Formal German Greetings
Know your listener. Say these phrases when you are greeting business associates and people you do not know well. Most of these greetings relate to the time of day. "Guten Morgen!" -- Good morning! It is usually used until about noon. In some areas of Germany, it is only said until 10 a.m. School children usually say to the teacher "Guten Morgen, Frau/Herr [surname of teacher]." -- Good Morning, Mr(s) [surname of teacher]. "Guten Tag!" -- Good day! This phrase is usually said between the hours of noon and 6 p.m. "Guten Abend." -- Good evening. This greeting is usually used after 6 p.m If you are writing, take note that all nouns in German are capitalized.
Opt for pleasantries. Often in English, asking a question is a polite way of saying, "Hello!" In German, it is no different. "Wie geht es Ihnen?" -- How are you? (formal) "Geht es Ihnen gut?" -- Are you well? "Sehr erfreut." -- Nice to meet you. To respond: "Gut, danke." -- Good, thank you. "Es geht mir sehr gut." -- I'm very well. "Ziemlich gut." -- I'm rather well. If you are asked a question such as this, it is customary to respond with, "Und Ihnen?" -- And you? (formal)
Know the proper physical greetings. In every culture or region, there is a different standard of greeting, be it bowing, hugging, or hand-shaking. Germany is a bit different than the rest of Europe. People in Germany usually prefer to greet non-family members with handshakes instead of the cheek kissing that is customary in most of Europe; however, cheek kissing is still a common type of greeting in many German-speaking countries. The rules regarding the number of kisses to give and knowing when and who to kiss change from place to place. When you meet someone for the first time, you can usually just shake hands. Then just watch how other people interact. You'll quickly recognize the pattern.
Informal Greetings
Use casual phrases when greeting family and friends. Some of the following greetings are used in most regions of Germany. "Hallo!" needs no translation and is the most commonly used. "Morgen," "Tag," and "'n Abend" are shortened versions of the previous time-related greetings. "Grüß Dich" is translated to "I greet you" in English. You only use this greeting if you know the person very well. It can also be a good indicator of where someone lives, as grüß dich is southern dialect. "ß" is sometimes represented as "ss" and is pronounced as such.
Go for questions. To ask someone how they are, you have a couple different options (just like in English): "Wie geht es dir?" -- How are you? (informal) "Wie geht's?" -- How's it going? To respond, you can use: "Es geht mir gut." -- I'm fine. or "Nicht schlecht." -- Not bad. To throw a question back: "Und dir?" -- And you? (informal)
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