German greetings game
Eighteen greetings and farewells, and three of them tell you where you are. Moin belongs to the north, Servus and Grüß Gott to Bavaria and Austria, and none of the three is a substitute for Guten Tag with a stranger.
18 words 5 games Free · no signup
Five games run on this set, since Wie geht es Ihnen? is too long for the grid and spelling games. Kraken Escape suits it best: it shows a greeting with an English meaning and asks whether the two match.
The 18 words you will practise
| German | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Guten Tag | Good day, hello | GOO-ten tahk |
| Guten Morgen | Good morning | GOO-ten MOR-gen |
| Guten Abend | Good evening | GOO-ten AH-bent |
| Wie geht es Ihnen? | How are you? | vee gayt es EE-nen |
| Auf Wiedersehen | Goodbye | owf VEE-der-zayn |
| Herzlich willkommen | Welcome | HERTS-likh vil-KOM-en |
| Hallo | Hello (informal greetings) | HA-lo |
| Hi | Hi (informal greetings) | hi |
| Wie geht's? | How's it going? | vee gayts |
| Grüß dich | Hi there | grooss dikh |
| Tschüss | Bye | chuuss |
| Bis später | See you later | bis SHPAY-ter |
| Bis bald | See you soon | bis balt |
| Mach's gut | Take care | makhs goot |
| Gute Nacht | Good night | GOO-teh nakht |
| Servus | Hi, or bye | ZER-voos |
| Moin | Hi (standard) | moyn |
| Grüß Gott | Hello (standard) | grooss got |
Want the explanations rather than the drill? Read the German greetings lesson.
5 games run on this set
- Sky Rescue: 10 rounds
- Pop Quiz: 10 rounds
- Kraken Escape: 48 rounds
- Warp Run: 10 rounds
- Flooded Hold: 6 rounds
Questions
Is Moin only for the morning?
No, despite how it looks. In Hamburg, Bremen and along the coast it works at any hour, and Moin moin is the friendlier doubled version. It is not a morning greeting; it is a northern one.
Grüß Gott sounds religious. Is it?
Not in practice. It is the standard hello across Bavaria and Austria and carries no more religious weight than goodbye does in English. Further north it will mark you as a visitor.
Wie geht's or Wie geht es Ihnen?
Wie geht's for anyone you would call du. Wie geht es Ihnen? is the formal version and the one to use with a stranger, a shopkeeper or a colleague you have just met.
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