How to Say Formal and Informal Greetings in German

If you're visiting a German speaking country, you want to be able to say a few things in the language of the country you are visiting. Saying hello and good-bye are polite ways to fit into the culture without having to know a lot of the language. Use these tips to say formal and informal greetings in German.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Remember that the German language is more formal than the English language. Germans have an informal or casual way and a formal or polite way of greeting people.

2. Speak formally by using the pronouns "Ihr" for you and "Sie" for she. These pronouns show respect for the person to whom you are speaking. Use the informal pronoun "Du" when speaking to a friend.

3. Introduce yourself by saying "Ich heisse Jim" which means, "I am Jim." Ask someone their name by asking "Wie heissen Sie?" Ask someone how they are when you meet them by saying "Wie geht es Ihnen?" which means, "How are you?"

4. Welcome someone by saying "Willkommen," which means welcome. Add the place you are welcoming them to be more precise as in "Willkommen in Deutschland," which means "Welcome to Germany."

5. Know common words like "Tag" which means "hello" and "auf Wiedersehen" which means "good-bye."

6. Be more specific by using the phrase "Guten Tag" which means, "Good day," and variations of the phrase such as "Guten Abend" for, "Good evening," and "Guten Morgen" for "Good morning." You can shorten these expressions by leaving off "Guten" and saying "Abend" or "Morgen."

7. Use the phrase "Gute Nacht" to mean good night. You can use this term to mean hello or good-bye at night.

8. Say "Gruss dich" which means "greet you" and "Gruss Gott" which means "good God." Use the most informal expression when speaking to your friends by saying "Tschus" which means "Hi."

[Ellipsis]

on 6/1/2008 Ihr is plural you. Sie does mean she (and they), but I think you intend for it to be formal you.
Tschüß is bye, not hi.