What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective guten (good) and the masculine noun Morgen (morning).
Which one should you use?
While guten Morgen is the standard form, you may hear the shortened Morgen in casual settings or the informal Hey, guten Morgen when speaking with friends and peers.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
guten Morgen is a standard and common way to say good morning in formal situations. For very familiar or casual settings, you can use the shortened Morgen or the informal Hey, guten Morgen.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In northern Germany, the informal greeting Moin is popularly used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective gut takes the -en ending because it is in the masculine accusative case. The phrase is an elliptical form of Ich wünsche Ihnen einen guten Morgen (I wish you a good morning).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡuːtən ˈmɔʁɡən/
Did you know?
- In some German regions, people might repeat Moin Moin to be extra friendly, but in some parts of the north, saying it twice is considered too talkative.
- In certain regions, the word morgen with a lowercase 'm' means 'tomorrow', creating a potential confusion if you do not watch the capitalization.
- Deeply hidden within the word Morgen is a connection to the act of blinking or twinkling, from the Proto-Indo-European root *merkʷ-.
Examples in context
- Hallo Tom. Guten Morgen.Hi, Tom. Good morning!This example shows how to use guten Morgen as a greeting for a person.Tatoeba #2153221 by Vortarulo, translation #7855406 by shekitten
- Guten Morgen. Wie geht's?Good morning. How are you?This example demonstrates using guten Morgen followed by a question about how someone is doing.Tatoeba #2045663 by Manfredo, translation #434812 by lukaszpp
- Guten Morgen, mein Schatz!Good morning, my love.This example shows using guten Morgen with an affectionate term of endearment.Tatoeba #5590982 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5587302 by Hybrid
- Guten Morgen, Frau Müller. Wie geht es Ihnen heute?Good morning, Mrs. Müller. How are you today?
- Einen schönen guten Morgen wünsche ich Ihnen!I wish you a beautiful good morning!
- Hallo, guten Morgen, Herr Schmidt. Haben Sie gut geschlafen?Hello, good morning, Mr. Schmidt. Did you sleep well?
- Moin, Stefan! Gut geschlafen?Moin, Stefan! Did you sleep well?
- Hey, guten Morgen, Anna! Lust auf einen Kaffee?Hey, good morning, Anna! Fancy a coffee?
- Morgen, Lea! Was steht heute auf dem Plan?Morning, Lea! What's on the agenda for today?
- 72 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Julian meet in the kitchen.
- MaximilianGuten Morgen, Julian!Good morning, Julian!
- HannahGuten Morgen, Sarah!Good morning, Sarah!
- MaximilianMöchtest du einen Kaffee?Would you like some coffee?
- HannahJa, gerne. Danke!Yes, please. Thanks!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries guten Morgen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Morgen, guten Morgen, morgen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
