Your first German conversation: greeting people at the right time of day, saying your name and where you come from, and choosing between du and Sie.
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| German | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hallo! | Hello! / Hi! |
| Guten Morgen! | Good morning! (until about 11 am) |
| Guten Tag! | Hello! / Good day! (polite, during the day) |
| Guten Abend! | Good evening! |
| Gute Nacht! | Good night! (when going to bed) |
| Auf Wiedersehen! | Goodbye! (polite) |
| Tschüss! | Bye! (informal) |
| Bis morgen! | See you tomorrow! |
| Wie heißen Sie? | What is your name? (polite) |
| Wie heißt du? | What is your name? (informal) |
| Ich heiße … | My name is … |
| Ich bin … | I am … |
| Woher kommen Sie? | Where are you from? (polite) |
| Woher kommst du? | Where are you from? (informal) |
| Ich komme aus … | I come from … |
| Ich wohne in … | I live in … |
| Indien | India |
| Deutschland | Germany |
| Freut mich. | Nice to meet you. |
| Danke (schön)! | Thank you (very much)! |
| Bitte! | Please! / You're welcome! |
| Herr … | Mr … (with the surname) |
| Frau … | Ms / Mrs … (with the surname) |
| Willkommen! | Welcome! |
German has two words for you. Use Sie (always with a capital S) with adults you don't know, at work with managers and clients, and with every office: the Bürgeramt, the bank, the doctor. Use du with friends, family, children, classmates and, in many companies, with colleagues once they offer it. With Sie you say Herr or Frau and the surname: Guten Tag, Frau Weber. If you are not sure, start with Sie: nobody is offended by politeness.
German verbs change their ending with the person. Learn these three first; you need them in every introduction.
| Person | heißen (to be called) | sein (to be) | kommen (to come) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich (I) | heiße | bin | komme |
| du (you, informal) | heißt | bist | kommst |
| er / sie (he / she) | heißt | ist | kommt |
| Sie (you, polite) | heißen | sind | kommen |
sein is irregular, so learn its forms by heart. heißen takes only -t with du, because the stem already ends in ß.
In a question with a question word (wie = how, woher = where from, wer = who), the verb comes second and the person after it:
Wie heißen Sie? · Woher kommst du? · Wer ist das?
In a normal sentence the verb is also in second place: Ich komme aus Indien.
Tap the words in the right order.
You start a new job. Write 4 to 5 sentences to introduce yourself to your manager: greet them politely, say your name, where you come from and where you live now, and say goodbye.
Guten Tag, Frau Becker! Ich heiße Priya Nair. Ich komme aus Indien, aus Kochi. Ich wohne jetzt in München. Freut mich! Auf Wiedersehen!
In offices and shops people greet each other when they arrive: a short Guten Tag or Hallo to the room is normal, and so is a firm handshake at a first meeting. In northern Germany you will often hear Moin at any time of day, and in Bavaria and Austria Grüß Gott or Servus. In many offices colleagues say Mahlzeit around lunchtime as a greeting.
Related: German phrases you need · German learning roadmap · Learning German from India
