How do you say "How are you?" in German?

"How are you?" in German is "Wie geht es Ihnen?". This phrase is commonly used in Germany.

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How to Say ‘How are you?’ in German

Q: What does "Wie geht es Ihnen?" mean in English?

"Wie geht es Ihnen?" means "How are you?" in English. Usage tip: Formal/polite form with Ihnen. This is the safe default with patients. Informal would be: Wie geht es dir?

Wie geht es Ihnen?

vee gayt ess EE-nen

[vee gayt ess EE-nen]

💬 Usage Tip: Formal/polite form with Ihnen. This is the safe default with patients. Informal would be: Wie geht es dir?

🇩🇪 In Germany: German healthcare staff usually use the formal Sie/Ihnen with adult patients unless invited to do otherwise.

Phrase Breakdown

Wie

[vee]

how

question word used to ask about manner or condition

Example

Mit Wie beginnt die Frage Wie geht es Ihnen?

The question Wie geht es Ihnen? begins with how.

geht

[gayt]

goes / is going

from 'gehen'; in this phrase it asks how someone is doing

Example

In Wie geht es Ihnen? bedeutet geht so viel wie 'is going'.

In Wie geht es Ihnen?, geht means something like 'is going'.

[ess]

pronoun used in the fixed expression 'Wie geht es Ihnen?'

Example

Das es in Wie geht es Ihnen? gehört zur festen Wendung.

The es in Wie geht es Ihnen? belongs to the fixed expression.

Ihnen

[EE-nen]

you

formal dative form of 'you', used politely with patients

Example

Im Satz Wie geht es Ihnen? ist Ihnen die höfliche Form von 'you'.

In the sentence Wie geht es Ihnen?, Ihnen is the polite form of 'you'.

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