Culture & etiquetteBy Clever Tourists · Published
English is widely spoken in Germany's cities, especially by younger people, but a few words of German change how shops, bakeries and restaurants treat you. The key choice is Sie (polite "you") versus du (casual): use Sie with every adult stranger, and the phrases below are written that way. Greetings are also regional, so Guten Tag works everywhere, Grüß Gott is the polite hello in Bavaria, and Moin is what you hear in the north.
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Guten Tag is the safe hello for any adult stranger, anywhere. In Bavaria and Austria the everyday polite greeting is Grüß Gott, while Servus is the casual hello and goodbye among friends there. In northern Germany Moin is said at any hour, not just in the morning.
Auf Wiedersehen is the polite goodbye; Tschüss is the relaxed one, and it is what most people say leaving a shop or café in the north and centre.
| English | German | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello (polite) | Guten Tag | GOO-ten TAHK | Any adult stranger, any region. |
| Hi | Hallo | HAH-loh | Casual, but fine in shops too. |
| Hello (Bavaria, Austria) | Grüß Gott | GRUESS GOT | The polite greeting in the south. |
| Hi / bye (south, casual) | Servus | ZAIR-voos | Friends and people you call du. |
| Hello (north) | Moin | MOYN | Any time of day in the north. |
| Good morning | Guten Morgen | GOO-ten MOR-gen | In the morning. |
| Good evening | Guten Abend | GOO-ten AH-bent | From early evening. |
| Good night | Gute Nacht | GOO-teh NAHKHT | Going to bed or leaving late. |
| How are you? (polite) | Wie geht es Ihnen? | vee GAYT es EE-nen | Strangers and older people. |
| How are you? (casual) | Wie geht's? | vee GAYTS | Friends. |
| Nice to meet you | Freut mich | FROYT mikh | Short for Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen. |
| Goodbye (polite) | Auf Wiedersehen | owf VEE-der-zay-en | Formal settings, older people. |
| Bye | Tschüss | CHUESS | Leaving shops and cafés. |
| See you soon | Bis bald | bis BAHLT | Someone you will see again. |
Bitte does a lot of work: it means "please", "you're welcome", "here you are" when handing something over, and bitte? means "pardon?". Entschuldigung covers both "excuse me" and a light "sorry"; es tut mir leid is a real apology.
German service is direct and that is not rudeness. A short danke is the normal register; elaborate thanks can sound odd.
| English | German | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Please | Bitte | BIT-teh | After any request. |
| Thank you | Danke | DAHN-keh | Everywhere. |
| Thank you very much | Danke schön / Vielen Dank | DAHN-keh SHURN / FEE-len DAHNK | For real help. |
| You're welcome | Bitte / Gern geschehen | BIT-teh / GAIRN geh-SHAY-en | Reply to danke. |
| Excuse me (attention) | Entschuldigen Sie | ent-SHOOL-dee-gen zee | Stopping a stranger to ask something. |
| Excuse me / sorry | Entschuldigung | ent-SHOOL-dee-goong | Getting past, a small bump, calling a waiter. |
| I'm sorry | Es tut mir leid | es TOOT meer LYTE | A real apology or sympathy. |
| Yes | Ja | YAH | Answering a question. |
| No | Nein | NINE | Answering a question. |
| No, thank you | Nein, danke | NINE, DAHN-keh | Turning something down. |
The toast is Prost! with beer or Zum Wohl! with wine. Look each person in the eye as you clink; looking away is the one toasting habit Germans notice. Before eating, people say Guten Appetit, and around midday colleagues greet each other with Mahlzeit.
Tap water is not brought automatically, so ask for Leitungswasser if you want it. To pay, call out Zahlen, bitte. Tip by saying the total you want to pay as you hand over the money, or say Stimmt so ("keep the change"); our Germany tipping guide explains how much.
| English | German | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A table for two, please | Einen Tisch für zwei Personen, bitte | EYE-nen TISH fuer TSVY pehr-ZOH-nen, BIT-teh | At the door of a restaurant. |
| The menu, please | Die Speisekarte, bitte | dee SHPY-zeh-kar-teh, BIT-teh | Once you are seated. |
| Enjoy your meal | Guten Appetit | GOO-ten ah-peh-TEET | Said before eating. |
| Delicious | Lecker | LEK-er | Casual; köstlich is the more formal word. |
| Cheers! | Prost! / Zum Wohl! | PROHST / tsoom VOHL | Prost with beer, Zum Wohl often with wine. |
| The bill, please | Zahlen, bitte / Die Rechnung, bitte | TSAH-len, BIT-teh / dee REKH-noong, BIT-teh | Catch the server's eye first. |
| Keep the change | Stimmt so | SHTIMT zoh | Handing over money to include a tip. |
| I'm vegetarian | Ich bin Vegetarier / Vegetarierin | ikh bin veh-geh-TAH-ree-er / veh-geh-TAH-ree-er-in | Men Vegetarier, women Vegetarierin. |
| I'm allergic to... | Ich bin allergisch gegen... | ikh bin ah-LAIR-gish GAY-gen | Add the food: gegen Nüsse (nuts). |
| Tap water | Leitungswasser | LYE-toongs-vah-ser | It is not served unless you ask. |
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Prices are fixed and haggling is not done in shops or at markets. Cash is still more common than in most of Western Europe, and some bakeries and small shops take only cash, so ask before you order; our cash or card in Germany guide has the detail.
On Sundays almost all shops are closed by law, apart from stations, airports and some bakeries.
| English | German | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much is it? | Was kostet das? | vahs KOS-tet dahs | Pointing at an item. |
| I'll take it | Ich nehme es | ikh NAY-meh es | Deciding to buy. |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Kreditkarte zahlen? | kahn ikh mit kreh-DEET-kar-teh TSAH-len | Say mit Karte for any card. |
| Cash | Bar | BAR | Bar zahlen means to pay in cash. |
The main station in any city is the Hauptbahnhof, shortened to Hbf on signs and tickets. Toilets are often marked WC.
A ticket is eine Fahrkarte; Ticket is also used. On local transport you buy before boarding and, where there is a stamping machine, validate it.
| English | German | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is...? | Wo ist...? | voh IST | Add the place: Wo ist der Bahnhof? |
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette? | voh ist dee twah-LET-teh | Signs often say WC. |
| The train station | Der Bahnhof | dehr BAHN-hohf | Asking directions or telling a taxi. |
| Main station | Hauptbahnhof | HOWPT-bahn-hohf | Hbf on signs. |
| The airport | Der Flughafen | dehr FLOOK-hah-fen | Asking directions or telling a taxi. |
| Left | Links | LINKS | Following directions. |
| Right | Rechts | REKHTS | Following directions. |
| Straight ahead | Geradeaus | geh-rah-deh-OWS | Following directions. |
| Ticket | Die Fahrkarte | dee FAR-kar-teh | Ticket is also understood. |
| One ticket to Berlin, please | Eine Fahrkarte nach Berlin, bitte | EYE-neh FAR-kar-teh nahkh behr-LEEN, BIT-teh | At a ticket counter. |
German says numbers above 20 "backwards": 25 is fünfundzwanzig, "five-and-twenty". Prices are said in euros (Euro, OY-roh) and cents (Cent).
| English | German | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | eins | EYENS | Counting and prices. |
| 2 | zwei | TSVY | Counting and prices. |
| 3 | drei | DRY | Counting and prices. |
| 4 | vier | FEER | Counting and prices. |
| 5 | fünf | FUENF | ü: say ee with rounded lips. |
| 6 | sechs | ZEKS | Counting and prices. |
| 7 | sieben | ZEE-ben | Counting and prices. |
| 8 | acht | AHKHT | Counting and prices. |
| 9 | neun | NOYN | Counting and prices. |
| 10 | zehn | TSAYN | Counting and prices. |
| 100 | hundert | HOON-dert | Also einhundert. |
| 1,000 | tausend | TOW-zent | Also eintausend. |
112 is the free number for fire and ambulance, and it reaches emergency services anywhere in Germany. 110 goes straight to the police.
| English | German | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Help! | Hilfe! | HIL-feh | Shouted in an emergency. |
| Call the police! | Rufen Sie die Polizei! | ROO-fen zee dee poh-lee-TSY | To a bystander or staff. |
| I need a doctor | Ich brauche einen Arzt | ikh BROW-kheh EYE-nen ARTST | At a hotel desk or pharmacy (Apotheke). |
| I'm lost | Ich habe mich verlaufen | ikh HAH-beh mikh fair-LOW-fen | Said on foot. |
| I don't understand | Ich verstehe nicht | ikh fair-SHTAY-eh nikht | When a reply goes over your head. |
| Do you speak English? | Sprechen Sie Englisch? | SHPREKH-en zee ENG-lish | Polite form, for strangers. |
| Please speak more slowly | Sprechen Sie bitte langsamer | SHPREKH-en zee BIT-teh LAHNG-zah-mer | Polite form. |
Use Sie until you are invited to use du. It is the default with adult strangers and always with police and officials. Younger people often use du with each other straight away, and in some workplaces and bars it is the norm, but let them start it.
Use titles. People are Herr or Frau plus surname, and holders of a doctorate are often addressed as Herr Doktor or Frau Doktor. Fräulein is outdated and best avoided.
Greet with a handshake when you meet someone, and keep eye contact. A short Guten Tag or Hallo when you walk into a small shop or bakery, and Tschüss or Auf Wiedersehen when you leave, is normal.
Bluntness is not rudeness. A flat nein, a correction or a stranger pointing out a rule is ordinary German directness, not hostility. Our what's considered rude in Germany guide covers the rules that actually get noticed: Sunday quiet, red pedestrian lights and cycle lanes.
Both are southern greetings, heard in Bavaria and Austria. Grüß Gott is the polite hello you can use with anyone, including in shops. Servus is casual, means both hello and goodbye, and is used among friends and people on du terms.
Prost, mostly with beer, or Zum Wohl, often with wine. Look each person in the eye as you clink glasses.
Yes in the cities, especially among younger people and in hotels and tourist areas. Older people and small-town shops are more hit and miss, so a few German phrases help.
Say the total you want to pay as you hand over the money, or say Stimmt so to let the server keep the change. Leaving coins on the table is less usual.
112 for fire and ambulance, from any phone, and 110 for the police.
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