gute Nacht
/ˌɡutə ˈnaxt/
The English phrase "night night" is expressed in German as gute Nacht.
gute Nacht is used to say good night to someone before they go to sleep. While gute Nacht is a standard expression, you may also encounter the shortened, casual version Nacht or the informal phrase Schlaf gut, which means "sleep well".
Which one should you use?
Use gute Nacht specifically when someone is going to bed or at the end of the night. This differs from Guten Abend, which is a greeting used when arriving or meeting someone in the evening.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
gute Nacht is a standard way to say good night. For a very formal and elaborate way to say goodnight, you can use Eine gute Nacht wünsche ich Ihnen. In casual settings, you can use the short version Nacht or the informal Schlaf gut.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌɡutə ˈnaxt/
Did you know?
- To describe a 'night owl', Germans use the term Nachtschwärmer, which implies someone who 'yearns' for the night.
- If you want to be extra sweet to a child, you might say Schlaf schön, which translates to 'sleep beautifully'.
- The word Nacht shares a common ancestor with the English word 'night', both stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root *nókʷts.
Examples in context
- Sag Papa gute Nacht!Say night-night to Dad.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use gute Nacht when speaking to a family member.Tatoeba #9466077 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #11636959 by sundown
- Gute Nacht. Bis morgen!Goodnight. See you tomorrow!
- Schlaf gut, mein Schatz!Sleep well, my darling!
- Nacht, Mama!Night, Mom!
- Gute Nacht, mein Schatz.Night night, my darling.
Example conversation
Lukas and Julia are saying goodbye before going to their separate bedrooms.
- LukasIch gehe jetzt ins Bett.I am going to bed now.
- JuliaGute Nacht, Lukas.Night night, Lukas.
- LukasSchlaf gut, Julia.Sleep well, Julia.
- JuliaDanke, dir auch.Thanks, you too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gute Nacht, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Nacht, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
