“Guten Morgen!” – Good morning! It is usually used until about noon. In some areas of Germany, it is only said until 10 a. m. School children usually say to the teacher “Guten Morgen, Frau/Herr [surname of teacher]. " – Good Morning, Mr(s) [surname of teacher]. “Guten Tag!” – Good day! This phrase is usually said between the hours of noon and 6 p. m. “Guten Abend. " – Good evening. This greeting is usually used after 6 p. m If you are writing, take note that all nouns in German are capitalized.
“Wie geht es Ihnen?” – How are you? (formal) “Geht es Ihnen gut?” – Are you well? “Sehr erfreut. " – Nice to meet you. To respond: “Gut, danke. " – Good, thank you. “Es geht mir sehr gut. " – I’m very well. “Ziemlich gut. " – I’m rather well. If you are asked a question such as this, it is customary to respond with, “Und Ihnen?” – And you? (formal)
People in Germany usually prefer to greet non-family members with handshakes instead of the cheek kissing that is customary in most of Europe; however, cheek kissing is still a common type of greeting in many German-speaking countries. The rules regarding the number of kisses to give and knowing when and who to kiss change from place to place. When you meet someone for the first time, you can usually just shake hands. Then just watch how other people interact. You’ll quickly recognize the pattern. [3] X Research source
“Hallo!” needs no translation and is the most commonly used. “Morgen,” “Tag,” and “’n Abend” are shortened versions of the previous time-related greetings. “Grüß Dich” is translated to “I greet you” in English. You only use this greeting if you know the person very well. It can also be a good indicator of where someone lives, as grüß dich is southern dialect. “ß” is sometimes represented as “ss” and is pronounced as such.
“Wie geht es dir?” – How are you? (informal) “Wie geht’s?” – How’s it going? To respond, you can use: “Es geht mir gut. " – I’m fine. or “Nicht schlecht. " – Not bad. To throw a question back: “Und dir?” – And you? (informal)
“Moin Moin!” or just “Moin!” is another way to say “Hello!” in Northern Germany, Hamburg, East Frisia and nearby areas. It is considered an all-day greeting for everyone. “Grüß Gott” translates into “May God greet you,” and is considered a way to say hello to everyone in southern Germany, Bavaria or in Austria. It is a formal phrase to greet a stranger or a teacher. “Servus!” is another greeting you’ll only hear in the south of Germany or Austria, translating to “hello. "
