Begrüßung
/bəˈɡʁyːsʊŋ/feminine
The English word 'salutation' is translated into German as Begrüßung.
Begrüßung refers to the act of greeting someone.
Meaning: act of greeting (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The noun Begrüßung is derived from the verb begrüßen, which means 'to greet'.
Which one should you use?
While Begrüßung refers to the act of greeting, the word Gruß is often used to refer to the greeting itself, such as a written salutation or a verbal greeting.
How does it change in a sentence?
Begrüßung is a feminine noun, so the definite article is die Begrüßung. The plural form is Begrüßungen.
How do you pronounce it?
/bəˈɡʁyːsʊŋ/
Did you know?
- In German professional emails, the Begrüßung is strictly separated from the body of the text by a comma, and the first word of the following sentence must start with a lowercase letter.
- Depending on the region, a verbal Begrüßung in Southern Germany or Austria often involves the word Grüß Gott, which literally means 'greet God'.
- While a Begrüßung is a general greeting, Germans use the specific term Handschlag for a greeting by handshake, which carries a historical legal weight as a binding agreement.
Examples in context
- Guten Tag, Herr MüllerGood day, Mr. Müller
- Guten Abend, Frau SchmidtGood evening, Mrs. Schmidt
- Hallo, TimHello, Tim
- Guten Tag, AnnaGood day, Anna
- Eine freundliche Begrüßung ist wichtig.A friendly greeting is important.
- Er überließ ihr die Begrüßung.He left the greeting to her.
- Die Begrüßung der Gäste dauerte lange.The greeting of the guests took a long time.
Example conversation
Hannah and Lukas are preparing for a formal event.
- HannahWie machen wir die Begrüßung?How shall we do the greeting?
- LukasLukas wird alle Gäste persönlich begrüßen.Lukas will greet all the guests personally.
- HannahDas ist eine gute Idee.That is a good idea.
- LukasDann bereite ich die Begrüßung vor.Then I will prepare the greeting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “salutation” translations and entries Begrüßung, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
