gute Besserung
In German, 'get well soon' is expressed as gute Besserung.
The phrase is used to express hope that someone recovers soon. While gute Besserung is the standard way to offer this wish, you can also use informal alternatives such as Werde schnell gesund!, Schnell wieder gesund werden! or Komm schnell auf die Beine! which means 'Get back on your feet quickly!'
Meaning: expressing hope that someone recovers soon (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to 'good improvement' or 'good recovery'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase gute Besserung, the word gute uses the feminine singular adjective ending because it modifies Besserung, which is a feminine noun.
When do people say it?
When someone says gute Besserung to you, the standard response is Danke! (Thanks).
Did you know?
- When sending a get well card, Germans often combine gute Besserung with a wish for 'viel Kraft', which means 'much strength', acknowledging that recovery can be an exhausting process.
- The English word 'betterment' shares the same linguistic roots as Besserung, though 'betterment' is rarely used in daily English.
- Using the shorter gute Besserung is standard, but adding the verb wünschen to say Ich wünsche Ihnen gute Besserung is the preferred way to show respect in a professional setting.
Examples in context
- Gute Besserung!Get well soon!This sentence shows the phrase used on its own.Tatoeba #1340959 by enteka, translation #645644 by CK
- Gute Besserung, Anna!Get well soon, Anna!This sentence shows how to include a person's name when using gute Besserung.Tatoeba #14025857 by Ioan_Cristian, translation #14025858 by Ioan_Cristian
- Gute Besserung, Frau Müller!Get well soon, Mrs. Müller!
- Ich wünsche dir gute Besserung.I wish you a speedy recovery.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian calls Sarah to check on her while she is sick.
- JulianHallo Sarah, wie geht es dir heute?Hello Sarah, how are you doing today?
- SarahNicht so gut, ich habe leider immer noch Fieber.Not so well, unfortunately I still have a fever.
- JulianOh, das tut mir leid, gute Besserung!Oh, I am sorry, get well soon!
- SarahVielen Dank, Julian.Thank you very much, Julian.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “get well soon” translations and entries gute Besserung, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Besserung, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
