Greetings & Introductions

Being able to greet people and introduce yourself is the foundation of any language. German greetings vary depending on the time of day, the level of formality, and even the region. In this lesson, you will learn all the essential phrases for meeting people in German.

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Formal vs Informal: Du and Sie

Before learning greetings, you must understand the most important social distinction in German: the difference between du (informal "you") and Sie (formal "you").

	Du (informal)	Sie (formal)
Used with	friends, family, children, peers, animals	strangers, elders, bosses, officials, in shops
Verb form	2nd person singular	3rd person plural (always capitalised)
Shows	closeness, familiarity	respect, distance, professionalism
Example	Wie heißt du?	Wie heißen Sie?

Important rule: When in doubt, always use Sie. It is never offensive to be too formal, but using du with the wrong person can be seen as rude or presumptuous. Germans will offer you the "du" when they are comfortable — this offer is called das Duzen.

Common Situations

Situation	Use
Meeting someone at a business event	Sie
Talking to a shop assistant	Sie
Chatting with a colleague you just met	Sie (until they offer du)
Talking to a friend	du
Speaking to a child	du
Among university students	du (usually)
Posting on social media	du (usually)
Emailing a government office	Sie

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Time-Based Greetings

German greetings change throughout the day:

Time	Greeting	Pronunciation	Literal Meaning
Morning (until ~10am)	Guten Morgen	goo-ten mor-gen	Good morning
Daytime (~10am–6pm)	Guten Tag	goo-ten tahk	Good day
Evening (from ~6pm)	Guten Abend	goo-ten ah-bent	Good evening
Night (when going to bed)	Gute Nacht	goo-teh nakht	Good night

Note: "Gute Nacht" is used only when someone is going to sleep — it is NOT a general evening greeting. Use "Guten Abend" when meeting someone in the evening.

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Casual Greetings

Greeting	Pronunciation	When to Use
Hallo	ha-loh	Universal casual hello (any time of day)
Hi	hee	Very casual, especially among young people
Hey	hey	Very casual
Na?	nah	Very casual "what's up?" between close friends
Was geht?	vas gayt	Very casual "what's going on?" (slang)

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Regional Greetings

Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have distinctive regional greetings:

Region	Greeting	Pronunciation	Meaning/Usage
Bavaria / Austria	Grüß Gott	grews got	"Greet God" — standard polite greeting
Bavaria / Austria	Servus	zair-voos	Casual hello and goodbye
Switzerland	Grüezi	grew-eh-tsee	Standard polite greeting
Northern Germany	Moin	moyn	Universal greeting (any time of day!)
Northern Germany	Moin Moin	moyn moyn	Variation of Moin
Rhineland	Tach	takh	Short form of "Tag"

Tip: If you are in Bavaria and someone says "Grüß Gott", just say it back! Replying with "Danke, wenn ich ihn sehe" (Thanks, when I see him) is an old joke that Bavarians are tired of hearing.

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Introducing Yourself

Saying Your Name

Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Formality
Ich heiße [Name].	ikh hai-seh	I am called [Name].	neutral
Ich bin [Name].	ikh bin	I am [Name].	casual
Mein Name ist [Name].	main nah-meh ist	My name is [Name].	formal

Asking Someone's Name

Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Formality
Wie heißt du?	vee haist doo	What is your name?	informal
Wie heißen Sie?	vee hai-sen zee	What is your name?	formal
Wie ist dein Name?	vee ist dain nah-meh	What is your name?	informal
Wie ist Ihr Name?	vee ist eer nah-meh	What is your name?	formal

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Nice to Meet You

Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Formality
Freut mich!	froyt mikh	Pleased to meet you!	universal
Schön, dich kennenzulernen.	shern dikh ken-en-tsoo-lair-nen	Nice to get to know you.	informal
Schön, Sie kennenzulernen.	shern zee ken-en-tsoo-lair-nen	Nice to get to know you.	formal
Sehr erfreut.	zair air-froyt	Very pleased (to meet you).	very formal
Gleichfalls!	glaikh-fals	Likewise!	reply to any of the above

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Asking How Someone Is