Hallo
/haˈloː/
The English phrase hello casually can be said in German as Hallo.
Hallo is a common, informal way to say hello in German.
Which one should you use?
While Hallo is casual, Guten Tag is a more formal greeting used in professional or polite settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Hallo is an informal greeting. Other informal options include Hallöchen and Hi.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Servus is an informal greeting more commonly used in southern Germany and Austria. In Bavaria, Grüß Gott is commonly used instead of Guten Tag.
How do you pronounce it?
/haˈloː/
Did you know?
- The greeting Servus comes from the Latin word for 'servant', essentially meaning 'at your service'.
- In some contexts, Hallo? is used with a rising intonation to express disbelief or annoyance, similar to the English 'What on earth?'
- If you are in northern Germany, you might hear people use the local greeting Moin, which can be used at any time of the day.
Examples in context
- Hallo, wie geht es dir?Hello, how are you?
- Hallo, schön dich zu sehen!Hello, nice to see you!
- Hallo zusammen!Hello everyone!
Example conversation
Hannah and Julian meet briefly in a hallway at a university.
- HannahHallo, Julian!Hello, Julian!
- JulianHallo, Hannah! Wie läuft's?Hello, Hannah! How's it going?
- HannahGut, danke!Good, thanks!
- JulianBis später!See you later!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Hallo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
