Hello, thank you, and please in German are the most golden words that you should learn first in this language to start a conversation. Thus, hello in German is said as “hallo” which is a pretty straightforward word to use to greet someone. But did you know different ways to use this German slang in everyday life to check on someone? If not, then worry not as we have shared multiple variants of hello in German slang in this blog. So read our blog till the end to explore formal, casual, slang, and regional forms of saying hello. Let’s embark together.
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Germany is a famous country for study and job purposes and of course for traveling. Moreover, it is important to know some basic yet common phrases to greet someone in their native language. Thus, hello in German is an upfront way to acknowledge somebody by saying “hallo”. But if you want to talk as a professional you must use different ways to say this word. Therefore, in this section, we have shared various ways for how to say hello in German in different forms. So, let’s explore them one by one with examples.
You might be wondering how you can say hello in German language when it comes to showing respect in professional environments, for that you can simply say “Hallo”. It is a pretty natural way to greet someone in an informal and formal way. Thus, the pronunciation of hello in German is “hah-loh”. However, there are plenty of ways to say hello in German in formal situations. Let’s explore them below.
Guten Tag (Good day): This is a formal way to say hello in a professional environment like in a corporate but can be said for anyone in an informal way too. Moreover, it's the most common way to greet.
Guten Morgen (Good morning): This is the general and basic variant of saying hello in German in different forms. It is a morning greeting given to anyone that can be used to say hello in German in formal as well as informal environments.
Guten Abend (Good Evening): This is another common version of saying hallo or greeting someone in the evening time.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Guten Tag, Alex. ich hoffe wir sehen uns bald wieder | Good day, Alex. I hope we'll see you again soon |
| Guten Morgen allerseits | Good morning everyone |
| Guten Morgen, Lily. Hast du die Arbeit von gestern beendet? | Good morning, lily Did you finish yesterday's work? |
| Guten Abend, wie geht es dir? | Good evening, how are you? |
| Guten Abend. Sollen wir uns heute Abend treffen? | Good evening. Shall we meet tonight? |
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Being respectful and polite in formal is all good, but how to say hello in German in a casual environment. The casual German slangs are used when you want to be more familiar with anyone like friends, family, or any known. Thus, we have shared different ways to say hello in German in a casual way below.
He/Hei: These two small words are often used in English and used to say hello in the German language. Thus, it is an informal way to call someone and check on their well-being.
Tach, Morgen, and Abend (day, mornin’, and evenin’): These are the small forms to say good morning, good evening, and good day in the German language which are widely used in informal conversations and casual work environments.
Hallo, Leute! (Hello, folks! /Hello, people!): This is one of the variations of saying hello in German to casually greet a group of people. Also, this can be used in the workplace at work or in meeting time.
Hallöchen (Hey There!): this is another form of saying hello in the native language of German. However, they added "there" to make it more informal a casual.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Hei, was ist los? | Hi what's up |
| Hallo Leute, wie geht es euch allen? | Hello people, how are you all? |
| Hallo Leute, wurde Ihr Projekt abgeschlossen? | Hello people, did your project got completed |
| Hallöchen wie geht es dir heute? | Hello there how are you doing today |
| He Wie geht es dir? | Hey, how are you? |
Also read: You’re Welcome in German
In the street of Germany, locals use common German slang to greet anyone to say Hello in German. Thus, it shows respect and a polite way to ask about someone’s well-being. Therefore, in this segment, we shared some common slang ways to say ‘hello’ in German. So let’s explore them.
Was geht ab (What’s up?): You might listen to this alternative of hello in German on the street said by people to ask about well-being by using this German phrase. This is mainly used in between the friends to greet them.
Wie läuft’s?- (how’s it going): This is a kind of formal and informal way of saying is everything okay in short.
Na?: Ever heard of saying ‘Na’ or ‘nah’ instead of saying hello in German? Yes, in this country it is used to say hello in a fun and everyday greeting. Example - “Na? Wie gehts?” ( hello, how are you?)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Was ist los, Mann | what's up man? |
| Was ist los, alles gut? | what's up all good? |
| Wie geht's? lange nicht gesehen. | How's it going? long time no seen. |
| Wie läuft es da drüben? | how's it going over there? |
| Na? alles gut | Na, all good. |
Did you know regions around Germany say hello in different ways? Yes, there is little variation in saying hello in German in different regions. Thus, here are some of the regional versions of ‘hello’ in German. So, let’s have a look.
Grüß Gott (Good day [literally: Greet God]): This greeting in the German Language is mostly given in southern German which is the rare and formal version of saying hello.
Grüß dich/Grüß di/Griaßdi (Hello/Greetings): This German phrase is said in Austria and southern Germany and derived from the above slang.
Grüezi (Hello/Greetings): This greeting is mostly said in Switzerland.
Habidere/d’Ehre (Hello): This greeting belongs to Austria and is occasionally used in southeastern Germany. However, this abbreviation is not as formal as its prototype.
Moin! (Hello/Good day!): This is a regional German greeting used mostly in northern Germany. Moreover, you can double the word Moin if you want to be more formal.
Servus (Hello/goodbye): This greeting is used in the region of Austria and Bavaria. In addition, it has two meanings i.e., hello and goodbye. However, it is initially obtained from “I’m at your service”.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Grüß Gott wie geht es dir heute? | Hello, how are you today? |
| Grüß dich Willkommen in Deutschland | Hello, welcome in Germany |
| Moin voraus | Good day ahead |
| servus leute | Hello people |
| Servus Schatz, ich hoffe, es geht dir gut | hello dear, I hope you doing great |
These are some of the different ways of How to say hello in German in different surroundings. Thus, these ways will give you an outline of where to use different types of “hallo” in distinct situations. Now let’s see when to use the right hello in German according to time. So, let’s have a look.
There are various versions of saying hello in German, but using it according to the time is more important to create a positive image. Therefore, use these types of greetings in the German language to say hello to begin a conversation.
Guten Morgen (Good Morning!): It is a kind of hello version used in the morning to greet anyone, it can be used in both formal and informal surroundings, or else you can use it funny way when someone wakes up late in the morning. Thus, it is pronounced like this “GOOT-en MOR-gen”
Morgen (Morning!): It is an abbreviation of good morning that can be said as morning or “Morgen”. This can be used in a more casual side of greeting someone shortly.
Guten Tag (Good Day): This hello in German Slang is applicable from morning time till the evening. Moreover, can be used at the end of the conversation to greet by saying “Pass auf dich auf, okay, guten Tag” which means Take care of yourself, okay, good day.
Guten Abend (Good Evening): Use this way of Hello in German language to greet someone in the evening time. Thus, just like Guten Morgen, you can use this anytime in the evening time in both formal and informal ways. Its pronunciation is GOOT-en AH-bent.
These are some different ways to give greetings in German language according to the time. Now, let’s discover, how you can say hello how are you in German in alternative ways.
Also read - Thank You in German
How are you in German is the major part of the greetings as well as often asked in the matter of etiquette. Thus, now you get to know casual greetings, in this section, we are going to introduce how you can say hello how are you in German to someone in several pathways through this table. So, let’s have a look.
| German | English | Used of hello + how are you |
|---|---|---|
| Wie geht es dir? | How are you | Hallo, wie geht es dir?(hello, how are you?) |
| Wie geht es Ihnen? | How are you doing? | Hallo Leute, wie geht es euch allen?(Hello guys/ people how are you all?) |
| Wie läufts? | How’s it going? | Hallöchen Wie läuft es heute?(Hello there! how is things going today?) |
| Was ist los? | What’s up/What’s going on? | Hei Was ist los, Bruder?(Hey, what's up, bro?) |
| Alles gut bei dir?/ Alles Klar? | Everything good or ok with you?/Understood? | Guten Morgen, Alex. Alles gut bei dir?(Good morning, Alex. Everything's OK with you?) |
| Wie stehts es? | How are things standing? | Hallo, wie steht es?(Hi How are things standing?) |
These are some of the different ways to say how are you and Hello in German together. As said above it’s a common etiquette to greet someone in the German language. Thus, join us to learn German words like this. Now, let’s navigate some useful tips in the next section, that will surely help you to learn hello in German slang easily.
In short, hello in German means hallo, used to greet someone in this native language. Moreover, there are various ways of hallo such as Hallöchen, Tagchen, and Hei. Besides, it is a common and most basic way that can be used in both formal and informal ways. However, people use Hello in German slang in various ways to greet according to their different surroundings. However, practice is the key that can improve your speaking skills to become professional. Hence, if you want to learn more basic words like this and be a fluent German speaker then you can enroll in German online coaching offered by Gradding. They offer the best study material and professionals here streamline the process of learning German for students.
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Answer: “Hallo” (Hello) or "Guten Tag" (Good day) is the most common greeting phrase to use when you want to greet someone in German.
Answer: German people use both guten tag and hallo to greet each other.
Answer: In the regional greeting of German Servus is used which means Hello as well as goodbye to greet someone and check their wellbeing.
Answer: Guten tag, he/hei, hallo, leute, and hallöchen are some of the words you can use to say hello in German in a polite way.
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