Hallo meine Damen und Herren
The English phrase 'hello ladies and gentlemen' is translated into German as Hallo meine Damen und Herren.
Hallo meine Damen und Herren is a greeting used to address a group of people. The construction meine Damen und Herren is the standard way to address a mixed-gender audience in a formal German setting.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means 'Hello my ladies and gentlemen'. The word meine is the possessive adjective for 'my' in its plural form, which agrees with the plural nouns Damen and Herren.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, the possessive adjective meine is used in the plural form to agree with the plural nouns Damen and Herren.
When do people say it?
In formal German settings, such as the beginning of a speech, you might hear Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, ich heiße Sie herzlich willkommen zum heutigen Ereignis. Additionally, Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren is a standard way to begin a formal email.
Did you know?
- The greeting Hallo has roots in a specific call used to hail a ferryman across a river. It stems from the Old High German word holōn, which meant 'to fetch'.
- The word 'Herren' is the plural of 'Herr', a term that historically functions as both 'gentleman' and 'lord'.
- While Damen und Herren is standard, modern German speakers increasingly use Guten Tag zusammen or Hallo alle zusammen to avoid gender-specific categories entirely.
Examples in context
- Hallo meine Damen und Herren, willkommen!Hello ladies and gentlemen, welcome!
- Hallo meine Damen und Herren, wir beginnen jetzt.Hello ladies and gentlemen, we are starting now.
Example conversation
Lukas is a host at a formal event and greets the crowd.
- LukasHallo meine Damen und Herren, guten Abend.Hello ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
- LauraGuten Abend, Lukas.Good evening, Lukas.
- LukasSchön, dass Sie alle gekommen sind.It is nice that you all came.
- LauraDas ist ein schönes Fest.This is a lovely celebration.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Hallo, hallo, und, CC BY-SA 4.0.
