Language/German/Vocabulary/Greetings-and-Goodbyes

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German Vocabulary → Greetings and Introduction → Greetings and Goodbyes

As a German language teacher with 20 years of experience, I often get asked by my students about the most important German phrases to learn. Without a doubt, greetings and goodbyes are on top of that list. In this lesson, we will go over some essential German phrases to help you greet and say goodbye to people in various settings.

Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Count from 1 to 10 & Body Parts.

Common German Greetings

Let's start with some common ways to greet people in German:

German	Pronunciation	English
Hallo	['halo]	Hello
Guten Tag	['guːtən taːk]	Good day
Guten Morgen	['guːtən 'mɔrgən]	Good morning
Guten Abend	['guːtən 'aːbənt]	Good evening
Grüß Gott	[ɡrʏs ɡɔt]	Greet God - Used in Bavaria, Austria and some parts of Switzerland to say "Hello" or "Goodbye"

Note: "Guten Tag" is a formal greeting and is best used in professional settings or with people you have never met before. "Grüß Gott" may be seen as a religious greeting and is generally used in more traditional and conservative areas of Germany.

Greetings for Different Times of the Day

In addition to the standard greetings, it's useful to know some phrases for specific times of the day:

• Guten Morgen - Good morning
• Guten Tag - Good day
• Guten Abend - Good evening
• Gute Nacht - Good night (used when going to bed or leaving a late event)
• Tschüss - Bye (casual)
• Auf Wiedersehen - Goodbye (formal)

Note: "Tschüss" is a less formal way of saying goodbye and is better suited for situations with friends or peers. "Auf Wiedersehen" is a more formal way to say goodbye and should be used when speaking with someone you do not know well or in professional situations.

Other Useful Phrases

Here are some additional useful phrases to know:

• Wie geht es Ihnen? - How are you? (formal)
• Wie geht's? - How are you? (informal)
• Mir geht es gut, danke. Und Ihnen? - I'm well, thank you. And you? (formal)
• Mir geht's gut, danke. Und dir? - I'm well, thank you. And you? (informal)
• Bis bald! - See you soon!
• Bis später! - See you later!
• Bis dann! - See you then!
• Schönen Tag noch! - Have a nice day!

Conclusion

Now that you know some essential German phrases for greetings and goodbyes, it's time to practice! Keep in mind that the phrases you use may vary depending on the situation and the person you are speaking with. Practice with native speakers and don't be afraid to make mistakes. You'll be surprised at how far a simple "Guten Tag" can go in making a great first impression!

Sources

• Formal and informal German greetings and farewells (+ cultural ...
• Greetings and essentials + audio | Learn German
• Hello in German: 22 Friendly and Useful German Greetings ...

Great work on completing this lesson! Take a moment to investigate these connected pages: Count to 10 & Telling Time.

Table of Contents - German Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Basic Sentence Structures

• Subject and Verb
• Noun and Gender

  ---

Greetings and Introduction

• Greetings and Goodbyes
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Definite and Indefinite Articles

• Gender and Articles
• Plural Forms
• Cases: Nominative and Accusative

  ---

Numbers, Dates and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Days of the Week and Months
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Conjugation

• Verb Forms
• Present Tense
• Separable Verbs

  ---

Family and Friends

• Family Members
• Talking About Your Friends

  ---

Prepositions

• Using Prepositions
• Two-Way Prepositions

  ---

Food and Drinks

• Food and Meals
• Drinks and Beverages

  ---

Germany and German-Speaking Countries

• Geography and Landmarks
• Cuisine and Traditions

  ---

Pronouns and Possessives

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Booking a Trip
• Public Transportation

  ---

Modal Verbs

• Expressing Abilities
• Talking About Obligations

  ---

Shopping and Clothes

• Shopping for Clothes
• Buying Groceries

  ---

Music and Entertainment

• Popular Musicians and Genres
• Movies, TV and Literature

  ---

Adjectives

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Forms

  ---

Health and Body

• Talking About Health
• Body Parts

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Time and Temporal Prepositions

• Using Time Expressions
• Temporal Prepositions

Other Lessons

• Food
• Days of the Week
• Booking a Trip
• Body
• Animal Sounds
• Maps
• Buying Groceries
• Public Transportation
• How to Say Hello and Greetings
• Tongue twisters

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