and at work. It's always capitalised, and it takes the same verb form as the plural: Wie heißen Sie?
Du is informal — friends, family, children, students, and increasingly colleagues in younger workplaces. As in French, the switch is usually offered by the other person: Wollen wir uns duzen?
Cultural note
Bitte does a lot of work
Bitte means please, you're welcome, here you go, and — with a rising tone — pardon? Context carries all four.
Answering Danke with Bitte is the standard exchange; leaving it unanswered can feel abrupt.