❓😊

How to Say ‘How are you?’ in German

Wie geht es Ihnen?

vee gayt es EE-nen

[vee gayt es EE-nen]

💬 Usage Tip: Ihnen is the polite form for the person you're asking. With a friend, swap it for dir: Wie geht es dir?

🇩🇪 In Germany: This is a real question, not a passing greeting like English "how are you?". Germans may answer honestly, so don't ask a cashier or a stranger in passing.

Phrase Breakdown

Wie geht es

vee gayt es

How is it going

'Wie' sounds like 'vee', and 'geht' sounds like 'gate'. Say the three words smoothly together.

Example

Wie geht es dir?

How are you? (informal)

Words in this phrase

Wie

[vee]

how

Question word used to ask about amount or manner.

Example

Für wie viele Gäste reservieren Sie?

For how many guests are you reserving?

geht

[gayt]

goes

Form of 'gehen'; in 'wie geht es' it asks about someone's wellbeing.

Example

Wie geht es dir?

How are you?

[es]

A neutral pronoun used to refer to a thing previously mentioned.

Example

Es ist ein schöner Tag.

It is a beautiful day.

Ihnen?

EE-nen

for you (formal)

This is the formal 'you'. Say 'EE-nen', with the stress on the first syllable.

Example

Danke, und Ihnen?

Thanks, and you?

Words in this phrase

Ihnen

[EE-nen]

you (formal, dative)

The formal 'you' in the dative case, used in polite professional situations.

Example

Darf ich Ihnen eine Frage zur Kultur im Unternehmen stellen?

May I ask you a question about the culture in the company?

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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