You can also address that person by their first name. If you’re talking to a friend or family member, someone your own age, or someone younger than you, you can use informal greetings and farewells with du (informal, singular “you”). Schmidt”) or “Auf Wiedersehen, Frau Müller” (“Goodbye, Mrs. And, of course, you would use a respectful title with the person’s family name, rather than their given name.įor example, you might say, “Guten Tag, Herr Schmidt” (“Hello, Mr. You would pair Sie with more formal greetings and farewells - such as Guten Tag (Hello/Good day) or Auf Wiedersehen (Goodbye). Sie can be used to formally address one or more people.

(When spelled with a lowercase s, sie can mean “she” or “they”). The formal “you” in German is always capitalized: Sie. It also shows extra politeness and respect. Sie (formal “you”) puts a little social distance between you and unfamiliar people. If any of the above are true, address that person using Sie.

Are they an authority figure, like an employer?.

Is the person I’m addressing more of an acquaintance than a friend?.

This is because German culture maintains a certain formality, and the language respects that.īefore you say a German “Hello,” you’ll need to know your audience. Therefore, we’ll also talk about the role handshakes, hugs, and “Sie” and “du” play in saying a German “Hello.” Formal and informal greetings in German: What’s the difference?įirst, it’s important to know that even something as simple as saying “Hello” in German can be more complicated than you might imagine. Learning German also means discovering how to use words and phrases in their cultural context. We’ll look at several of these and help you decide which to choose. In German, there are greetings and farewells for both formal and informal situations. Knowing German greetings and farewells - and the etiquette that goes with them - will politely open the door to German-language interactions.

Are you planning to visit a German-speaking country? Or are you a German learner who wants to meet fluent speakers and engage in conversation?

German words in english later