guten Morgen mein Herr
The English phrase "good morning sir" is translated into German as guten Morgen mein Herr.
The phrase is a polite greeting used in the morning when addressing a man. In most modern professional or social settings, Germans simply say Guten Morgen without adding mein Herr to address a man.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase guten Morgen mein Herr is extremely formal and can sound archaic or overly stiff in modern everyday German.
Did you know?
- The word Herr shares a common ancestor with the English word 'hoar', which refers to someone who is grey-haired. This reflects the ancient connection between the concept of 'grey' and the concept of being an elder or a person of high status.
- In German, the word morgen can mean either 'morning' or 'tomorrow' depending on whether it is capitalized. Using the lowercase morgen when you intended to say 'morning' can change the meaning of your sentence entirely.
- If you want to be polite to a man in a modern German shop without sounding like a character in a historical novel, it is much more natural to use his last name with the title Herr, such as Guten Morgen, Herr Schmidt.
Examples in context
- Guten Morgen, Herr Weber. Wie geht es Ihnen heute?Good morning, Mr. Weber. How are you today?
Example conversation
Sarah greets a customer entering her hotel lobby.
- SarahGuten Morgen mein Herr, willkommen im Hotel.Good morning sir, welcome to the hotel.
- JulianGuten Morgen! Ich habe eine Reservierung.Good morning! I have a reservation.
- SarahGerne, wie ist Ihr Name, Julian?Of course, what is your name, Julian?
- JulianMein Name ist Julian Weber.My name is Julian Weber.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Herr, Morgen, mein, morgen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
