Introducing yourself in German: greetings, names and small talk

Germans tend to be polite and direct when they meet someone new. A handshake, eye contact and your name are the usual start, and small talk stays fairly short. This page gives you the phrases for the first minute of a conversation, and explains the one choice that matters most: du or Sie.

Greetings by region

Hallo works everywhere. Beyond that, the greeting tells you where you are. Use Guten Morgen, Guten Tag and Guten Abend for the time of day, and Tschüss or Auf Wiedersehen to leave.

Moin is used all day in the north, not only in the morning. In Austria you may also hear Servus as a goodbye, and in Switzerland Ade or Uf Wiederluege. You do not need to copy these, but you will recognise them.

Du or Sie?

German has two ways to say "you". Sie (always capitalised) is formal and uses the third person plural verb form. Du is informal.

• Use Sie with strangers, in shops, with officials, with older people and with colleagues until offered otherwise.
• Use du with friends, family, children and, in many workplaces and among students, with peers.
• The switch is usually offered by the older or more senior person: Wollen wir uns duzen? (Shall we say du?)

If unsure, start with Sie. Being too formal is a smaller mistake than being too casual.

Saying who you are

Ich heiße literally means "I am called". You can also say Mein Name ist Anna, which sounds a little more formal.

Where you are from, and what you do

Notice that German does not use an article for jobs: Ich bin Lehrerin, not "I am a teacher". Female job titles usually add -in: Lehrer becomes Lehrerin.

Verbs and word order

The verb sits in second position in a main clause: Ich wohne in Berlin and In Berlin wohne ich. That rule is explained in verb position. For the sounds of ü, ö and ch in these words, see umlauts and ch.

A short dialogue

Practice

Next, learn how to find your way around with asking for directions.