In this lesson, students will learn essential German greetings, farewells, and polite expressions. This knowledge will enable them to confidently initiate and close conversations with native speakers in a friendly and culturally appropriate way.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Greet others using common German phrases based on the time of day.
2. Use polite expressions for introducing themselves and responding to introductions.
3. Say farewell in a variety of ways depending on the situation (formal and informal).

Lesson Content

1. Common German Greetings

• Hallo! – Hello! (Informal, common and versatile)
• Guten Morgen! – Good morning! (Used until around 10 or 11 AM)
• Guten Tag! – Good day! (Used from around 10 AM to early evening)
• Guten Abend! – Good evening! (Used in the evening, typically after 5 or 6 PM)
• Grüß Gott! – Greetings from God! (Used in southern Germany and Austria, formal)
• Servus! – Hello/Goodbye (Informal, used in Austria and southern Germany)

2. Basic Introductions

Here are phrases for introducing yourself and responding to introductions:

• Ich heiße [Name]. – My name is [Name].
• Ich bin [Name]. – I am [Name].
• Mein Name ist [Name]. – My name is [Name].
• Freut mich! – Nice to meet you! (Literally: “Pleases me!”)
• Schön, dich kennenzulernen! – Nice to meet you! (Informal)
• Schön, Sie kennenzulernen! – Nice to meet you! (Formal)

3. Asking and Answering “How are you?”

• Wie geht’s? – How’s it going? (Informal)
• Wie geht es Ihnen? – How are you? (Formal)
• Responses:
  • Gut, danke! – Good, thank you!
  • Sehr gut! – Very good!
  • Es geht. – I’m okay.
  • Nicht so gut. – Not so good.

4. German Farewells

• Auf Wiedersehen! – Goodbye! (Formal, polite)
• Tschüss! – Bye! (Informal, commonly used with friends and family)
• Tschau! – Bye! (Informal, like “Ciao”)
• Bis später! – See you later!
• Bis bald! – See you soon!
• Bis morgen! – See you tomorrow!
• Gute Nacht! – Good night! (Only used when leaving for the night or going to bed)

5. Polite Expressions

• Bitte – Please or you’re welcome (depending on context)
• Danke – Thank you
• Danke schön / Vielen Dank – Thank you very much
• Entschuldigung – Excuse me or Sorry (formal and polite)
• Es tut mir leid – I’m sorry

6. Formal vs. Informal Language

German has formal and informal forms of “you” that depend on the context or relationship:

• Sie (formal “you”) is used in professional settings, with strangers, or with older people.
• du (informal “you”) is used with friends, family, children, and close acquaintances.

Examples:

• Wie geht es Ihnen? (Formal) – How are you?
• Wie geht’s dir? (Informal) – How are you?

Sample Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Informal Greeting and Farewell

1. Person A: Hallo!
2. Person B: Hallo! Wie geht’s?
3. Person A: Gut, danke! Und dir?
4. Person B: Auch gut, danke. Bis später!
5. Person A: Tschüss!

Dialogue 2: Formal Introduction and Farewell

1. Person A: Guten Tag! Ich heiße Anna Müller.
2. Person B: Guten Tag, Frau Müller. Ich bin Peter Schmidt. Schön, Sie kennenzulernen.
3. Person A: Freut mich auch! Wie geht es Ihnen, Herr Schmidt?
4. Person B: Sehr gut, danke. Und Ihnen?
5. Person A: Gut, danke. Auf Wiedersehen!
6. Person B: Auf Wiedersehen!

Practice Exercises

1. Write the Greeting
   Fill in the correct greeting with the time of day or level of formality:
   • Morning: __________
   • Evening: __________
   • Goodbye (informal): __________
2. Fill in the Blanks
   Fill in the blanks with the correct words:
   • ___________, mein Name ist Julia.
   • Guten Abend! __________ Sie?
3. Role Play
   Pair up with a partner to practice:
   • Introducing yourselves formally and informally
   • Saying hello and goodbye in different settings (morning, evening, professional setting, with friends)
4. Listening Exercise
   Listen to an audio clip of native speakers introducing themselves and saying goodbye. Try to pick out key phrases, and repeat them for pronunciation practice.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Mixing up Formal and Informal
   Remember to use Sie for formal conversations and du for informal ones. Using informal language in formal settings can seem impolite.
2. Overusing “Gute Nacht”
   Only use Gute Nacht when someone is going to bed or you’re leaving late at night. Use Guten Abend for general evening greetings.
3. Mispronouncing Umlauts and Special Letters
   In greetings like Guten Morgen, ensure clear vowel pronunciation. Practice words with umlauts (e.g., schön) to avoid confusion.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, students learned basic German greetings, farewells, and polite expressions. By practicing these essential phrases, students can now confidently greet others, introduce themselves, and say goodbye in both formal and informal situations.