hello, hi
Neutrale Begrüßung oder Ruf zur Aufmerksamkeit.
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Hallo, wie geht es dir heute?— Hi, how are you doing today?
Hallo is the neutral form, safe almost everywhere. Formal writing and the south of Germany have their own variants.
| Greeting | Register | When | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallo | NEUTRAL | almost anywhere | all of DACH |
| Hi | INFORMAL | friends, younger speakers | everywhere |
| Servus | INFORMAL | friendly — also as a goodbye | Bavaria, Austria |
| Moin (moin) | INFORMAL | any time of day | northern Germany |
| Grüß Gott | NEUTRAL | to adults or strangers | Bavaria, Austria |
| Grüezi | NEUTRAL | addressing one person | Switzerland |
| Guten Tag | FORMAL | business context | all of DACH |
| Guten Morgen | FORMAL / NEUTRAL | before ~11:00 | all of DACH |
| Guten Abend | FORMAL / NEUTRAL | after ~18:00 | all of DACH |
| Sehr geehrte … | VERY FORMAL | letters, email | written |
Hallo works any time of day. Unlike "Guten Morgen / Tag / Abend" it is not tied to the clock — handy when you're unsure of the time or just want to sound casual.
| Time | Form |
|---|---|
| 24 / 7 | hallo |
| 06:00 – 11:00 | Guten Morgen |
| 11:00 – 18:00 | Guten Tag |
| 18:00 – 22:00 | Guten Abend |
| 22:00 – 06:00 | Gute Nacht |
Borrowed from English in the 19th century; anchored in German once the telephone spread. Native forms like "Heil!" and "Gruß" are now marked or obsolete.