10+ Common German Greetings

Here's our list of the most common German greetings. You most likely already know 'Hallo', but there are quite a few more words & phrases that you can use to greet someone, depending on the context & time of the day.

bloggreetingsbasics
01.12.2023

This post is about greetings in German. Let's start with Hallo and work our day through casual greetings, formal ways to say hello and then, lastly, look at the quirky ways to say hello up north and down south.

PS: That's Moin in the north and Grüß Gott & Servus in the south. Enjoy 🎉.

Common German Greetings

Greetings are an essential part of any language, and German is no exception. In this post, we will explore 12 common German greetings, including formal and informal options. We will also explain when and how to use each greeting, as well as provide example sentences in the form of the following

1. Hallo

This is the most common informal greeting in German, similar to "hi" or "hello" in English. Use it with friends, family, and acquaintances.

Hallo, wie geht es dir?

Hello, how are you?

2. Guten Morgen

Guten Morgen & Guten Abend are semi-formal ways to greet someone in the morning & evening, respectively. They're the equivalents to "good morning" and "good evening" in English.

Guten Morgen, Herr Müller. Vier Brötchen & einen Kaffee, bitte.

Good morning, Mr. Müller. Four bread rolls & a coffee, please

Guten Tag is another variation that you can use throughout the whole day:

Guten Tag, Frau Specht. Lange nicht mehr gesehen!

Good day, Mrs. Specht. Long time no see!

3. Tschüss

Tschüss is a casual way to say "bye" in German, similar to "bye" or "see you later" in English.

Tschüss, bis später

Bye, see you later

4. Auf Wiedersehen

Auf Wiedersehen is a more formal way to say "goodbye" in German, similar to "goodbye" in English. You can use it in professional or polite situations.

Auf Wiedersehen, Frau Schmidt. Ich hoffe dass wir den Vertrag beim nächsten Mal unterzeichnen können.

Goodbye, Mrs. Schmidt. I hope that we can sign the contract next time.

5. Grüß Gott

Grüß Gott is a traditional greeting in southern Germany and Austria, similar to "hello" in English.

Grüß Gott, Herr Bauer!

Hello, Mr. Bauer!

6. Moin

This is a casual way to say "hello" in Northern Germany, similar to "hi" or "hey" in English.

Moin, wie geht's?

Hey, how's it going?

7. Servus

This is a casual way to say "hello" or "hi" in Bavaria and Austria. It is also used as a casual goodbye.

Servus, wie geht's?

Hi, how's it going?
If you'd like to support our free content, consider sharing our material & following on YouTube and Spotify.

You can also always get in touch, if you have criticism or feedback. If you're a German teacher yourself, ask us about free learning resources! 😊

B1 Immersion Course

Explore diverse articles on German culture, supported by grammar lessons, audio recordings, and interactive exercises.


About

Sloeful German is a language learning platform focused on immersive learning. We help intermediate German learners achieve fluency through content that is interesting but at the right level.
Downloads

Follow

Join Us

Tags

greetingsbasics