guten Morgen
/ˈɡuːtən ˈmɔʁɡən/
In German, good morning is guten Morgen.
Guten Morgen! is a common way to say good morning in German when seeing someone for the first time in the morning.
Meaning: when seeing someone for the first time in the morning (intj)
Which one should you use?
While guten Morgen is used specifically in the early morning, Guten Tag is the standard greeting used from midday through the afternoon.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In casual settings with friends or colleagues, Germans often drop the Guten and simply say Morgen!
Is it said differently in some regions?
Moin, Moin! is a popular informal greeting used in northern Germany, particularly in Hamburg and the surrounding regions.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the masculine accusative form of the adjective gut because Morgen is a masculine noun and 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/
When do people say it?
The most common response to Guten Morgen is to repeat the phrase back or simply say Hallo.
Did you know?
- The etymology of 'Morgen' is linked to the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to blink' or 'to twinkle', likely referring to the first light of dawn.
- The greeting Moin, Moin! is so ingrained in northern Germany that it can be used at any time of day or night, not just in the morning.
- German has a specific word for the early morning, Morgenstund, often used in the proverb Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund meaning 'the early bird catches the worm'.
Examples in context
- Hallo Tom. Guten Morgen.Hi, Tom. Good morning!This sentence shows a greeting using guten Morgen.Tatoeba #2153221 by Vortarulo, translation #7855406 by shekitten
- Guten Morgen. Wie geht's?Good morning. How are you?Tatoeba #2045663 by Manfredo, translation #434812 by lukaszpp
- Guten Morgen, mein Schatz!Good morning, my love.Tatoeba #5590982 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5587302 by Hybrid
- Guten Morgen, wie geht es dir?Good morning, how are you?
- 72 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Lukas meet in the kitchen while making breakfast.
- HannahGuten Morgen, Lukas.Good morning, Lukas.
- LukasGuten Morgen, Hannah. Hast du gut geschlafen?Good morning, Hannah. Did you sleep well?
- HannahJa, danke. Und du?Yes, thanks. And you?
- LukasAuch sehr gut.Very well, too.
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.
