hey Leute
The English phrase "hey guys" can be translated into German as hey Leute.
hey Leute is an informal greeting used to address a group of people. While the English "guys" is often used to address mixed-gender groups, the German Leute is gender-neutral and can be used for any group of people.
What does it mean word for word?
Leute literally means people.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hey Leute is an informal greeting used among friends or peers. Other informal greetings include Hallo, Leute (Hello, guys/people) and Hallo, Jungs (Hello, boys/guys).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bavaria and Austria, you may hear the informal greeting Servus, Leit. In this context, Leit is the Bavarian dialect equivalent of Leute, meaning people or guys.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers might mistakenly try to use Jungs (boys) to translate "guys", but Leute is the more natural way to address a general group of people.
Did you know?
- The word Leute shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'leet', as seen in the term 'grand jury leet', which refers to a group of people or a court.
- In parts of Austria, you might hear the greeting Servus, Leit, where Servus acts as a versatile word for both 'hello' and 'goodbye'.
- While Leute is the standard plural for 'people', it is a collective noun that almost never appears in the singular form in modern German.
Examples in context
- Hallo, Leute! Wie geht's?Hello, guys! How are you?
- Servus, Leit! Was geht ab?Hey guys! What's up?
- Hey Leute, wie geht es euch?Hey guys, how are you all doing?
- Hey Leute, seid ihr bereit?Hey guys, are you ready?
- Hey Leute, kommt mal her!Hey guys, come over here!
Example conversation
Sarah arrives at a cafe where Felix and his friends are sitting.
- SarahHey Leute, bin ich zu spät?Hey guys, am I late?
- FelixNein, Sarah, wir haben gerade erst angefangen.No, Sarah, we just started.
- SarahSuper, ich habe auch etwas zu essen mitgebracht.Great, I brought some food with me too.
- FelixDas ist toll, setz dich zu uns.That's great, sit down with us.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Leute, CC BY-SA 4.0.
