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

"How are you?" in German is "Wie geht es dir?". 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 dir?" mean in English?

"Wie geht es dir?" means "How are you?" in English. Usage tip: Literally "How goes it to you?" "dir" is the informal "you." For formal German, use "Wie geht es Ihnen?"

Wie geht es dir?

vee gayt ess deer

[vee gayt ess deer]

💬 Usage Tip: Literally "How goes it to you?" "dir" is the informal "you." For formal German, use "Wie geht es Ihnen?"

🇩🇪 In Germany: In Germany this can be a real question, not just small talk—so people may answer honestly, not only with "fine."

Phrase Breakdown

Wie

[vee]

how

Question word meaning 'how'.

Example

Ich frage: „Wie geht es dir?“, und das Wort „Wie“ startet die Frage.

I ask: “How are you?”, and the word “Wie” starts the question.

geht

[gayt]

goes / is going

From 'gehen'; in 'Wie geht es dir?' it means 'how is it going'.

Example

In „Wie geht es dir?“ zeigt „geht“, wie es einer Person geht.

In “How are you?”, “geht” shows how a person is doing.

[ess]

Pronoun meaning 'it'; used in this common expression.

Example

In der Frage „Wie geht es dir?“ steht „es“ in der Mitte.

In the question “How are you?”, “es” stands in the middle.

dir

[deer]

you

Informal dative form of 'du'; here it means 'to you' in the phrase 'How are you?'

Example

Ich sage „Wie geht es dir?“, wenn ich „dir“ informell anspreche.

I say “How are you?” when addressing “you” informally.

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