Two words cover almost everything: hallo on the way in, tschüss on the way out. Both work with nearly anyone, at nearly any hour, and nobody will think twice about them.
The reason this page is longer than two words is that Germany still has a formal register, and it shows up in exactly the places you'll need it first — a shop counter, a doctor's waiting room, an office reception, an Amt. Knowing when to reach for guten Tag instead of hallo is a small thing that changes how the next five minutes go.
Hello
Hello
Hallo
Good morning
Guten Morgen
Morning!
Morgen!
Good day
Guten Tag
Good evening
Guten Abend
Good night
Gute Nacht
Hi
Hi
Hello everyone
Hallo zusammen
Welcome
Willkommen
Nice to meet you
Freut mich
Practice these words
Hallo
Quick notes:
- Guten Tag is the safe formal greeting and the one to use when you walk into a small shop, a bakery, a pharmacy or an office. Hallo is fine in most of those too, but guten Tag is never wrong.
- Gute Nacht is not a way to say goodbye in the evening. It means you're going to sleep. Leaving a restaurant at eleven, you say tschüss or schönen Abend noch.
- Freut mich is short for Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen. The short version is what people actually say.
- Germany greets by region as much as by time of day — Moin, Servus and Grüß Gott are covered in how Germans really say hello.
Goodbye
Bye
Tschüss
Goodbye
Auf Wiedersehen
Goodbye (on the phone)
Auf Wiederhören
See you soon
Bis bald
See you later
Bis später
See you tomorrow
Bis morgen
See you then
Bis dann
Take care
Mach's gut
Bye (borrowed, very common)
Ciao
Have a nice day!
Schönen Tag noch!
Practice these words
Tschüss
Quick notes:
- Auf Wiedersehen literally means "until seeing again," which is why the phone version is Auf Wiederhören — "until hearing again." Using the seeing one on the phone sounds odd, and Germans notice.
- Tschüss has quietly taken over. It used to be too casual for a bank or a doctor's office; today it's normal almost everywhere. If in doubt with an older person or in a very formal setting, Auf Wiedersehen is the safer choice.
- Schönen Tag noch — literally "a nice day still" — is the standard exchange as you leave a shop. The reply is Danke, ebenfalls or Ihnen auch.
How Are You?
How are you? (informal, short)
Wie geht's?
How are you? (informal, full)
Wie geht es dir?
How are you? (polite)
Wie geht es Ihnen?
How's it going?
Alles klar?
Well? (northern, very casual)
Na?
Fine, thanks.
Gut, danke.
Very well, thanks.
Sehr gut, danke.
Not bad.
Ganz gut.
So-so.
Es geht.
And you? (informal / polite)
Und dir? / Und Ihnen?
Practice these words
Wie geht's?
Quick notes:
- Unlike the English "how are you," the German question expects a real answer — a short one, but a real one. Germans find the English habit of asking it while walking past slightly strange.
- Because of that, you don't attach it to every greeting. Walking into a bakery you say Guten Tag and order; you don't ask the baker how she's doing.
- Na? on its own is a complete greeting in northern and eastern Germany. It means roughly "well then?" and the answer is usually Na! back.
- Es geht is the honest middle answer. It signals that things are not great without inviting a conversation about it.
Good Wishes
Have a nice day!
Schönen Tag noch!
Have a nice weekend!
Schönes Wochenende!
Have a nice evening!
Schönen Abend noch!
Get well soon!
Gute Besserung!
Good luck!
Viel Glück!
Good luck (with work, exams)
Viel Erfolg!
Enjoy your meal!
Guten Appetit!
Safe trip!
Gute Fahrt!
Have a good journey!
Gute Reise!
Sleep well!
Schlaf gut!
Practice these words
Schönen Tag noch!
Quick notes:
- Guten Appetit is not optional. Germans say it before every shared meal, in canteens and restaurants as well as at home, and the reply is Danke, gleichfalls.
- Viel Erfolg is for things you work at — an exam, a presentation, a job interview. Viel Glück is for things that depend on luck. Wishing someone viel Glück before their presentation subtly suggests they'll need it.
- Mahlzeit! is a greeting of its own, heard in German offices and canteens around midday. It literally means "mealtime" and works as both hello and goodbye during the lunch hour.
What to Know About Greeting in Germany
You greet the room, not just the person. Walking into a small shop, a bakery, a waiting room or a lift, Germans greet whoever is already there — Guten Tag into the room, no eye contact required. Not doing it reads as rude in a way that surprises visitors, because in most countries you greet the person serving you and nobody else. The same applies when leaving: a Tschüss or Auf Wiedersehen on the way out, even if nobody has spoken to you.
The register is set by the place, not the person. A twenty-year-old at a bakery counter still gets Guten Tag, and a sixty-year-old at a climbing gym still gets Hallo. What decides is the setting — commercial and official places are formal, social and sporting ones aren't. This is the same instinct that governs du and Sie, and it's why the two questions feel connected.
Handshakes are back, but reduced. Germans traditionally shake hands on being introduced, in business, and at the start of appointments. The habit thinned out considerably after 2020 and never fully returned. The safe approach: don't extend your hand first in a casual setting, do take one that's offered, and in a formal meeting follow the most senior person in the room.
Three Mistakes to Avoid
Using Gute Nacht to say goodbye. It means you're off to bed. For an evening farewell it's Schönen Abend noch or just Tschüss.
Answering wie geht's with a long story. The question is real but the answer is short — two or three words, then hand it back with Und dir?
Saying Auf Wiedersehen on the phone. It's Auf Wiederhören. Small thing, instantly noticed.