Basic German sentences including greetings, introductions, common questions, and everyday expressions for building foundational conversational skills.
This guide covers essential German sentences that span greetings, self-introductions, common social questions, and simple everyday expressions. These building blocks will help you navigate basic conversations with confidence.
Greetings
Greetings are the first step in any conversation. Here are some common German greetings used throughout the day:
- Hallo. — Hello.
- Guten Morgen. — Good morning.
- Guten Tag. — Good day.
- Guten Abend. — Good evening.
- Tschüss. — Bye.
- Auf Wiedersehen. — Goodbye (formal).
These simple greetings are used to politely start and end conversations in various social settings.
___ significa 'Buenos días' en alemán.
How do you say 'Good morning' in German?
Guten Morgen.
'Guten Morgen' means 'Good morning' in German, while 'Guten Tag' is 'Good day' and 'Guten Abend' is 'Good evening.'
Introductions
Introducing yourself is a key part of everyday interactions. These sentences help you share your name and ask for others’ names:
- Ich heiße [Name]. — My name is [Name].
- Ich bin [Name]. — I am [Name].
- Wie heißen Sie? — What is your name? (formal)
- Wie heißt du? — What is your name? (informal)
- Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen. — Nice to meet you. (formal)
- Freut mich. — Nice to meet you. (informal)
Use these to start conversations and make new acquaintances.
Common Questions
Asking simple questions helps you gather information and keep conversations going. Here are some of the most useful ones:
- Wie geht es Ihnen? — How are you? (formal)
- Wie geht’s? — How are you? (informal)
- Woher kommen Sie? — Where are you from? (formal)
- Woher kommst du? — Where are you from? (informal)
- Was machen Sie beruflich? — What is your profession? (formal)
- Was machst du? — What do you do? (informal)
- Sprechen Sie Englisch? — Do you speak English? (formal)
These questions open the door to more detailed conversations.
Everyday Expressions
These common phrases are used in daily life to express thanks, apologize, and respond politely:
- Danke. — Thank you.
- Bitte. — You’re welcome. / Please.
- Entschuldigung. — Excuse me. / Sorry.
- Kein Problem. — No problem.
- Ich verstehe nicht. — I don’t understand.
- Können Sie das wiederholen? — Can you repeat that?
Using these expressions makes your interactions smoother and more natural.
___ significa '¿Puede repetir eso?' en alemán.
What is the German phrase for 'Can you repeat that?'
Können Sie das wiederholen?
'Können Sie das wiederholen?' is a polite way to ask if someone can repeat what they said.
Putting It All Together
Here’s an example of how these basic sentences can form a simple conversation:
- A: Guten Tag. Wie heißen Sie?
- B: Guten Tag. Ich heiße Maria. Und Sie?
- A: Ich bin Thomas. Freut mich.
- B: Freut mich auch. Wie geht es Ihnen?
- A: Gut, danke. Und Ihnen?
- B: Auch gut, danke.
This demonstrates a typical polite exchange between two people meeting for the first time.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
