Hallo
/haˈloː/
The German phrase for "hola" is Hallo.
Hallo is a common greeting used to say hello to another person.
How do you pronounce it?
/haˈloː/
Did you know?
- The greeting Hallo traces its roots back to calling out to ferrymen to fetch a boat across a river.
- In Northern Germany, you might hear Moin instead of Hallo, which is used at any time of day or night, not just in the morning.
- While Hallo is universal, people in Southern Germany and Austria often prefer Servus, which literally means 'at your service'.
Examples in context
- Anna, hallo! Wie geht es dir?Hello Anna! How are you?
- Hallo, wie geht es dir?Hello, how are you?
- Hallo, ich bin Sarah.Hello, I am Sarah.
- Sag einfach kurz Hallo.Just say hello briefly.
Example conversation
Hannah and Lukas meet in a park.
- HannahHallo, Lukas!Hello, Lukas!
- LukasHallo, Hannah. Wie geht's?Hello, Hannah. How are you?
- HannahGut, danke.Good, thanks.
- LukasSchön, dich zu sehen.Nice to see you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Hallo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Hallo, hallo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
