Hello in German · with audio

Hello and Hi in German: Hallo, Guten Tag, and the Regional Greetings

Hello

Hallo

Hello in German is Hallo. It sounds almost like the English word, it works at any time of day, and you can say it to a shop assistant, a professor, or a child. Hi in German is simply Hi, borrowed from English and common among younger people. If you learn only one greeting, learn Hallo.

The list below has the greetings you will actually hear in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: the formal Guten Tag forms that change with the time of day, and the regional words like Servus, Moin, and Grüß Gott that tell you where a person comes from. Every phrase has audio, and there is a section on how to answer when someone greets you first.

Ways to say hello in German

Hallo is safe everywhere. The Guten forms are more formal and follow the time of day. The regional greetings are what locals say, and using one in the right region gets you a warm reaction.

German	English	Note
Hallo Works everywhere, with everyone, at any time of day	Hello	Works everywhere, with everyone, at any time of day
Hi Informal, common with younger people and friends	Hi	Informal, common with younger people and friends
Guten Tag Formal daytime greeting, from late morning until evening	Good day, hello	Formal daytime greeting, from late morning until evening
Guten Morgen Until about 10 or 11 in the morning	Good morning	Until about 10 or 11 in the morning
Guten Abend From about 6 pm	Good evening	From about 6 pm
Grüß Gott Southern Germany and Austria. Literally "greet God"	Hello	Southern Germany and Austria. Literally "greet God"
Servus Bavaria and Austria, informal, works for hello and goodbye	Hello or bye	Bavaria and Austria, informal, works for hello and goodbye
Moin Northern Germany, any time of day, not only in the morning	Hello	Northern Germany, any time of day, not only in the morning
Grüezi Switzerland, formal and informal	Hello	Switzerland, formal and informal
Na? Very informal, between friends. A greeting and a question in one word	Hey, how is it going?	Very informal, between friends. A greeting and a question in one word
Hallo zusammen When you enter a room or start an email to a group	Hello everyone	When you enter a room or start an email to a group
Hallo, wie geht's? The usual informal opening between people who know each other	Hello, how are you?	The usual informal opening between people who know each other

How to answer a German greeting

The simplest reply is the same greeting back. If the other person adds a question like wie geht's, they expect a short answer and the question returned.

German	English	Note
Hallo! Say the same word back	Hello!	Say the same word back
Guten Tag! The formal reply to Guten Tag	Good day!	The formal reply to Guten Tag
Hallo, wie geht es dir? Informal, to a friend	Hello, how are you?	Informal, to a friend
Hallo, wie geht es Ihnen? Formal, to a stranger or someone older	Hello, how are you?	Formal, to a stranger or someone older
Gut, danke. Und dir? The reply when someone asks wie geht's	Fine, thanks. And you?	The reply when someone asks wie geht's
Schön, Sie kennenzulernen Formal, at a first meeting	Nice to meet you	Formal, at a first meeting
Freut mich Short and works in every situation	Nice to meet you	Short and works in every situation

Example sentences

Hallo, ich bin Anna.
Hello, I am Anna.
Guten Tag, Herr Müller. Wie geht es Ihnen?
Good day, Mr. Müller. How are you?
Hi, wie geht's? Lange nicht gesehen!
Hi, how are you? Long time no see!
Hallo zusammen, schön, dass ihr da seid.
Hello everyone, nice that you are here.
Servus, kommst du heute Abend mit?
Hi, are you coming along tonight?
Moin! Zwei Brötchen, bitte.
Hello! Two bread rolls, please.

Good to know

The time-of-day rules

Guten Morgen is for the morning, until about 10 or 11. Guten Tag covers the rest of the day. Guten Abend starts around 6 pm. Gute Nacht is not a greeting at all; it is what you say when someone goes to bed. If you do not want to think about the clock, Hallo is correct at every hour.

Where each regional greeting is used

In the north, especially Hamburg and the coast, people say Moin. In Bavaria and Austria, Servus and Grüß Gott are normal, and Grüß Gott is the polite one there. In Switzerland, Grüezi is the standard greeting. You do not need to use these yourself, but you will hear them, and locals like it when visitors try.

Hallo is never rude

Some learners worry that Hallo is too casual for a bank or a doctor. It is not. Hallo is neutral and is used by staff, customers, and officials all day. Guten Tag sounds a little more formal, so it is a good choice in a job interview or when you meet older people, but nobody is offended by Hallo.

Answering the phone is different

Germans do not answer the phone with Hallo. They say their surname, sometimes with the first name or the company name: Müller or Schmidt, guten Tag. If you call someone, say Hallo or Guten Tag, then your name: Guten Tag, hier ist Anna Weber.

Pronunciation

Hallo is HAH-loh, with the stress on the second syllable, unlike the English "hello". The a is short and open, like the a in "father" but shorter. Guten Tag is GOO-ten TAHK, and the final g sounds like a k. Press play on any phrase above to hear it.

Practice with flashcards

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common way to say hello in German?

Hallo. It works with everyone, at every time of day, and in formal and informal situations. Guten Tag is the more formal daytime greeting, and Hi is the informal one among friends.

How do you say hi in German?

Hi. Germans borrowed the English word, and it is common among younger people and friends. Hallo is only slightly more formal and is the safer choice with people you do not know.

Is Hallo formal or informal?

Both. Hallo is neutral. Shop staff, doctors, teachers, and friends all use it. If you want to sound clearly formal, say Guten Tag instead.

What is the difference between Hallo and Guten Tag?

Hallo works at any time of day and in any situation. Guten Tag means good day, is used from late morning until the evening, and sounds a little more formal. In the morning the formal greeting is Guten Morgen, and in the evening it is Guten Abend.

What does Servus mean?

Servus is an informal greeting in Bavaria and Austria that works for both hello and goodbye. It comes from the Latin word for servant, in the sense of "at your service".

How do you greet someone in the morning in German?

Guten Morgen, or just Morgen between colleagues and friends. In northern Germany people say Moin, which works at any time of day.

Continue learning

Common German Phrases

Greetings, goodbyes, please and thank you, yes and no, and more, all with audio

German Phrases Flashcards

Drill the common phrases from English to German

Good morning in German

Good Morning in German: Guten Morgen, Morgen, and Moin

Thank you in German

Thank You in German: Danke, Danke schön, and Vielen Dank

Yes in German

Yes in German: Ja, Doch, Genau, and the Other Ways to Agree

No in German

No in German: Nein, Nicht, Kein, and the Casual Nee

You're welcome in German

You're Welcome in German: Bitte, Bitte schön, and Gern geschehen

How are you in German

How Are You in German: Wie geht's, Wie geht es dir, Wie geht es Ihnen

Goodbye in German

Goodbye in German: Auf Wiedersehen, Tschüss, and Bis bald

Cheers in German

Cheers in German: Prost, Zum Wohl, and Other Toasts

Please in German

Please in German: Bitte and Its Four Meanings

Good night in German

Good Night in German: Gute Nacht, Schlaf gut, and Sweet Dreams

Excuse me in German

Excuse Me in German: Entschuldigung, Entschuldigen Sie, and Verzeihung

Sorry in German

Sorry in German: Es tut mir leid, Entschuldigung, and How to Apologize

Good evening in German

Good Evening in German: Guten Abend, Schönen Abend, and Guten Tag

Welcome in German

Welcome in German: Willkommen and Herzlich willkommen

My name is in German

My Name Is in German: Ich heiße, Ich bin, and Mein Name ist

Happy birthday in German

Happy Birthday in German: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag and Herzlichen Glückwunsch

I love you in German

I Love You in German: Ich liebe dich, Ich hab dich lieb, and Mein Schatz