guten Abend
/ɡuːtən ʔaːbənt/
guten Abend is the German way to say good evening.
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective 'gut' (good) in its accusative masculine form 'guten' and the noun 'Abend' (evening).
Which one should you use?
While guten Abend is a greeting used when arriving, Gute Nacht is used specifically when leaving or going to bed.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the phrase functions as a direct object of an implied greeting (e.g., 'I wish you a good evening'), the adjective 'gut' takes the '-en' ending.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡuːtən ʔaːbənt/
Did you know?
- In Germany, the transition from guten Tag to guten Abend is not fixed by a clock, but usually happens when it starts to get dark outside.
- In Southern Germany and Austria, the phrase Grüß Gott is often used instead of guten Abend, regardless of the time of day.
- The word Abend is a linguistic cousin to the English word 'even', particularly in the poetic sense of 'eventide'. Both words trace back to the same ancient Germanic roots describing the end of the day.
Examples in context
- Guten Abend! Wie geht’s?Good evening. How are you?This sentence shows guten Abend used as a greeting followed by a question about how someone is.Tatoeba #444481 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #6985178 by Eccles17
- Guten Abend. Wie geht es?Good evening. How's it going?This sentence demonstrates guten Abend used in a standard inquiry about how things are going.Tatoeba #5707117 by halfdan, translation #9675478 by ravensfeather
- Guten Abend, meine Damen und Herren!Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.This sentence illustrates guten Abend used in a formal address to a group of people.Tatoeba #1597904 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1597893 by fanty
- Guten Abend! Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?Good evening! How can I help you?
- Guten Abend. Ich hätte gerne eine Tasse Kaffee, bitte.Good evening. I would like a cup of coffee, please.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Maximilian meet at a restaurant in the evening.
- HannahGuten Abend, Maximilian!Good evening, Maximilian!
- MaximilianGuten Abend, Hannah. Wie geht es dir?Good evening, Hannah. How are you?
- HannahMir geht es gut, danke.I am doing well, thank you.
- MaximilianDas freut mich zu hören.I am happy to hear that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good evening” translations and entries guten Abend, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Abend, guten Abend, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
