What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "nice weekend". The word schönes means "nice" or "beautiful" and Wochenende means "weekend".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While Schönes Wochenende! is a friendly and commonly used expression in informal settings and is the most common way to say it in casual, everyday social interactions, you can also use more formal full sentences like Ich wünsche Ihnen ein schönes Wochenende! when addressing someone formally.
How does it change in a sentence?
When the phrase is used as a direct object in a full sentence, such as Ich wünsche dir ein schönes Wochenende, the adjective takes the accusative case ending -es.
When do people say it?
When someone wishes you a good weekend, a common and natural way to respond is to say Dir auch! (to you too!) or Euch auch! (to you all too!).
Did you know?
- In some regions, people use the phrase Schönen Feierabend! before schönes Wochenende!, which specifically wishes someone a nice end to their working day.
- The word Wochenende is a loan translation from the English 'weekend' and only entered general use around 1920.
- While English speakers often say 'have a good weekend' on Friday, Germans may use Schönes Wochenende! as early as Thursday afternoon if they know they will not see the person again before Monday.
Examples in context
- Ich wünsche euch allen ein schönes Wochenende!Have a good weekend, everyone.This sentence is useful for expressing the wish to a group of people using schönes Wochenende!Tatoeba #2811384 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2809083 by patgfisher
- Schönes Wochenende!Have a good weekend!This sentence is useful for the short, standalone use of schönes Wochenende!Tatoeba #744462 by samueldora, translation #30070 by CK
- Julia, ich wünsche dir einen tollen Samstag und ein entspanntes Wochenende!Julia, I wish you a great Saturday and a relaxing weekend!
- Ich wünsche dir ein schönes Wochenende!I wish you a nice weekend!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Lukas are leaving the office on a Friday afternoon.
- LauraBis Montag, Lukas!See you Monday, Lukas!
- LukasTschüss, Laura. Schönes Wochenende!Bye, Laura. Have a nice weekend!
- LauraDanke, dir auch!Thanks, you too!
- LukasDanke!Thanks!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “have a good weekend” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Wochenende, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
