Whether you rise and shine at dawn or you don’t even consider functioning as a human being before your first coffee — we’ve got you covered. Let’s learn about all the different ways of saying good morning in German.
As a cultural preface, Germans value the early morning as much as many other European nations. Even if you don’t normally greet every passing stranger during the day (especially in the big cities), you can always say “good morning” with a smile to someone in German early in the morning and you will often get a response.
Did you know that Germany has 16 “Bundesländer” (federal states)? While German is spoken in all of them, each federal state also has a unique dialect, and saying “good morning” is different in each one. We’ll show you examples of different regional ways of saying “good morning” in German so that you’re prepared for every situation.
Read next: 105 Basic German Words – Best Vocab List for Beginners
How to Say Good Morning in German at a Glance
German | English |
Good morning | |
Morning | |
Good day. (lit. Say hi to god for me) | |
Hello there | |
Good morning - Northern Germany | |
Good morning (Informal) - Northern Germany | |
Good morning (Informal) - Northern Germany | |
Hello | |
Good morning - Berlin | |
Good morning (Formal) -Austria and Switzerland | |
Good morning (Formal) -Austria and Switzerland | |
Good morning (Informal) -Austria and Switzerland | |
Ciao -Austria and Switzerland | |
Hello -Switzerland |
Contents
How to Say Good Morning in Germany
Let’s first start off with all the ways in which Germans say “good morning”. We’ll examine other German-speaking countries later.
Guten Morgen!
Guten Morgen is the most common way of saying good morning in German. You can use it in all German federal states.
Guten Morgen is a pretty important phrase and is probably the expression you’ll use the most when travelling in any German-speaking region. Not saying Guten Morgen when you enter a business or when meeting someone can even be considered bad manners.
Morgen
You didn’t exactly “rise and shine” this morning? Morgen , the abbreviated form of Guten morgen might be a good alternative for you. You fulfilled your societal duties while keeping your interaction with the world as short and painless as possible.
Grüß Gott
Grüß Gott literally translates to “say hi to god for me” but might be better translated by “good day”.
It is most commonly used in Bavaria (ja, ja, with the Lederhosen and such) but also throughout the whole south of Germany. It’s not related to any religious affiliation so feel free to use it in any context.
Grüß Dich
The phrase grüß Dich might be best translated as “hello there”. It’s a variation of grüß Gott and is most commonly used in the south of Germany.
Be careful, grüß Dich uses the informal “du” and as such can only be used with friends, family, and acquaintances that you are already quite familiar with. If you aren’t sure, opt for the more neutral grüß Gott or a simple guten Morgen.
Read next: How to Say Thank You in German
Moin
Now we’re moving up into the North of Germany. Moin , which simply means “good morning” in English is a frequent greeting in the Northern federal states of Germany. Fun, and slightly confusing fact, you can use moin at all times of the day!
While saying moin is most commonly associated with the morning hours and many people believe that it’s derived from the word “morning” it’s actually not. It is thought to have developed from the Northern German word “moi” which means nice or pleasant.
Read next: 10 Ways of Saying Good Night in German
Moin Moin
Here’s a fun alternative to moin! Moin Moin can be roughly translated to “hi there” and should be used with friends or in any informal setting.
Moinsen
Moinsen is another informal alternative to Moin commonly used in the North of Germany.
Servus
Servus translates to “hello” and is used in many German federal states in the south and middle of the country as well as in Austria.
Interestingly enough, you can use servus both as a greeting and a goodbye. It’s not only for the morning either, you can use it throughout the whole day.
Read next: 23 Ways to Say Hello in German Beyond Hallo
Mojen
Have you ever been to the nation’s capital? Greet friendly “Berliners” with a hearty Mojen and wish them a good morning. Most Berlin natives aren’t too fond of tourists, but if you say Mojen with a smile, they might just mistake you for a local.
Read next: Using Mal in German – The Softener Word
How to say Good Morning in German – Austria and Switzerland
While there are differences in dialect between the different German federal states, there are even clearer marked differences between commonly used expressions in Germany and the neighboring countries Austria and Switzerland.
In Austria you can use Servus, Guten Morgen and Grüß Gott. Things get trickier in Switzerland. There’s a clearly marked difference between formal and informal greetings in the country.
Grüezi
For a formal greeting, you can say Grüezi to people of all genders and no matter what kind of relationship you have with them.
Grüessech
Grüessech is another alternative to formally say “good morning” in Switzerland. Interesting fact, you only use this when you treat a person with the formal Sie.
If the person is a family member, friend, or close acquaintance, grüezi or any other aforementioned alternative is a better choice.
Hoi
When you are in a more informal setting with friends or family you can opt for hoi , an easy way of saying “good morning”.
Tschau
Do you know any Italian? You might notice that tschau bears resemblance to the Italian “ciao”. That’s because some parts of Switzerland are close to Italy. In these regions tschau is a greeting that can be used in the morning as well as throughout the day.
Read Next: How to say “To be Used to” in German
Sali or Salü
Any French speakers with us today? You guessed it, sali and salü both come from the French word “salut”.
Use this greeting in those parts of Switzerland that are close to France. You can use it in the morning as well as throughout the day.
Some alternatives to saying “Good Morning” the traditional way
Saying “good morning” to every single person you meet throughout the morning hours can get tiring and boring very quickly. Let’s look at some alternatives that you can use.
Hallo
You can’t go wrong with a well-meant “hello”. Especially if you are confused about when, where and how to use each way of saying “good morning”, a simple “hello” will do the trick and I assure you it will be well received.
Tag
This abbreviation of guten Tag, which in English means “good day”, might come in handy when the morning hours bleed into the day and you are not sure if it’s appropriate to say “good morning”.
Read next: 5 Common Ways of Saying Good Afternoon in German
Alles klar?
“Alles klar?” literally translates to “Everything alright?” in English. It’s a nice way to not only acknowledge the morning, but also care about your conversation partner and find out how they are doing.
Wie geht’s?
Careful, don’t use this if you aren’t prepared for a longer conversation! “Wie geht’s” translates to “how are you?” in English.
While many native English speakers don’t expect an actual answer to “How are you?”, German speakers are quite different and are prepared to give you a more detailed answer about how they are doing and will ask you in return.
There is also plenty of nuances when saying yes in German. Read all about the different ways of answering yes in German.
Who do you say good morning to?
Saying “good morning” as you go about your morning is considered good manners. You should say it to your friends and family, but also at work, when you enter a shop, restaurant or cafe.
Particularly cheery people also say “Good morning” when they enter public transport or walk on a sidewalk. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t get a “good morning” back from every person, some people don’t find anything pleasant before 8am.
By the way, when you text or email a person informally it is also considered good manners to start your message off by saying “good morning”.
If it’s a formal letter don’t write “good morning”, no matter the time of day, you should always start your message with “sehr geehrte…” and continue with the name of the person.
What time should you use “Guten Morgen”?
You can use any expression that means “good morning” in German until around 12pm. Using it later than that gives the impression that you just rolled out of bed and might be frowned upon.
If you aren’t sure, you can always opt for “Guten Tag” or “Hallo”.
Conclusion
Using some form of greeting in the morning helps you establish a connection with the people around you from the very beginning of the day.
Even if you aren’t usually a morning person, give one of these phrases for “good morning” in German a try, you might be surprised by how many smiles and good morning wishes you could get back.
