Common Greetings and Courtesies
Below you'll find some of the most common
German greetings (Grüße) and pleasantries
(Nettigkeiten). Be aware that German, more than English,
makes a clear distinction between formal (Sie) and familar
(first name, du) forms of expression. Phrases marked
"familiar" or "casual" should only
be used in informal, first-name situations. Germans
tend to be more formal and use first names only in certain
situations. We'll talk more about this in
Grüße
und Nettigkeiten |
Deutsch |
Englisch |
Everyday
Pleasantries |
Guten
Tag! - Tag! |
Hello!
- Hi! |
Grüß
Gott! |
Hello!
(southern Germany & Austria) |
Grüß
dich! |
Hello!
(familiar, informal) |
Guten
Morgen! - Morgen! |
Good
morning! - Morning! |
Guten
Abend! |
Good
evening! |
Gute
Nacht! |
Good
night! |
Wie
geht es Ihnen? |
How
are you? |
Wie
geht's? |
How
are you? (familiar, informal) |
Danke,
gut. |
Fine,
thanks. |
Sehr
gut. |
Great. |
Es
geht. |
Okay.
So-so. |
Nicht
so gut. |
Not
so well. |
Auf
Wiedersehen. |
Good-bye. |
Tschüs! |
Bye!
See you later. (casual) |
Requests
- Bitten |
Was
möchten Sie? |
What
would you like? |
Ich
möchte... |
I
would like... |
Darf
ich? |
May
I? |
Können
Sie mir helfen? |
Can
you help me? |
Yes/No
- Thanks - You're Welcome |
Bitte!
- Ja, bitte! |
Please!
- Yes, please! |
Danke! |
Thanks!
- No thanks!
Note: "Danke!" in response to an
offer usually means "No thanks!" If you want to
indicate a positive response to an offer, say "Bitte!" |
Danke
schön! |
Thank
you! |
Vielen
Dank! |
Thanks
a lot! - Many thanks! |
Bitte
schön! |
You're
welcome! (in response to "Danke schön!") |
Nein,
danke! |
No
thanks! |
Two Important Verbs: haben and sein
To have and have not
Haben und nicht haben
The two most important German verbs are haben (to have)
and sein (to be). As in most languages, the verb "to
be" is one of the oldest verbs in German, and therefore
one of the most irregular. The verb "to have"
is only slightly less irregular, but no less vital to
surviving in German.
We'll start with haben. Look at the following table
for the conjugation of haben (to have) in the present
tense, along with sample sentences. Notice the strong
resemblance to English for many forms of this verb,
with most forms only one letter off from the English
(habe/have, hat/has). In the case of the familiar you
(du), the German verb is identical to Old English: "thou
hast" = "du hast."
Haben is also used in some German expressions that
are translated with "to be" in English: Ich
habe Hunger. = I'm hungry.
haben
Deutsch |
English |
Sample
Sentences |
SINGULAR |
ich habe |
I have |
Ich habe einen
roten Wagen. (...a red car.) |
du hast |
you (fam.)
have |
Du hast mein Buch.
(...my book.) |
er hat |
he has |
Er hat ein blaues
Auge. (...a black eye.) |
sie hat |
she has |
Sie hat blaue Augen.
(...blue eyes.) |
es hat |
it has |
Es hat keine Fehler.
(...no flaws.) |
PLURAL |
wir haben |
we have |
Wir haben keine
Zeit. (...no time.) |
ihr habt |
you (guys)
have |
Habt ihr euer Geld?
(...your money?) |
sie haben |
they have |
Sie haben kein
Geld. (They have no money.) |
Sie haben |
you have |
Haben Sie das Geld?
(Sie, formal "you," is both singular and
plural.) |
To be or not to be...
Sein oder nicht sein...
Look at the following table for the conjugation of
sein (to be) in the present tense. Notice how
close the German and English forms are in the third
person (ist/is).
sein
Deutsch |
English |
Sample
Sentences |
SINGULAR |
ich bin |
I am |
Ich bin's. (It's
me.) |
du bist |
you (fam.)
are |
Du bist mein Schatz.
(...my darling/treasure.) |
er ist |
he is |
Er ist ein netter
Kerl. (...a nice guy.) |
sie ist |
she is |
Ist sie da? (Is
she here?) |
es ist |
it is |
Es ist mein Buch.
(...my book.) |
PLURAL |
wir sind |
we are |
"Wir sind das Volk!"
("We are the people/nation!" - Slogan of 1989
East German protests in Leipzig.) |
ihr seid |
you (guys)
are |
Seid ihr unsere
Freunde? (..our friends.) |
sie sind |
they are |
Sie sind unsere
Freunde. (..our friends.) |
Sie sind |
you are |
Sind Sie Herr Meier?
(Sie, formal "you," is both singular and
plural.) |
Info about studying German language:
- Learn German in Austria: Young and dynamic agency born with the aim of connecting schools and students from all over the world. Find here more information about German language schools and German language courses in Austria.
Info about studying in German countries:
- Guide to Study in Austria: Find universities and colleges in Austria. It offers also pratical information for students that are planning to study in Austria.