gute Besserung
To say 'get well' in German, use gute Besserung.
Gute Besserung is the most common and straightforward way to express the wish for someone to recover from an illness or injury. It functions idiomatically as 'Get well soon!' or 'Get well'.
Meaning: to recover from illness or injury (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'good improvement', where gute means 'good' and Besserung means 'improvement' or 'recovery'.
How does it change in a sentence?
While the phrase translates literally to 'good improvement', it is used as a standard idiomatic expression in German to mean 'Get well soon!'
When do people say it?
When someone says Gute Besserung! to you, the standard and expected response is Danke! (Thanks!).
Did you know?
- The word Besserung is also used in legal contexts, such as Besserungsfrist, which refers to a grace period to correct a mistake.
- In Germany, it is common to send a Gute-Besserung-Karte or a flower arrangement to a hospital, as wishing recovery is often accompanied by a physical token.
- If someone is seriously ill, Germans may avoid gute Besserung and instead say Alles Gute, as the latter is more general and less presumptive about a full recovery.
Examples in context
- Gute Besserung!Get well soon!This is a simple way to say 'Get well soon!'Tatoeba #1340959 by enteka, translation #645644 by CK
- Gute Besserung, Anna!Get well soon, Anna!This shows how to address someone directly by name when saying 'Get well soon, Anna!'Tatoeba #14025857 by Ioan_Cristian, translation #14025858 by Ioan_Cristian
- Ich hoffe, es geht dir bald besser!I hope you feel better soon!
- Ich denke an dich in dieser schwierigen Zeit.I'm thinking of you during this difficult time.
- Ich wünsche dir gute Besserung.I wish you a speedy recovery.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah is calling Lukas to check on him after he caught a cold.
- SarahHallo Lukas, wie geht es dir heute?Hello Lukas, how are you doing today?
- LukasNicht so gut, ich liege leider im Bett.Not so well, unfortunately I am lying in bed.
- SarahOh, dann gute Besserung!Oh, then get well soon!
- LukasDanke, Sarah.Thanks, Sarah.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gute Besserung, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
