godmorgen
/ɡo.ˈmɒː.ən/
The English phrase "good morning" is translated into Danish as godmorgen.
godmorgen is used as a greeting when meeting someone for the first time during the morning hours. If you are greeting someone during the late morning hours, typically until noon, you may instead use god formiddag.
Meaning: when seeing someone for the first time in the morning (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of god, meaning "good" and morgen, meaning "morning".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
in casual settings, the phrase is often shortened to just morgen.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ɡo.ˈmɒː.ən/. It has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word morgen is used in the phrase morgenmad, which literally means 'morning food' rather than 'breakfast'.
- Using godmorgen in a very formal, slow tone can sometimes be perceived as sarcastic or ironic in a modern Danish workplace if the person looks exhausted.
- The word morgen is a cognate of the English word 'morrow', which comes from the same Proto-Germanic root meaning 'morning'.
Examples in context
- Godmorgen! Ønsker du noget at spise?Good morning, would you like something to eat?This example shows how to use godmorgen when offering food.Tatoeba #2317784 by danepo, translation #434810 by lukaszpp
- Godmorgen!Good morning!This example shows the use of godmorgen as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #2606610 by danepo, translation #329713 by YURY0608
- Godmorgen.Good morning.Tatoeba #10814885 by danepo, translation #2258234 by _undertoad
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Freja and Mikkel are meeting in the kitchen.
- FrejaGodmorgen, Mikkel!Good morning, Mikkel!
- MikkelGodmorgen, Freja. Har du sovet godt?Good morning, Freja. Did you sleep well?
- FrejaJa, det har jeg.Yes, I did.
- MikkelHvor dejligt. Skal vi have kaffe?How lovely. Shall we have coffee?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries godmorgen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries godmorgen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
