schön, dich zu sehen
/ʃøːn dɪç t͡sə ˈzeː.ən/word by word
The German phrase for "good to see you" is schön, dich zu sehen.
This phrase is used when meeting someone you already know. It is intended for the moment of meeting, rather than when parting ways. If you are parting ways and want to say it was nice seeing them, you would say schön, dass wir uns gesehen haben.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase schön, dich zu sehen is a shortened version of Es ist schön, dich zu sehen, which literally means "nice, you to see".
Which one should you use?
'schön, dich zu sehen' is used when addressing a single person you know well, whereas 'schön, euch zu sehen' is used for a group of people you know well.
How does it change in a sentence?
When greeting a group of people with whom you are on informal terms, use schön, euch zu sehen. When addressing a single person with formal respect, use schön, Sie zu sehen.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃøːn dɪç tsə ˈzeː.ən/
Did you know?
- The pronunciation of the word schön involves a vowel sound that does not exist in standard English, requiring a specific lip position to avoid sounding like 'schon'.
- In German culture, greeting someone with schön, dich zu sehen is often accompanied by a light touch on the arm or a brief hug, depending on the level of intimacy.
- The word zu actually resulted from a merger of two different Old High German words za and zuo. This distinction is still audible in some modern German dialects.
Examples in context
- Es ist schön, dich zu sehen!Good to see you.This sentence is useful for expressing the sentiment "Good to see you.".Tatoeba #1600353 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #63897 by sundown
- Es ist wirklich schön, dich zu sehen.It's really good to see you.This sentence is useful for emphasizing that it is "really" good to see the person.Tatoeba #10021450 by wolfgangth, translation #3518508 by CK
- Schön, dich zu sehen!It's good to see you.This sentence is a common way to say "It's good to see you."Tatoeba #366766 by cburgmer, translation #954081 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Sarah meet at a busy cafe.
- JulianHallo Sarah, schön, dich zu sehen!Hello Sarah, good to see you!
- SarahDanke Julian, dich auch!Thanks Julian, you too!
- JulianWie geht es dir heute?How are you doing today?
- SarahMir geht es sehr gut.I am doing very well.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (schön, dich, zu, sehen) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dich, schön, sehen, zu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
