How to Say ‘How are you’ in German
Wie geht es dir
vee gayt ess deer
[vee gayt ess deer]
💬 Usage Tip: Literally: "How goes it to you?" German often uses "es geht" for how things are going. "dir" is informal, for friends, family, classmates.
🇩🇪 In Germany: Germans do ask this, but often expect a real answer, not always just "fine!" Keep it short but honest.
Phrase Breakdown
Wie
[vee]
how
Used to ask about manner or condition; here it starts the question about how someone is doing.
Wie geht es dir heute?
How are you today?
geht
[gayt]
goes / is going
From 'gehen'; in this phrase it means 'how is it going'.
Wie geht es dir am Morgen?
How is it going for you in the morning?
es
[ess]
it
A neutral pronoun; in this fixed expression it helps form 'how is it going'.
Wie geht es dir jetzt?
How is it going for you now?
dir
[deer]
you
Informal dative form of 'du', used after 'geht es' to mean 'for you'.
Wie geht es dir heute, Anna?
How are you today, Anna?
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