German phrases: Greetings and goodbyes
Germans usually greet shop staff and neighbours, and often shake hands when they meet someone new.
Speed:
- Hallo!Hello! · informal, but fine almost everywhere
- Guten Morgen.Good morning. · until about 10 or 11 am
- Guten Tag.Hello. / Good day. · polite, used during the day
- Guten Abend.Good evening. · from about 6 pm
- Gute Nacht.Good night. · only when going to bed
- Grüß Gott.Hello. · southern Germany and Austria
- Moin!Hi! · northern Germany, at any time of day
- Wie geht es Ihnen?How are you? · formal
- Wie geht's?How are you? · informal
- Gut, danke. Und Ihnen?Fine, thanks. And you? · formal; informal:
- Auf Wiedersehen.Goodbye. · polite
- Tschüss!Bye! · informal, very common