What does it mean word for word?
The phrase wie geht es dir? literally translates to 'How goes it to you?'
Which one should you use?
For a shorter, colloquial version among friends, you can use Wie geht's? to mean 'How's it going?' If you want to ask how things are progressing more generally, you can use Wie läuft's? which means 'How is it going?'
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the dative case, which affects how you respond. Because the question asks how things are going 'to you', you must respond using the dative pronoun mir (to me) rather than ich (I). For example, to say 'I am doing well', you say Mir geht es gut.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying Ich bin gut to mean 'I am doing well.' In German, this often implies 'I am a good person' or 'I am good at something.' Instead, use Mir geht es gut.
When do people say it?
When someone asks wie geht es dir?, a natural response is Gut, danke. Und dir? (Good, thanks. And you?).
Did you know?
- In Germany, wie geht es dir? is often treated as a genuine question rather than a casual greeting, and the speaker may expect a detailed answer.
- While wie geht es dir? is common, in some regions of Germany and Austria, people may respond with Passt schon to mean things are just okay.
- The word wie in this greeting is a distant relative of the English word 'why'.
Examples in context
- Guten Tag, Herr Schmidt. Wie geht es Ihnen?Good day, Mr. Schmidt. How are you?
- Guten Morgen, Frau Müller. Wie geht es Ihnen heute?Good morning, Mrs. Müller. How are you today?
- Hallo, Sarah! Wie geht's?Hello, Sarah! How are you?
- Na, Max! Wie läuft's denn so?Hey, Max! How is it going?
Example conversation
Lukas and Hannah meet at a local park.
- LukasHallo Hannah, wie geht es dir?Hello Hannah, how are you doing?
- HannahMir geht es sehr gut, danke!I am doing very well, thanks!
- LukasDas freut mich zu hören.I am happy to hear that.
- HannahUnd wie geht es dir, Lukas?And how are you doing, Lukas?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dir, es, wie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
