What is the difference between hallo and guten tag?
Just as in English, there are several ways to say hello in German. You can simply use the informal Hallo (hi) on its own. You can also use Guten Morgen (good morning), Guten Tag (good afternoon) or Guten Abend (good evening).
'Hello' and 'hallo' are the same word. 'Hallo' is simply an alternative way of writing 'hello'. It's quite old-fashioned and rarely used these days. Nowadays, almost everyone writes it 'hello'.
"Guten Morgen!": You can simply respond with the same greeting, "Guten Morgen," which means "Good morning" in German. "Morgen!": This is a shortened and informal way to respond, essentially saying "Morning!" to acknowledge the greeting. "Hallo!": You can respond with a friendly "Hello!" as a general greeting.
Guten Tag – “Good day” – the recommendation is from midday until dusk (around 6 pm), but can be used all day; Guten Abend – “Good evening” – can only be used from dusk to bedtime.
In many Germanic languages, including German, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch and Afrikaans, "hallo" literally translates into English as "hello".
German interjection
gu·ten Tag ˌgü-tən-ˈtäk. : good day : good afternoon : hello.
For example, the German greeting guten Tag means “good day,” while the translation of “hello” in German is hallo. In some languages, the literal translation of “hello” is considered informal and may be inappropriate to use with people you don't know well.
"Hello!" - Simply reciprocating the greeting with the same word is a straightforward and friendly response. "Hi!" - This is another common and casual response to acknowledge the greeting. "Hey there!" - A slightly more casual and informal response, often used among friends or acquaintances.
Hello in German — Hallo.
The most common greeting is a handshake with direct eye contact. Men usually greet women first and wait for them to extend their hand. Close friends may hug to greet and younger people may kiss one another on the cheek. "Guten Tag" (Good day) or “Hallo” (Hello) are the most common verbal greetings used in Germany.
What do Germans say in greeting?
Some common German greetings include "Guten Morgen" (Good morning), "Guten Tag" (Good day), "Hallo" (Hello), "Wie geht es Ihnen?" (How are you?), and "Auf Wiedersehen" (Goodbye).
| Greeting | How to pronounce it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hallo | HA-loh | Hello |
| Guten Tag/Tag | GOO-ten TAHG/TAHG | Good day |
| Guten Morgen/Morgen | GOO-ten MOR-gen/MOR-gen | Good morning |
| Guten Abend/Abend | GOO-ten AH-bent/AH-bent | Good evening |
9 – Guten Tag
Remember that Guten Tag is formal, so you can use on formal situations or to show respect to someone that is older than you. Just to make it clear: you can say Guten Morgen only until noon, but you can use Guten Tag all day, from the beginning of the morning until dusk (around 6 pm).
In general, it is best to stick with a formal greeting like “Guten Tag” when talking to a professional acquaintance, whereas with friends you can use informal greetings like “Na?” or “Hallo!”. Another very important thing to keep in mind is the difference between the casual “du” and the formal “Sie”.
| Greeting | Context |
|---|---|
| Hello, nice to meet you | You don't know the person |
| Hello, nice to see you | You know them, but not very well |
| Hello, how are you doing? | You know them in a formal and regular situation, such as at work |
| Hello Sue, how are you? | You know them a little more closely enough to use their name |
| English | German |
|---|---|
| Have a good day! | Hab einen schönen Tag! |
| Good morning, nice to meet you (formal) | Guten Morgen, schön Sie kennenzulernen |
| A beautiful good morning! | Einen schönen guten Morgen! |
| Wonderful morning! | Einen wunderschönen guten Morgen! |
Danke is the most common way to express thanks in German. Danke in English is literally Thank you or Thanks. Danke can be used in any type of situation.
A straightforward possibility is “guten Tag,” “guten Abend” and “gute Nacht” to also say goodbye. Additional and widespread opportunities are also “Tschüss” (bye), “auf Wiedersehen” (goodbye), and “bis bald” (see you soon).
- English: I love you (i love you)
- French: Je t'aime (juh tehm)
- Dutch: Ik houd van jou (ik howd fan yow)
- German: Ich liebe dich (ik leebuh deekh)
- Spanish: Te quiero (teh kyero)
- Tagalog: Mahal kita (mahal kita)
- Russian: Я люблю тебя (ya lyubyu tebya)
'Hey' one of the most common greetings in the US that can also be used in the plural, as in: “Hey guys” and “Hey ya'll” (ya'll is used in many of the southern US states as a plural “you all” form).
What to say when a girl says hi?
SIMPLE! Say Hi back, how's it going? .. keep it nice and simple! When keeping a conversation try to show a little interest and don't be so short.
- Try to start with a "hello" or "hi" and a simple smile.
- Never be scared!
- Making eye contact really helps when talking.
- Ask her some questions : Talk according to situations.
- Give your conversation purpose.
- Be diplomatic and honest, girls like honesty.
- Always expect an unexpected reply.
- Try to make her laugh.
1 Say “hey” back to keep things simple. 2 Give him a friendly answer if you like him. 3 Try a neutral answer if you're not sure. 4 Ask him what's up for a casual approach.
Hallo, Leute!
It's a casual German greeting for use with a group of people you know well.
Hallo comes from the Middle French holá (from ho! “ahoy” and la “there”), so you could say that when you say hello, you're actually saying “Ahoy there!” Amazingly, there are countless variations of these words, including: halloo, halloa, halow, hillo, holler, hollo, holloa, hollow, and hullo.
