We’re going to learn Grüße und Nettigkeiten or greetings and courtesies. These greetings are a great way to start a conversation in German

Chances are you’ve probably heard this before, countless times: (Guten Tag) hello

(Grüß Gott) also means hello, but it’s more common in southern Germany

(Grüß dich) Hello in an informal way.

One thing to note is that Germans are very respectful and they tend to be more formal than Americans. My parents have lived next to the same people for thirty years and they still do not use the informal hello with this particular neighbor.

(Guten Morgen) good morning

(Guten Abend) good evening

(Gute Nacht) good night

(Auf Wiedersehen) good bye

(Tschüs) bye in casual form

(Danke schön) thank you

(Bitte schön) You’re welcome

(Wie geht es Ihnen?) How are you? formal

(Wie geht’s?) How are you? informal

(Sehr gut) very good

(Nicht so gut) not so good

Despite the stereotype that Germans are reserved, Germans are actually very vocal about their feelings. If you ask a German how he/she is, he/she will tell you exactly what he/she is feeling, whether they suffer from any aches and pains and they may even get into a political discussion about what needs to be done in German society/politics. Germans are honest and direct people, and this may be misunderstood as complaining or grumbling. Just remember that this is just in general, and that there are exceptions to every rule.