Hallo Lehrer
/haˈloː ˈleːrər/word by word
The literal German for hello teacher is Hallo Lehrer, but students normally greet a teacher by title and surname instead.
Addressing a teacher simply as Lehrer or Lehrerin without a name sounds unnatural and overly direct in a German classroom. The polite, natural greeting is Guten Tag, Herr or Guten Tag, Frau followed by the teacher's surname or Guten Morgen with the title and surname in the morning.
Which one should you use?
Where teachers go by their first names, as in some language courses, Hallo followed by the teacher's first name is fine.
How does it change in a sentence?
For a female teacher the word is Lehrerin, the feminine form of Lehrer.
How do you pronounce it?
In IPA it is /haˈloː ˈleːrər/, with the stress on the second syllable of Hallo and the first syllable of Lehrer.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often greet a teacher with Hallo Lehrer. Use the title and surname instead, such as Guten Tag, Frau plus the surname.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Guten Morgen, Herr WeberGood morning, Mr. Weber
- Guten Morgen, Frau WeberGood morning, Mrs. Weber
- Guten Tag, Frau SchmidtGood day, Mrs. Schmidt
- Hallo, Frau BeckerHello, Mrs. Becker
- Moin, Frau MüllerHello, Mrs. Müller
- Moin, Herr SchmidtHello, Mr. Schmidt
- Servus, Frau SchneiderGreetings, Mrs. Schneider
- Servus, Herr HuberGreetings, Mr. Huber
Example conversation
Laura enters the classroom and greets Lukas, who is the teacher.
- LauraHallo Lehrer, wie geht es Ihnen?Hello teacher, how are you?
- LukasHallo Laura, mir geht es gut, danke.Hello Laura, I am doing well, thank you.
- LauraKönnen wir heute im Computerraum arbeiten?Can we work in the computer room today?
- LukasJa, wir gehen gleich dorthin.Yes, we are going there soon.
