Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| frohes neues Jahr | /ˌfʁoːəs ˌnɔɪ̯əs ˈjaːɐ̯/ |
| ein gutes neues Jahr | |
| gutes neues Jahr | |
| fröhliches neues Jahr | |
| frohes Neues | |
| prosit Neujahr | |
| guten Rutsch | /ˌɡuːtn̩ ˈʁʊtʃ/ |
| guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr |
You can use standard greetings like frohes neues Jahr, or more casual expressions like guten Rutsch! When celebrating with drinks, the toast prosit Neujahr! is used to say 'Cheers to the New Year!'
Which one should you use?
While both frohes neues Jahr and fröhliches neues Jahr translate to 'happy new year', the form frohes neues Jahr is more common in standard greetings. Other variations include ein gutes neues Jahr and the shortened gutes neues Jahr.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bavaria, you might hear A guads neis Johr! In Austria, people may say An guadn Rutsch! or prosit Neujahr! In Switzerland, the phrase Es guets Nöis! is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
In phrases such as frohes neues Jahr, the word Neues is often capitalized when referring to the specific holiday or event, even though it functions as an adjective.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌfʁoːəs ˌnɔɪ̯əs ˈjaːɐ̯/
When do people say it?
When someone wishes you a happy new year, a standard and natural informal response is to say Gleichfalls!, which means 'Likewise!' During celebrations, prosit Neujahr! is a cheerful phrase specifically used when toasting with drinks.
Did you know?
- In many German households the phrase frohes neues Jahr is accompanied by the tradition of Bleigießen. People melt lead over a candle to predict their future for the coming year.
- The greeting prosit Neujahr! uses the word prosit, which is actually a Latin verb meaning 'may it be useful'. This reflects the historical influence of Latin in formal European toasts.
- The phrase guten Rutsch literally means 'a good slide'. It refers to sliding smoothly from one year into the next rather than stumbling into it.
Examples in context
- Ein gutes neues Jahr 2013!Happy New Year 2013!This sentence shows how to include the year with ein gutes neues Jahr.Tatoeba #9057084 by manese, translation #11162104 by jummy
- Frohes neues Jahr, Tatoeba!Happy New Year, Tatoeba!This sentence shows the use of frohes neues Jahr.Tatoeba #13678459 by mhr, translation #13678007 by EugeneGS
- "Frohes Neues!" – "Gleichfalls!""A Happy New Year!" "I wish you the same!"This sentence demonstrates a response to the short form frohes Neues.Tatoeba #974892 by Sudajaengi, translation #73628 by CM
- Sehr geehrter Herr Müller, ich wünsche Ihnen ein frohes neues Jahr!Dear Mr. Müller, I wish you a Happy New Year!
- Sehr geehrte Frau Schmidt, ich hoffe, Sie haben ein gutes neues Jahr!Dear Mrs. Schmidt, I hope you have a good New Year!
- Hallo Lisa! Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr und wir sehen uns auf der Party!Hi Lisa! Have a good slide into the New Year, and we'll see each other at the party!
- Auf ein erfolgreiches Jahr 2023! Prosit Neujahr!Here's to a successful year 2023! Cheers to the New Year!
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Sarah meet to celebrate the first day of January.
- LukasFrohes neues Jahr, Sarah!Happy New Year, Sarah!
- SarahDanke, Lukas! Frohes neues Jahr dir auch.Thanks, Lukas! Happy New Year to you too.
- LukasHast du viel gefeiert?Did you celebrate a lot?
- SarahJa, es war sehr schön.Yes, it was very nice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy new year” translations and entries frohes neues Jahr, frohes Neues, guten Rutsch, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
