Every German conversation begins with a greeting, and choosing the right one depends on both the time of day and how formal you want to be. "Guten Morgen" is used in the morning, "Guten Abend" in the evening, and "Gute Nacht" when parting for the night. "Hallo" is a friendly, informal hello appropriate in casual settings. When saying goodbye, "Auf Wiedersehen" is the formal version, while "Tschüss" is reserved for friends, family, and other informal situations.
Courtesy words are essential in any exchange. "Bitte" means please, and you will also hear it used to mean "you're welcome" in response to thanks. When expressing gratitude, plain "Danke" works perfectly, but "Danke schön" sounds a touch warmer. For returning thanks, you can respond with "Bitte schön" or, more formally, "Gern geschehen," which literally means "gladly done." When you bump into someone or need to pass, "Entschuldigung" is the all-purpose "excuse me." For a more heartfelt apology, the phrase "Es tut mir leid" means "I am sorry."
Once greetings are out of the way, you can introduce yourself with either "Ich heiße..." or "Mein Name ist..." To ask how someone is doing, choose between the formal "Wie geht es Ihnen?" and the informal options "Wie geht's?" or "Wie geht es dir?" If a conversation goes too fast for you, simply say "Ich verstehe nicht" to let the speaker know you do not understand. When speaking with locals in a German-speaking country, the phrase "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" is a polite way to ask whether they speak English.