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.
44 words 7 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 44 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 |
| Gut, danke. Und dir? | Fine, thanks. And you? (informal) | goot DAN-kuh, oont deer |
| Danke, gut. Und Ihnen? | Fine, thank you. And you? (formal) | DAN-kuh goot, oont EE-nen |
| Es geht. | So-so, getting by | es gayt |
| Nicht so gut. | Not so good | nikht zo goot |
| Alles klar? | All good? (as a greeting) | AL-les klar |
| Alles gut. | All good | AL-les goot |
| Freut mich. | Nice to meet you | froyt mikh |
| Ich heiße Anna. | My name is Anna. | ikh HY-suh |
| Ich bin Tom. | I am Tom. | ikh bin |
| Wie heißt du? | What is your name? (informal) | vee hyst doo |
| Wie heißen Sie? | What is your name? (formal) | vee HY-sen zee |
| Woher kommst du? | Where are you from? (informal) | vo-HAIR komst doo |
| Ich komme aus Irland. | I am from Ireland. | ikh KOM-muh ows |
| Schön, Sie kennenzulernen. | Pleased to meet you (formal) | shurn zee KEN-nen-tsoo-lair-nen |
| Auf Wiederhören | Goodbye, on the phone only | owf VEE-der-hur-ren |
| Bis morgen | See you tomorrow | bis MOR-gen |
| Bis dann | See you then | bis dan |
| Schönen Tag noch | Have a nice day | SHUR-nen tahk nokh |
| Schönes Wochenende | Have a nice weekend | SHUR-nes VOKH-en-en-duh |
| Ciao | Bye, informal | chow |
| Wir sehen uns | See you around | veer ZAY-en oons |
| Grüezi | Hello, Switzerland | GRUU-et-see |
| Na? | Hi, how are you? Berlin and the north | nah |
| Pfiat di | Bye, Bavaria and Austria | PFEE-at dee |
| Ade | Bye, the south-west | ah-DAY |
| Baba | Bye, Vienna | BA-ba |
Want the explanations rather than the drill? Read the German greetings lesson.
7 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
- Grid Hack: 6 rounds
- The Vault: 14 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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