Hallo Freunde
The German phrase for "hi friends" is Hallo Freunde.
Hallo Freunde is a casual greeting used to address a group of friends. In very laid-back environments or among close friends, you may also hear Moin, Freunde! used to say "hi friends". If you want to address a group as "Hi, people/folks", you can use Hallo, Leute!
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the greeting Hallo (hello) and the plural noun Freunde (friends).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Hallo Freunde is an informal greeting and should be used with peers or people you know well. If you need a much more formal way to greet a group, you should use Guten Tag (Good day) instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word Freunde is in the nominative plural form.
Did you know?
- The greeting Hallo traces its roots back to a specific call used by travelers to hail a ferryman across a river. It originates from the Old High German word holōn, which meant 'to fetch'.
- In Germany, calling someone a Freund usually implies a very deep, long-term bond, whereas Bekannte is used for people who are merely acquaintances.
- In some regional dialects, the greeting Hallo may be replaced by Servus, which literally means 'at your service' and is common in Bavaria and Austria.
Example conversation
Felix arrives at a cafe to meet Julia and their other friends.
- FelixHallo Freunde! Schön euch zu sehen.Hi friends! It's great to see you.
- JuliaHallo Felix! Komm schnell an den Tisch.Hi Felix! Come quickly to the table.
- FelixDanke Julia. Habt ihr schon bestellt?Thanks Julia. Have you already ordered?
- JuliaNein, wir haben auf dich gewartet.No, we were waiting for you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Hallo, hallo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
