Content

• Steps
• Advice

It is important to know basic German greetings if you are living, on vacation or working in Germany. Like most cultures in other countries, Germans distinguish very well between formal greetings and the way of greeting relatives or friends. This article will show you almost all of the ways to say hello in Germany.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Formal greetings

1. 

   Get to know your audience. Say the following if you are greeting businesses or people you are not familiar with. Most greetings are related to the time of day.
   • "Guten Morgen!" - Good morning!
     • Usually used until almost noon. In some parts of Germany, it is only used until 10am.
   • "Guten Tag!" - Have a nice day!
     • Use this sentence from noon until 6 pm.
   • "Guten Abend." - Good evening.
     • This sentence is usually used after 6pm.
   • If you are writing letters, remember that "all nouns in German must be capitalized".

2. 

   
   
   The option is playful. Often in Vietnamese, asking is a polite way of communicating, "Hello!". in German is no exception.
   • "Wie geht es Ihnen?" - "How are you?" (grave).
   • "Geht es Ihnen gut?" - How are you?
   • "Sehr erfreut." - Nice to meet you.
     • Answer: "Gut, danke." - I'm fine, thanks.
       
       "Es geht mir sehr gut." - I'm fine.
       
       "Ziemlich gut." - So so.
   • If you were asked such questions, it was customary to include "Und Ihnen?" - How about you? (grave).

3. 

   
   
   Learn the appropriate physical greeting. In all cultures or regions, there is a variation in the standard of greeting, be it bowing, hugging, or shaking hands. In Germany it's a little bit different from the rest of Europe.
   • Germans prefer handshakes to greet non-family members instead of kissing on the cheek as in most European countries; However, cheek kiss is still a common greeting in German-speaking countries.
   • Regulations on the number of kisses given as well as where and with whom varies from place to place. If you're seeing someone for the first time, you might just be enough to shake hands. And watch how the other person greeted you. You will notice it quickly.
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Method 2 of 3: Informal greeting

1. 

   
   
   Use everyday words to greet family and friends. Most places in Germany use the following sentences.
   • "Hallo!", This word is Hello, no need to translate anymore and is also the most popular word.
   • "Morgen," "Tag," and "'n Abend" are shortened words of the aforementioned timed greeting.
   • "Sei gegrüßt." - Introduce… (introduce one person).
   • "Seid gegrüßt." - Introduce… (refer more than one person).
     • "Grüß Dich" translates into Vietnamese as "Hi you / you". Only use when you are familiar with the other person.
     • "ß" is sometimes pronounced like "s" as in the word "sai".

2. 

   Make a question. To ask about a person's health, you have many different options (as in Vietnamese):
   • "Wie geht es dir?" - How are you? (intimate).
   • "Wie's geht's?" - How long ago?.
     • Answer: "Es geht mir gut." - Strong.
       
       "Nicht schlecht." - Not bad.
   • Ask again: "Und dir?" - What about you? (intimate).
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Method 3 of 3: Regional difference

1. 

   
   
   Get used to the local language gradually. Germany has a long history and therefore, each place has a different usage of words.
   • "Moin Moin!" or "Moin!" is another way of saying "Hello!" in northern Germany, Hamburg, eastern Frisia and surrounding areas. It is used all the time and for everyone.
   • "Grüß Gott" translates to "God bless you", and is considered a greeting in the south of Germany, Bavaria.
   • "Servus!" is another way of greeting only available in Southern Germany, which translates to "hello."
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Advice

• "Hallo" is nowadays considered a semi-formal way of greeting. It is still used to greet friends, but also appears in shops, clinics and restaurants.