Hallo, wie geht es dir heute?
The English phrase "hello, how are you today" is translated into German as Hallo, wie geht es dir heute?
Which one should you use?
The word dir is the dative singular informal version of "you", used with friends, family or children. If you are addressing a group of friends, you should change dir to euch (wie geht es euch heute?).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Swabian region of southern Germany, people often greet each other with Grüß Gott.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying Wie bist du heute? as a way to ask how someone is. English speakers often mistakenly say 'Wie bist du heute?' by translating 'how are you' literally, but this is grammatically incorrect in German for asking about one's well-being.
When do people say it?
A common natural response to this question is Gut, danke. Und dir? (Good, thanks. And you?).
Did you know?
- In many parts of Germany, asking wie geht es dir? is more of a polite social convention than a genuine inquiry into your medical or emotional state.
- The word Hallo originally served as a call to a ferryman on the opposite bank to tell them to 'fetch' the boat.
- The phrase wie geht es dir literally asks how it is going 'to you' rather than how you are.
Example conversation
Hannah and Maximilian meet at a cafe.
- HannahHallo, wie geht es dir heute?Hello, how are you today?
- MaximilianMir geht es sehr gut, danke!I am doing very well, thank you!
- HannahDas freut mich zu hören.I am glad to hear that.
- MaximilianUnd dir?And you?
