Mastering German Greetings for Every Time of Day: How To Say Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night
- Jens Olesen
- Feb 15, 2024
- 15 min read
Updated: Jul 22
Greetings in German are an essential part of daily life and a great starting point for any language learner. Whether you’re saying hello to a friend in the morning or wishing someone good night, using the correct greeting in German at the right time of day shows respect and cultural awareness. This comprehensive guide will teach you common German greetings for every time of day – morning, afternoon, evening, and night – along with their formal and informal variations. We’ll also highlight regional differences (like how greetings might change in Switzerland or Austria) and give you pronunciation tips so you can confidently say hello in German in any situation.
If you’re a beginner, don’t worry – this guide is written in clear, simple English and is suitable for German learners of all levels. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to greet people appropriately from dawn till dusk, and even how to bid them good night.
Table of Contents
German Greetings for Different Times of Day
In German, just like in English, you use different greetings depending on the time of day. Knowing whether it’s appropriate to say Guten Morgen (good morning) or Guten Abend (good evening) will make your interactions smoother. Below are the four main time-specific greetings in German, each with explanations, pronunciation, and examples. We’ll also note any informal versions or special usage tips for each.
Guten Morgen – Good Morning
Guten Morgen (pronounced “GOO-ten MOR-gen”) means “Good morning” and is the classic way to greet someone at the start of the day. You’ll use Guten Morgen when saying hello in the morning hours, typically from early morning until about 10 or 11 AM. It’s a warm, cheerful salutation to kick-start your day. (Listen to how Guten Morgen is pronounced by a native speaker in our lessons to get the accent right!)
Grammar: Guten is derived from the adjective gut (“good”), and here it appears in the accusative case (as guten) to match the masculine noun Morgen (“morning”). Why accusative? It’s short for a longer wish: Ich wünsche dir einen guten Morgen (“I wish you a good morning”). This is why we say guten Morgen (with -en) rather than gut Morgen. If you want to learn more about German adjective rules, read our designated post on this topic.
Usage: Use Guten Morgen when greeting people in the morning, both in formal and informal settings. It’s perfectly acceptable with friends, family, colleagues, or even strangers. You might say it to your co-workers when you arrive at the office at 8:00 AM, or to the baker when you stop in for breakfast.
Example: Guten Morgen, Frau Schmidt! (Good morning, Mrs. Schmidt!) – Here, you’re using a polite, formal greeting to your neighbour or colleague (note the use of Frau + surname for formality).Guten Morgen, Leute! (Good morning, folks!) – An informal plural greeting to a group of friends (“Leute” means “people/folks”).(As a casual shorthand, Germans sometimes just say Morgen! instead of “Guten Morgen” among friends or in relaxed situations.)
Guten Tag – Good Afternoon/Day
Guten Tag (pronounced “GOO-ten Tahk”) literally translates to “Good day,” and it’s the standard greeting for the middle of the day. There isn’t a direct German phrase for “good afternoon” – Guten Tag covers both “good day” and “good afternoon.” You’ll typically use this greeting from late morning (around 11 AM) through the afternoon and even early evening (until roughly 5 or 6 PM).
Grammar: Like Guten Morgen, Guten Tag uses guten (good) with the masculine noun Tag (“day”) in the accusative case. It’s short for Ich wünsche Ihnen einen guten Tag (“I wish you a good day”). Because Tag is masculine, we say guten Tag (with -en).
Usage: Guten Tag is a somewhat formal greeting, but it’s very common and can be used in most situations outside of close friends and family. It’s ideal when entering a shop, starting a conversation with someone you don’t know well, or addressing someone in a professional context. While younger people might prefer “Hallo” in casual settings, you can never go wrong with a polite Guten Tag during daytime hours. (In Austria and parts of Germany, you might also hear Grüß dich! or Grüß Gott! – more on these regional greetings later.)
Example: Guten Tag, Herr Müller. Wie geht es Ihnen? (Good day, Mr. Müller. How are you?) – A formal greeting to someone like a client or teacher, using their last name.Guten Tag! Ich möchte bitte ein Brötchen. (Hello/Good afternoon! I’d like a bread roll, please.) – Said to a shopkeeper around midday.(Informal tip: With friends, saying just Tag! as a quick greeting is understood, though it’s quite casual and friendly.)
Pronunciation note: In Tag, the final -g is pronounced like a k sound (so it sounds like “Tahk”). This is a common feature in German pronunciation – an ending “g” often sounds like a “k.” Keep this in mind so your Guten Tag sounds natural.
Guten Abend – Good Evening
Guten Abend (pronounced “GOO-ten AH-bent”) means “Good evening” and is used as the day turns into evening. Generally, you’ll switch to Guten Abend in the early evening (around 5 or 6 PM) and use it into the night whenever you greet someone after sundown.
Grammar: Once again, we have guten + [masculine noun]. Abend (“evening”) is masculine in German, so the phrase is Guten Abend (accusative case, as it’s short for Ich wünsche Ihnen einen guten Abend – “I wish you a good evening”). You’re following the same pattern as morning and day: masculine noun, so gut becomes guten.
Usage: Use Guten Abend to greet people in the evening in both formal and informal contexts. It’s a polite and somewhat formal-sounding greeting, suitable when arriving at a restaurant for dinner, walking into an evening event, or meeting someone later in the day. Among friends or family in a casual setting, you might simply say “Abend!” (evening) as a relaxed greeting, or even the shortened ’n Abend (a clipped version you’ll hear in some regions, which is like saying “evenin’” instead of “good evening”).
Example: Guten Abend, meine Damen und Herren! (Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!) – A very polite greeting, perhaps at the start of a presentation or event.Guten Abend, Karl. Na, wie war dein Tag? (Good evening, Karl. So, how was your day?) – Semi-formal to informal, between acquaintances or neighbours, transitioning into a polite conversation.(Casual alternative: Abend! – you might greet a close friend at a get-together just with “Evening!” and a smile.)
Gute Nacht – Good Night
Gute Nacht (pronounced “GOO-tuh NAHKT”) means “Good night,” but note that this one is a farewell, not a greeting you’d use when you meet someone at night. Gute Nacht is used when you or the other person are heading to bed or when you’re parting late at night. It’s essentially wishing someone a good night’s rest, similar to “Have a good night” or “Sleep well” in English.
Grammar: Here we see a slight change: why gute and not guten? The word Nacht (“night”) is feminine in German. In the accusative case, feminine words take gute (with an -e ending) instead of guten. So gut + Nacht becomes gute Nacht. The full underlying sentence could be Ich wünsche dir eine gute Nacht (“I wish you a good night”), hence the adjective ending.
Usage: Use Gute Nacht to say goodbye at the end of the day or to wish someone a good night’s sleep. It’s commonly said to family members at home (for example, when tucking children into bed), or to friends when leaving a late gathering, or to anyone when you’re departing and expect not to see them again until the next day. It’s not something you’d say as a greeting when you arrive somewhere late at night – at a late hour, you’d still greet with “Guten Abend” and only say Gute Nacht as you leave or sign off.
Example: Gute Nacht, schlaf gut! (Good night, sleep well!) – A typical thing to say to family or close friends.Vielen Dank für den schönen Abend und gute Nacht! (Thank you for the lovely evening and good night!) – A polite way to end an evening spent together, perhaps said as you put on your coat to leave a friend’s house at night.(Remember: Gute Nacht is essentially a parting wish. Don’t use it when you first meet someone at night – use Guten Abend to greet, and Gute Nacht when you depart.)
Now that we’ve covered the basic time-of-day greetings, let’s look at how formality and context can change the way you greet someone in German.
Formal vs. Informal German Greetings
In German (as in many languages), the way you greet someone can differ depending on how well you know them and the level of formality. German makes a distinction between formal and informal address (think Sie vs. du, the formal “you” versus the informal “you”). It’s important to choose the right greeting for the situation to avoid being unintentionally rude or overly stiff. Here are some common greetings classified by formality:
Formal Greetings: These are used with people you don’t know well, elders, or in professional settings. They tend to use the full time-of-day phrases or more polite forms.
Guten Tag – As mentioned, this is a polite default during the day and works in most formal encounters.
Guten Morgen / Guten Abend – Also acceptable in formal or business settings (e.g. saying Guten Abend, Herr Weber to a colleague’s parent or at a business dinner).
Grüß Gott – A regional formal greeting in southern Germany/Austria, literally “Greet God,” used as a polite hello (more details in the regional section).
When answering the phone formally, Germans often just say “Hallo?” but in person, stick with the above for strangers or superiors.
Informal Greetings: These are used with friends, family, and people in relaxed, casual situations. They are generally shorter and simpler.
Hallo! – The direct equivalent of “Hello!” in English. It’s the most common informal greeting and can be used at any time of day. (You can say Hallo to your friends, classmates, or close colleagues without worry. It’s friendly but not overly familiar.)
Hi! or Hey! – Yes, Germans also say Hi [pronounced like English “hi”] and Hey as casual greetings, especially younger people or among peers.
Moin! – Very common in northern Germany, this informal greeting can be used all day long (it originated from a local word for “morning,” but now you’ll hear Moin! at any hour in the north).
Servus! – A casual hello/goodbye used in Austria and Bavaria among friends (we’ll explain more about this one in the regional section).
Na? – Extremely informal, this one isn’t a full word at all but a quick way of saying “Hi, how’s it going?” among very close friends. If someone says Na? to you with a smile, they’re essentially greeting you and asking if everything’s alright, in one short syllable.
General rule: When in doubt, start with a formal greeting (like Guten Tag or a time-specific greeting plus last name/title if appropriate). The other person might respond with something like “Ach, sag doch du” (Oh, please use du with me), indicating you can switch to first names and informal speech. Otherwise, stick with formal address until you’re invited to be informal. It’s better to be a bit too polite than to be accidentally too familiar in German culture, especially in professional settings. Read our post on how to say hello in German for more information.
Regional Variations in German Greetings
German is spoken in several countries – notably Germany, Austria, and Switzerland – and each region has its own twist on greetings. Even within Germany, north vs. south can sound a bit different when it comes to saying hello. Being aware of regional greetings can help you blend in and show respect for local customs. Here are some notable variations:
Northern Germany: Moin
In northern Germany (think Hamburg, Bremen, or along the North and Baltic Sea coasts), you’ll often hear Moin! as a greeting. Moin (pronounced like “moyn,” rhyming with coin) is short, friendly, and can be used at any time of day. It originated from a Plattdeutsch (Low German) word meaning “morning” or possibly from moin moin, meaning “good day,” but nowadays, Moin basically means “Hello” in those regions.
Usage: You can say Moin in place of Hallo or Guten Tag, regardless of whether it’s 8 AM or 8 PM – locals do! It’s informal but widely used; if you say Moin to a shopkeeper in Hamburg, you’ll likely get a Moin and a smile in return. Some people even double it: Moin moin! (This doesn’t change the meaning; it just sounds cheerful.)
Example: Moin, wie geht’s? (Hi, how’s it going?) – a typical casual greeting in the north.
Southern Germany & Austria: Grüß Gott and Servus
In the south of the German-speaking world – Bavaria (southern Germany) and Austria – greetings can sound quite different:
Grüß Gott (pronounced roughly “gryss got” or grewss got, with the ü sounding like the “u” in “choose” but with rounded lips) literally means “Greet God,” but it’s used to mean “Greetings” or “Hello.” It’s a formal or polite greeting commonly heard in Bavaria and Austria, especially in more traditional or rural areas. Don’t be startled – you’re not expected to literally respond about God; it’s just a local equivalent of Guten Tag.
Usage: Use Grüß Gott during the day in southern regions when you want to be polite (for example, entering a small shop in Bavaria, or greeting an older person in Austria). It has a friendly, warm tone but still carries respect. You generally would not use this in northern Germany – it would mark you as Bavarian or Austrian.
Example: A shopkeeper in Munich might say Grüß Gott! when you walk in, and you can reply with Grüß Gott! as well.
Servus (pronounced “SAIR-voos” or in some areas “ZEHR-voos”) is another common greeting in the south. Servus comes from Latin (meaning “servant” or “at your service”), and it’s used in Bavaria, Austria, and even parts of Switzerland as a casual, friendly “hello” and “goodbye” (just like Ciao in Italian).
Usage: Servus is informal. You’d use it with people you know, or in a relaxed setting. For instance, two friends meeting in Vienna might say Servus! to each other instead of Hallo. It’s also used as a parting phrase, so don’t be surprised if someone waves and says Servus! when leaving. Context will tell you whether it’s a greeting or farewell.
Example: Servus, Thomas! Wie geht’s dir? (Hey, Thomas! How are you?) – a typical informal greeting among friends in Austria.
(Fun fact: In Austria and southern Germany, you might also hear Grüß dich! (“greet you”) or Grüß euch! (“greet you [all]”) in place of Hallo when addressing one person or a group of friends, respectively. These are informal variants of Grüß Gott.)
Switzerland: Grüezi
In the German-speaking part of Switzerland, the go-to greeting is Grüezi (pronounced “GRUE-tsee” or sometimes quickly as “GRIT-sy”). It’s a Swiss German short form of a phrase meaning “God greet you,” similar in idea to Grüß Gott, but used in Switzerland irrespective of time of day.
Usage: You can use Grüezi to greet anyone during the day in Switzerland. It’s polite and can be used with strangers (like when you enter a shop in Zurich, the staff might say Grüezi!). For more than one person, Swiss German adds a word: Grüezi mitenand (“Hello everyone” or literally “Grüezi together”) when addressing a group. If you’re traveling in Switzerland, using Grüezi will definitely earn you a friendly nod.
Example: You step into a bakery in Bern and say Grüezi to the person behind the counter, who responds Grüezi – now you’ve started off on the right foot! For a group you might hear Grüezi mitenand! when a host greets several guests at once.
Each region’s special greetings are a delightful aspect of the language's diversity. Don’t worry, though – standard greetings like Guten Tag and Hallo will be understood everywhere a Germanic language is spoken. Using a local greeting like Moin or Grüezi when you’re in that area, however, can put a smile on people’s faces and show that you’ve made an effort to learn their local culture.
Cultural Tips for Greeting Etiquette
Learning the words is one thing, but understanding the culture around greetings will help you avoid awkward moments. Germans are generally polite and have certain customs when it comes to saying hello or goodbye. Here are a few etiquette tips to keep in mind along with your new vocabulary:
The Handshake (and Eye Contact): In formal situations or when meeting someone for the first time, a firm handshake accompanied by a greeting is the norm in Germany. Make sure to make brief eye contact and smile politely while saying Guten Tag or whichever greeting is appropriate. For instance, at a business meeting you would shake hands with everyone as you say your hello. Among close friends or younger people, you might skip the handshake and just say Hallo (or even give a hug or cheek kiss if you’re very close, but that’s personal). When in doubt, a handshake is a safe bet for adults meeting adults.
Use Titles and Last Names: Germans tend to be more formal when first meeting someone. If you’re greeting someone older than you, or in a professional context, use Herr (Mr.) or Frau (Mrs./Ms.) plus their last name after your greeting. For example: Guten Morgen, Herr Schneider. Using someone’s title (Herr/Frau + surname, or an academic or professional title if they have one, like Herr Doktor Müller) is a sign of respect. Wait until you’re invited to use first names (du) before switching to a first-name basis. Starting a conversation with “Hallo Wolfgang!” instead of “Guten Tag, Herr Müller.” could be seen as too familiar if you don’t know Wolfgang well yet.
Punctuality in Greetings: This might sound odd, but being on time ties into greetings in a way – when you’re punctual for appointments or meetings in German-speaking countries, your greeting (“Guten Tag” etc.) will come across much better. Germans highly value punctuality. Arriving late without notice can make your warm greeting fall flat (you might end up having to start with an apology – Entschuldigung, sorry for being late – rather than a cheerful hello). So, one way to “greet” in a respectful manner is simply to be on time or a few minutes early. It sets the right tone for any interaction.
Small Talk (or Lack Thereof): After the initial greeting, Germans may not always dive into “small talk” like asking “How are you?” unless they genuinely want to hear an answer. In more formal interactions, a simple greeting and a firm handshake is enough to start; you don’t need to add “How’s your day?” every time (though with friends you certainly can ask Wie geht’s?). Just be aware that a German’s “Wie geht’s?” (How’s it going?) is a real question and not just a formality – they’ll expect an actual brief update rather than the automatic “I’m fine” you might give in English. So when you greet someone, follow their lead on small talk.
By keeping these cultural points in mind, you’ll not only say the right words but also do the right things when greeting German speakers. This will make your interactions much more comfortable and authentic.
Next Steps: Learn More & Keep Practising
Now that you know how to say hello in German from morning till night, keep practising these phrases in real life. Say Guten Morgen to yourself when you start the day, or greet your German-learning buddies with Hallo or Moin! for fun. The more you use these greetings, the more natural they will feel.
To continue your German learning journey, we encourage you to explore more resources on the Olesen Tuition blog. Here are a few recommended reads for beginners and beyond:
How to Learn German – A German Tutor’s Guide – This comprehensive guide by our lead tutor offers tips and strategies for effectively learning German at any level. It’s an excellent roadmap if you’re serious about improving your German skills.
Learn How to Introduce Yourself in German (German for Beginners) – A perfect next step for beginners, this post teaches you the basics of introducing yourself – another essential skill after learning greetings. Master phrases like “My name is…” or “I come from…” in German.
How Long Does It Take to Learn German– Now that you know the time-of-day greetings, expand your repertoire with this fun exploration of various ways to say hello, including regional greetings and youth slang.
Remember, consistency is key in language learning. Practice your greetings and phrases regularly, and don’t be shy about using them – most German speakers will appreciate your effort, even if you’re not perfect.
Interested in structured learning or need more help? At Olesen Tuition, we offer a range of services to help you reach your German language goals. Our offerings include private one-to-one German lessons, small group German classes, intensive German courses (great for a jump-start or quick progress), flexible online German lessons you can take from anywhere, GCSE & A-Level German tutoring for students, preparation courses for Goethe-Institut exams, and even corporate German training for businesses and professionals. All our lessons are taught by experienced, native-speaking tutors who can help you perfect your pronunciation (yes, they’ll make sure you nail those “ch” sounds in Nacht and roll the R in Morgen just right!).
Conclusion: Mastering German greetings for every time of day will give you confidence as you start conversations in German. From a bright Guten Morgen to a polite Guten Tag, a friendly Guten Abend and a comforting Gute Nacht, you’re now equipped to handle any encounter – morning, noon, or night. These phrases may be simple, but they go a long way in creating a positive impression and showing respect for the language and culture. So next time you meet someone or walk into a German café at various times of day, use what you’ve learned: greet people with a hearty German hello appropriate to the hour. Viel Erfolg beim Deutschlernen – wishing you much success in learning German, and servus for now!
You might also be curious to learn about the difference between am Morgen and morgens in German and viel vs. viele. So check out our German language blog to learn more.
