Guten Tag
The German phrase for "bonjour" is Guten Tag.
Guten Tag is used to say hello to someone during the day, meaning "Good day".
Which one should you use?
While Guten Tag is a standard daytime greeting, Guten Morgen is used specifically for the morning, typically until around 10 a.m.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In northern Germany, especially along the coast, people often use the informal greetings Moin or Moin Moin as a casual way of greeting.
Did you know?
- In Southern Germany and Austria, people often replace Guten Tag with Grüß Gott, which literally means 'greet God'.
- The word Tag is not just a unit of time, but is used in words like Reichstag to mean a formal assembly or a scheduled meeting.
- In many parts of Germany, you can use the single word Moin as both a greeting and a farewell, regardless of the time of day.
Examples in context
- Guten Tag, wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?Good day, how can I help you?
- Guten Tag, wie geht es Ihnen?Good day, how are you?
- Guten Tag, Herr Schmidt.Good day, Mr. Schmidt.
Example conversation
A professional meeting in a bright office.
- HannahGuten Tag, Herr Weber.Good day, Mr. Weber.
- JulianGuten Tag, Frau Müller.Good day, Ms. Müller.
- HannahSchön, Sie zu sehen.Nice to see you.
- JulianGleichfalls.Likewise.
