es war schön, dich kennenzulernen
The English phrase "it was nice to meet you" is translated into German as es war schön, dich kennenzulernen.
This phrase is used specifically at the end of a conversation after a first meeting, rather than at the beginning. In this context, the word schön functions as "nice" or "pleasant" rather than "beautiful".
How does it change in a sentence?
You can change the pronoun within the phrase to suit your audience. Use Sie instead of dich to make the phrase formal when addressing a stranger or superior, and use euch if you are addressing a group of people you have just met.
Did you know?
- The word kennenzulernen comes from kennen meaning 'to know' and lernen meaning 'to learn'. Literally, you are saying that you have 'learned to know' the person.
- In very formal German business settings, people may avoid schön and instead use freut mich, which translates to 'it pleases me'. This shifts the focus from the quality of the meeting to the speaker's internal emotion.
- If you meet someone and immediately realize you already know them, you would stop using kennenzulernen and instead use the verb wiedersehen, which means 'to see again'.
Examples in context
- Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen. Jetzt verschwinde aber!It was nice to meet you, now go away.This sentence shows how the phrase can be used in a context where someone is being told to leave.Tatoeba #10095833 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #10095832 by espamatics
- Es war schön, Sie kennenzulernen.It was nice to meet you
- Es hat mich gefreut, Sie kennenzulernen.It pleased me, to get to know you
- Es war mir eine Freude, Sie kennenzulernen.It was a pleasure for me to get to know you
- Schön, dich kennengelernt zu haben.Nice to have met you
- Es war nett, dich getroffen zu haben.It was nice to have met you
- War schön, dich kennenzulernen.Nice to meet you
- Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.Hello, I am Laura. Nice to meet you.
- Es war mir eine Freude. Ich bin Markus.It was a pleasure for me. I am Markus.
- Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen.It was nice to meet you.
- Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen, bis bald!It was nice to meet you, see you soon!
Example conversation
Lukas and Julia are saying goodbye after a first meeting at a cafe.
- LukasIch gehe jetzt langsam nach Hause.I'm heading home now.
- JuliaAlles klar. Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen, Lukas.All right. It was nice to meet you, Lukas.
- LukasGleichfalls! Wir schreiben uns bald.Likewise! We'll text each other soon.
- JuliaJa, bis bald!Yes, see you soon!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
