Say hello and goodbye in German
Learn standard German greetings and farewells by time of day and formality, including Guten Morgen, Guten Tag, Guten Abend, Gute Nacht, Hallo, Tschüss, and Auf Wiedersehen.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
This lesson teaches the core German speech acts of greeting and saying goodbye. You will learn which expression fits which time of day and which level of formality, so you can greet a friend, address an elder politely, and end a conversation naturally. The direct answer is: use Guten Morgen in the morning, Guten Tag during the day, Guten Abend in the evening, and Gute Nacht as a farewell before sleep. Casual greetings include Hallo and Hi, while casual farewells include Tschüss and Bis später. Polite farewells include Auf Wiedersehen and a simple Auf Wiederhören on the phone. The lesson focuses only on hello and goodbye, not on introductions or small talk.
By the end, you can…
- greet someone in German correctly according to the time of day and formality level.
- say goodbye in German in both casual and polite situations.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Guten Morgen
Good morning
GOO-ten MOR-gen
Use from early morning until around late morning. It is standard in both casual and polite contexts.
Guten Tag
Good day / Hello
GOO-ten TAHK
A neutral, polite daytime greeting. It works in shops, offices, and with people you do not know well.
Guten Abend
Good evening
GOO-ten AH-bent
Use from around late afternoon or early evening onward. It is a greeting when you meet someone, not a farewell.
Gute Nacht
Good night
GOO-te NAHKHT
A farewell used before someone goes to sleep or leaves for the night. It is not a general evening greeting.
Auf Wiedersehen
Goodbye
owf VEE-der-zayn
A polite, standard farewell. Use it in formal or neutral situations, such as leaving a shop or office.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
German time-of-day greetings often follow the pattern Guten plus a time word: Guten Morgen, Guten Tag, Guten Abend. The word Guten is an adjective ending that agrees with the masculine noun in the full historical phrase, but learners can treat these as fixed chunks. For farewells, Gute Nacht uses Gute because Nacht is feminine. Compare: Guten Morgen, but Gute Nacht. A simple question you can ask staff is: Wie sagt man Guten Morgen auf Deutsch? That means 'How do you say good morning in German?' Another useful question is: Was sagt man abends? meaning 'What do you say in the evening?'
When to use it
Use Guten Morgen when you meet someone in the morning. Use Guten Tag during the main part of the day, especially with strangers, staff, or elders. Use Guten Abend when you arrive somewhere in the evening. Use Gute Nacht only when parting for sleep or at the end of the night. For casual hellos, Hallo works at any time of day with friends, family, and peers. For casual goodbyes, Tschüss is very common in most of Germany and increasingly in Austria and Switzerland, though Servus and Grüß Gott are also common regionally. For polite goodbyes, use Auf Wiedersehen. On the phone, Auf Wiederhören is the polite equivalent.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Guten Morgen, Frau Weber. Wie geht es Ihnen?
Good morning, Mrs. Weber. How are you?GOO-ten MOR-gen, FROW VAY-ber. vee GAYT es EE-nenGuten Morgen. Danke, gut. Und Ihnen?
Good morning. Fine, thank you. And you?GOO-ten MOR-gen. DAHN-ke, goot. oont EE-nenAuch gut, danke. Ich muss jetzt gehen. Auf Wiedersehen!
Also good, thanks. I have to go now. Goodbye!owkh goot, DAHN-ke. ikh moos yetst GAY-en. owf VEE-der-zaynAuf Wiedersehen! Gute Nacht, wenn Sie schlafen gehen.
Goodbye! Good night, when you go to sleep.owf VEE-der-zayn. GOO-te NAHKHT, ven zee SHLAH-fen GAY-enA little context goes a long way
German greetings and farewells are sensitive to time and formality. Guten Tag is safe in most daytime public situations. Guten Abend is a greeting, while Gute Nacht is a farewell before sleep. In southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, you may hear regional greetings such as Grüß Gott or Servus, and in Switzerland Grüezi. These are not better or worse than standard German; they simply belong to different regions. When speaking with staff, a polite Guten Tag or Guten Abend plus a question is usually enough.
One thing to watch for
Using Gute Nacht as a general evening greeting when you meet someone at 8 p.m.
Try this instead: Use Guten Abend when you meet someone in the evening. Gute Nacht is a farewell before sleep. For example, say Guten Abend, wie geht es Ihnen? when you arrive, and Gute Nacht, schlaf gut when you leave for bed.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1It is 9 a.m. and you greet your neighbor politely. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
Guten Morgen.
Guten Morgen is the standard morning greeting and works politely with neighbors. Hallo is also possible in casual contexts, but Guten Morgen fits the polite morning setting best.
2You are leaving a friend's house at 11 p.m. and going to sleep. What farewell fits?
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Gute Nacht.
Gute Nacht is the standard farewell before sleep. Tschüss could also be said when leaving, but Gute Nacht specifically matches the nighttime sleep context.
3You want to ask a staff member how to say good morning in German. What question can you use?
Show a sample answer
Wie sagt man Guten Morgen auf Deutsch?
This question literally asks 'How does one say good morning in German?' It is a polite, useful way to ask for the phrase. You could also ask: Was heißt Guten Morgen auf Deutsch?
Match the German greeting or farewell to the time of day and the situation: Guten Morgen, Guten Tag, Guten Abend, and Gute Nacht for nighttime farewells. Use Hallo and Tschüss casually, and Auf Wiedersehen politely. When in doubt, a clear Guten Tag or Guten Abend is usually safe.
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