Leute
/ˈlɔɪ.tə/ [ˈlɔe̠.t(ʰ)ə]
The German word for 'guys' is Leute.
Leute is an informal way to address or refer to a group of people. It is a gender-neutral term that can be used to refer to both males and females.
Which one should you use?
Unlike the English 'guys', which can sometimes feel gendered in certain contexts, Leute is strictly gender-neutral when referring to a group. You may also encounter Jungs, which is an informal way to say 'guys' but carries a masculine connotation and Kumpels, which is another informal way to say 'guys'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Leute is an informal way to address a group and is much more casual than using formal pronouns or titles.
How does it change in a sentence?
Leute is a plural noun that does not have a singular form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈlɔɪ.tə/
Did you know?
- The word Leute is a distant relative of the English word 'lewd', which originally meant 'people' or 'common folk' before it acquired its modern negative meaning.
- In very formal German, addressing a group as Leute can be perceived as slightly rude or overly presumptuous depending on the social hierarchy.
- While 'guys' in English is often used to address people directly, using Leute to address a crowd can sometimes feel slightly more detached or observational than the English equivalent.
Examples in context
- Leute, wo seid ihr?Guys, where are you?This sentence shows how to use Leute to ask where a group is.Tatoeba #13024770 by Vortarulo, translation #8772755 by deniko
- Leute, weint ihr etwa?Are you guys crying?This sentence uses Leute to ask if a group is crying.Tatoeba #3965018 by brauchinet, translation #3962718 by JSakuragi
- He, Leute! Es wird spät.Hey guys, it's getting late.This sentence uses Leute as an informal exclamation to note the time.Tatoeba #2226457 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2171104 by Hybrid
- Hallo Jungs, habt ihr Lust, heute Abend ins Kino zu gehen?Hey guys, do you feel like going to the movies tonight?
- Hey Leute, was haltet ihr von diesem neuen Restaurant?Hey folks, what do you think of this new restaurant?
- Was machen die Kumpels am Wochenende?What are the guys doing this weekend?
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Sarah are meeting their friends at a cafe.
- MaximilianHallo Leute, schön euch zu sehen!Hello guys, great to see you!
- SarahHallo Maximilian! Wir haben schon gewartet.Hello Maximilian! We have been waiting already.
- MaximilianTut mir leid, Leute. Der Bus war spät.Sorry, guys. The bus was late.
- SarahKein Problem, Sarah und ich sind auch gerade erst angekommen.No problem, Sarah and I just arrived too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Leute, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Leute, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
