Chapter 1: Greetings
👋 Vocabulary: Greetings, Alphabet, Countries (German A1.1)
This section focuses on the basics of German communication — greeting people, learning the alphabet, and talking about countries and nationalities.
🗣️ 1. Greetings (Begrüßungen)
| German | English Translation | Usage / Context |
|---|---|---|
| Hallo | Hello | Informal, general |
| Guten Morgen | Good morning | Formal, morning greeting |
| Guten Tag | Good day | Formal, midday greeting |
| Guten Abend | Good evening | Formal, evening greeting |
| Gute Nacht | Good night | Before going to bed |
| Tschüss | Bye | Informal farewell |
| Auf Wiedersehen | Goodbye | Formal farewell |
| Bis später | See you later | Casual |
| Wie geht’s? | How are you? (informal) | Casual conversations |
| Wie geht es Ihnen? | How are you? (formal) | Formal conversations |
| Mir geht's gut. | I'm doing well. | Response |
| Und dir? / Und Ihnen? | And you? (informal/formal) | Asking in return |
A collection of essential German greetings, questions, communication expressions, and vocabulary used in everyday interactions such as meeting someone, starting conversations, and responding politely.
✅ 1. Basic Greetings
| German | English | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Hallo | Hello | Informal |
| Guten Morgen | Good morning | Until ~10 am |
| Guten Tag | Good day / Hello | 10 am – 5 pm (Formal) |
| Guten Abend | Good evening | After ~5 pm |
| Gute Nacht | Good night | Before bed |
| Servus (Austrian/Bavaria) | Hi / Bye | Regional/informal |
| Grüß Gott (Southern DE) | May God greet you | Formal greeting in Bavaria |
| Moin! | Hello (North Germany) | Informal, all-day greeting |
| Hi! | Hi | Very informal |
| Tschüss | Bye | Informal farewell |
| Auf Wiedersehen | Goodbye (formal) | Professional settings |
| Bis bald | See you soon | Informal |
| Bis später | See you later | Informal |
| Bis morgen | See you tomorrow | Informal |
❓ 2. Greeting Questions
| German Question | English Translation | Usage Context |
|---|---|---|
| Wie geht's? | How’s it going? | Informal |
| Wie geht es dir? | How are you? (to a friend) | Informal |
| Wie geht es Ihnen? | How are you? (to a stranger) | Formal |
| Was machst du? | What are you doing? | Informal conversation starter |
| Was machen Sie? | What are you doing? (formal) | Formal conversation starter |
| Wie heißt du? | What’s your name? | Informal |
| Wie heißen Sie? | What’s your name? (formal) | Formal |
| Woher kommst du? | Where are you from? | Informal |
| Woher kommen Sie? | Where are you from? (formal) | Formal |
| Wo wohnst du? | Where do you live? | Informal |
| Wo wohnen Sie? | Where do you live? (formal) | Formal |
| Was gibt’s Neues? | What’s new? | Informal greeting |
| Alles klar? | Everything alright? | Casual greeting phrase |
💬 3. Typical Responses
| German Response | English Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gut, danke. Und dir? | Good, thanks. And you? | Informal |
| Es geht mir gut, danke. | I’m doing well, thanks. | Neutral |
| Nicht so gut. | Not so well. | When you're feeling down |
| Super! | Super! | Very positive |
| Ganz okay. | Pretty okay. | Neutral |
| Auch gut, danke. | Also good, thanks. | Typical response |
| Ich heiße ... | My name is ... | Self-introduction |
| Ich bin ... | I am ... | Name or nationality |
| Ich komme aus ... | I’m from ... | Country or city |
| Ich wohne in ... | I live in ... | City or district |
| Nett, dich kennenzulernen. | Nice to meet you. | Informal |
| Schön, Sie kennenzulernen. | Nice to meet you. | Formal |
| Danke schön / Vielen Dank | Thank you / Many thanks | Gratitude |
| Bitte schön / Gern geschehen | You’re welcome | Response to thanks |
📘 4. Vocabulary List: Greetings
| German Word | English |
|---|---|
| Begrüßung | Greeting |
| Verabschiedung | Farewell |
| Freundlich | Friendly |
| Höflich | Polite |
| Namen | Name |
| Herkunft | Origin |
| Wohnort | Place of residence |
| Tag | Day |
| Morgen | Morning |
| Abend | Evening |
| Nacht | Night |
| Gespräch | Conversation |
| Frage | Question |
| Antwort | Answer |
📝 Example Dialogues
🔹 Informal:
A: Hallo! Wie geht’s?
B: Gut, danke. Und dir?
A: Auch gut. Wie heißt du?
B: Ich heiße Shubham. Und du?
A: Ich heiße Lara.
✨ Tip:
Always use formal greetings (e.g. Guten Tag, Wie geht es Ihnen?) with strangers, older people, or in professional settings.
🌐 Additional Practice Resources
- 📺 YouTube: German Greetings for Beginners
- 📺 LingQ: German Greetings Guide
- 📺 YouTube: German Greetings A1 – Easy German
- 📘 LingQ Blog: German Greetings
- 💡 Quizlet Flashcards – German Greetings
- 🧠 Memrise Course: German A1 Vocabulary