How to say “hi” and “goodbye” in German
Do you want to know, how to say “hello” or “goodbye” in German? Wait no more – The time has come to get ready for starting small talk in German!
Getting to know some German
No matter which language you study, one of the first things you must learn is how to greet somebody. Even though you might be far from speaking German fluently, it can be a beautiful ice breaker if you know how to say “hello” and “goodbye” in German.
How do you say “hi” in German?
In German, there are several ways to say “hello.” The most convenient way for an English speaker would be to say “hi” or “hallo”. Even though, both of them present an easygoing way of greeting, people might not perceive them as appropriate if used in more severe situations or with elderly people. However, everybody will understand you. If you just started to study German and lack a bit of self-confidence, these two words might give you a pleasant opportunity to come in contact with locals.
Hi → Hi
Hallo → Hello
Guten Morgen → Good morning
Guten Tag → Good day
Guten Abend → Good evening
Gute Nacht → Good night
Other ways:
In the morning, one can say “guten Morgen” (good morning). Another possibility is “guten Tag” (good day) which is widely used all day long in order to say hello and goodbye. If the clock is past 5 pm, Germans like to say “guten Abend” (good evening), which can be also used to say hi and goodbye.
Once the evening is over and the night arose, one can use “gute Nacht” (good night) to say hi and bye. But be careful! In contrast to many other cultures, we primarily use it for people we know. It is often seen as too intimidating if you randomly wish people “gute Nacht” in German.
How do you say “goodbye” in German?
After you got to know several possibilities to start a conversation, you get to know the most common ways to end it now. A straightforward possibility is “guten Tag,” “guten Abend” and “gute Nacht” to also say goodbye. Additional and widespread opportunities are also “Tschüss” (bye), “auf Wiedersehen” (goodbye), and “bis bald” (see you soon). In contrast to many other languages, Germans do not use the word “bye” as frequently as people do in other languages, and therefore you should try to avoid it.
Tschüss → Bye
Auf Wiedersehen → Goodbye
Bis bald → See you soon
Guten Tag → Good day
Guten Abend → Good evening
Gute Nacht → Good night
Conclusion
As Germany, Switzerland, and Austria have many local dialects, it will not be surprising that there are endless other ways of saying “hi” and “bye”. In northern German, this would be, for instance, “moin”. However, you can use the ones presented in this article everywhere and be sure to be understood.
Bis bald!
Steffie
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