Begrüßung & Vorstellung (Greetings & Introductions)
The first step to speaking German is greeting someone and introducing yourself. The first part of the Goethe-Zertifikat A1 and telc Deutsch A1 Sprechen (speaking) exam is entirely about this: you are expected to be able to both ask and answer questions such as your name, where you are from, where you live, how old you are, and what your profession is. Instead of memorising phrases in isolation, learn them as 'question → answer' pairs; because in real life, the other person will ask you these questions in exactly this way.
1) Greetings change depending on the time of day: in the morning 'Guten Morgen', during the day 'Guten Tag', in the evening 'Guten Abend', before going to bed 'Gute Nacht'. 'Hallo' and 'Hi' are used among friends at any time. When saying goodbye, the formal expression is 'Auf Wiedersehen', and informal is 'Tschüss'.
2) In German, 'du' is used for informal 'you', and 'Sie' is used for formal 'you'. You say 'Sie' to adults you have just met, teachers, officials, and customers; you say 'du' to friends, family, and children. When using 'Sie', the verb also changes: 'Wie heißt du?' but 'Wie heißen Sie?'. 'Sie' is always capitalised.
3) The structure in question patterns is simple: the question word (Wie, Woher, Wo, Was) comes first, and the conjugated verb comes in second position. In answers, the verb also stays in second position: 'Ich heiße Ali.', 'Ich komme aus der Türkei.', 'Ich wohne in Istanbul.'
4) 'Wie geht's?' (How are you?) is a polite question; you give a short answer and ask back: 'Gut, danke. Und dir?' (formal: 'Und Ihnen?').
5) When stating country and city: with cities 'in' (Ich wohne in Berlin), with countries 'aus' (Ich komme aus der Türkei / aus Deutschland). Most countries do not take an article (aus Deutschland, aus Italien), but some countries are used with an article (aus der Türkei, aus der Schweiz).
Greetings and farewells
| German | English | When? |
|---|---|---|
| Guten Morgen! | Good morning! | Morning (until around 11) |
| Guten Tag! | Good day! | During the day, formal and informal |
| Guten Abend! | Good evening! | Evening |
| Gute Nacht! | Good night! | Before going to bed |
| Hallo! / Hi! | Hello! | Among friends |
| Auf Wiedersehen! | Goodbye / See you! | Formal farewell |
| Tschüss! / Tschau! | Goodbye! | Informal farewell |
| Bis bald! / Bis morgen! | See you soon! / See you tomorrow! | If you will see each other again |
Introducing yourself: question and answer (du = informal you, Sie = formal you)
| German | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Wie heißt du? / Wie heißen Sie? | What is your name? |
| Answer | Ich heiße Ali. / Mein Name ist Ali. | My name is Ali. |
| Question | Woher kommst du? / Woher kommen Sie? | Where are you from? |
| Answer | Ich komme aus der Türkei. | I'm from Turkey. |
| Question | Wo wohnst du? / Wo wohnen Sie? | Where do you live? |
| Answer | Ich wohne in Istanbul. | I live in Istanbul. |
| Question | Wie alt bist du? / Wie alt sind Sie? | How old are you? |
| Answer | Ich bin 22 Jahre alt. | I am 22 years old. |
| Question | Was machst du beruflich? / Was machen Sie beruflich? | What is your profession? |
| Answer | Ich bin Student. / Ich arbeite als Verkäufer. | I am a student. / I work as a salesperson. |
| Question | Welche Sprachen sprichst du? / Welche Sprachen sprechen Sie? | What languages do you speak? |
| Answer | Ich spreche Türkisch und ein bisschen Deutsch. | I speak Turkish and a little German. |
| Question | Wie ist deine Telefonnummer? / Wie ist Ihre Telefonnummer? | What is your phone number? |
| Answer | Meine Nummer ist 0171 2345678. | My number is 0171 2345678. |
Wie geht's? — how are you and responses
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Wie geht's? / Wie geht es dir? | How are you? |
| Wie geht es Ihnen? | How are you? (formal) |
| Super! / Sehr gut! | Great! / Very good! |
| Gut, danke. Und dir? | I'm fine, thanks. And you? |
| Es geht. | Not bad / so-so. |
| Nicht so gut. | Not so good. |
| Freut mich! / Nett, dich kennenzulernen. | Nice to meet you! |
EXAMPLES
Hallo! Ich heiße Elif. Und du?
Hello! My name is Elif. And you?
Ich heiße Murat. Freut mich!
My name is Murat. Nice to meet you!
Woher kommst du? — Ich komme aus der Türkei.
Where are you from? — I am from Turkey.
Wo wohnst du? — Ich wohne in Ankara.
Where do you live? — I live in Ankara.
Wie geht's? — Gut, danke. Und dir?
How are you? — I'm fine, thanks. And you?
Guten Tag, Frau Müller. Wie geht es Ihnen?
Good day, Ms. Müller. How are you?
Ich bin 20 Jahre alt und ich spreche Türkisch.
I am 20 years old and I speak Turkish.
Tschüss! Bis morgen!
Goodbye! See you tomorrow!
Exam tip
- • When stating your age, don't say 'Ich habe 20 Jahre': in German you say 'Ich bin 20 Jahre alt' (sein, not haben).
- • Always address adults you have just met with 'Sie'; if the other person says 'Wir können uns duzen' (we can use 'du'), you can switch to 'du'.
- • Asking a follow-up question after answering (Und du? / Und Sie?) keeps the conversation going and earns points in the exam.
- • Pronunciation: The 'ß' in the word 'Ich heiße' makes a sharp 's' sound; 'ch' is a soft sound produced in the front of the mouth.
SHORT TEST
1. What do you say when greeting someone early in the morning?
2. Which one is the question 'What is your name?'
3. Which question means 'Where are you from?'?
4. How do you ask 'What is your name?' in a formal setting?
5. Which sentence means 'I am 22 years old.'?
6. Which is a suitable answer to 'Wie geht's?'?
7. Complete the sentence 'I live in Istanbul.': 'Ich ___ in Istanbul.'