German - Friendly German greetings & goodbyes

Lesson 140 of 158

Friendly German social phrases: greetings, welcomes, invitations, and casual goodbyes for A1 learners.

Goal: Casual check-ins, welcomes, invites, and farewells

Free German lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome to Lesson 140 — a short, friendly practice of common German social phrases you’ll hear in everyday life. In this lesson we'll listen, practice, and then say the phrases out loud so they stick.

Level A1: In this lesson you’ll learn common Germany-specific, casual social phrases: quick check-ins (like “Na?” and “Alles klar?”), welcomes and invites (e.g. “Willkommen!”, “Setz dich.”), ways to say you’re happy to see someone, and several casual goodbyes. CEFR-aligned and perfect for small talk at a café, a friend’s home, or a meet-up in Germany.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Recognize and use casual German greetings and check-ins (Na?, Alles klar?).
  • Welcome and invite someone politely (Willkommen!, Setz dich., Fühl dich wie zu Hause.).
  • Say brief friend-style goodbyes (Bis gleich, Bis bald, Bis nächste Woche, Wir sehen uns.).
  • Build confidence speaking short social phrases—Level A1 practice.
Two friends meeting in Germany using casual greetings like 'Na?' and 'Willkommen!'.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Na?

Hey, how's it going?

Meaning: Hey, how's it going?

When to use: Casual, quick check-in with friends or people you know well.

Tip: Don’t use only with strangers or in formal situations; it’s very casual.

Na? Wie geht's?
Hey — how are you?
Na? Alles gut bei dir?
Hi — everything good?

Alles klar?

All good? / Everything okay?

Meaning: All good? / Everything okay?

When to use: A short question to check that everything’s fine; casual and friendly.

Alles klar? Du siehst müde aus.
Everything okay? You look tired.
Alles klar mit dem Plan für morgen?
All good with the plan for tomorrow?

Schön, dich zu sehen.

Good to see you.

Meaning: Good to see you.

When to use: Say this when you meet someone you know; use the formal form ‘Schön, Sie zu sehen.’ with strangers or older people.

Schön, dich zu sehen! Lange nicht gesehen.
Good to see you! Long time no see.
Schön, dich zu sehen — willkommen in meiner Stadt.
Good to see you — welcome to my city.

Lange nicht gesehen.

Long time no see.

Meaning: Long time no see.

When to use: Use when you meet someone again after a long gap; works in informal and semi-formal situations.

Lange nicht gesehen! Was machst du jetzt?
Long time no see! What are you doing now?
Lange nicht gesehen — wie war dein Urlaub?
Long time no see — how was your vacation?

Willkommen!

Welcome!

Meaning: Welcome!

When to use: General greeting to welcome someone to your home, event, or online meeting.

Willkommen! Schön, dass du da bist.
Welcome! Nice that you’re here.
Willkommen im Büro — ich zeige dir alles.
Welcome to the office — I’ll show you everything.

Setz dich.

Have a seat.

Meaning: Have a seat.

When to use: Invite someone to sit down; informal du form. Use 'Setzen Sie sich.' in formal situations.

Tip: Learners sometimes say this to strangers; switch to 'Setzen Sie sich.' for formal contexts.

Setz dich — der Kaffee ist frisch.
Have a seat — the coffee is fresh.
Setz dich, ich hole noch etwas zu trinken.
Sit down, I’ll get something to drink.

Fühl dich wie zu Hause.

Make yourself at home.

Meaning: Make yourself at home.

When to use: Tell guests to feel relaxed in your home; informal. Formal: 'Fühlen Sie sich wie zu Hause.'

Fühl dich wie zu Hause — die Küche ist offen.
Make yourself at home — the kitchen is open.
Fühl dich wie zu Hause und nimm dir etwas zu essen.
Make yourself at home and help yourself to food.

Grüß ___ von mir.

Say hi to ___ from me.

Meaning: Say hi to ___ from me.

When to use: Ask someone to pass on greetings to a third person; use 'Grüßen Sie ___ von mir.' formally.

Tip: Remember to add the name: 'Grüß Lea von mir.' — don't leave the blank out.

Grüß Maria von mir, wenn du sie siehst.
Say hi to Maria from me if you see her.
Grüß deinen Bruder von mir — ich hoffe, es geht ihm gut.
Say hi to your brother from me — hope he’s well.

Bis gleich.

See you in a moment.

Meaning: See you in a moment.

When to use: Use when you expect to meet the person again very soon, e.g. later the same day.

Ich bin kurz weg — bis gleich!
I’ll be gone briefly — see you in a moment!
Bis gleich — ich bin am Auto.
See you in a moment — I’m at the car.

Bis dann.

See you then / See you.

Meaning: See you then / See you.

When to use: Casual farewell when the next meeting time is understood or informal.

Wir treffen uns morgen um zehn. Bis dann!
We meet tomorrow at ten. See you then!
Okay, ich komme vorbei. Bis dann!
Okay, I’ll come over. See you!

Bis bald.

See you soon.

Meaning: See you soon.

When to use: Friendly goodbye when you expect to meet again relatively soon.

Bis bald — melde dich, wenn du in der Stadt bist.
See you soon — let me know if you’re in town.
Ich fahre jetzt los. Bis bald!
I’m leaving now. See you soon!

Bis nächste Woche.

See you next week.

Meaning: See you next week.

When to use: Use when you know you'll meet the person next week; swap 'nächste Woche' for other times as needed.

Gut, dann bis nächste Woche im Kurs.
Great, see you next week in class.
Wir sprechen uns am Freitag — bis nächste Woche!
We’ll talk on Friday — see you next week!

Wir sehen uns.

See you around / We'll see each other.

Meaning: See you around / We'll see each other.

When to use: Casual farewell among people who expect to meet again; relaxed tone.

Wir sehen uns — pass auf dich auf!
See you around — take care!
Okay, wir sehen uns später im Park.
Okay, we’ll see each other later at the park.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna visits David’s flat and they catch up briefly.

A short, natural German mini-conversation featuring welcomes, invites, and farewells.

Who does Anna ask David to greet for her?

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Willkommen! Schön, dich zu sehen.

Welcome! Good to see you.

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Na? Lange nicht gesehen!

Hey! Long time no see!

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Setz dich. Fühl dich wie zu Hause.

Have a seat. Make yourself at home.

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Danke. Grüß Lea von mir, wenn du sie siehst.

Thanks. Say hi to Lea from me if you see her.

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Mach ich. Bis bald!

I will. See you soon!

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Bis dann!

See you then!

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which German phrase is a very casual way to say “Hey, how’s it going?”

Which phrase means “Make yourself at home.”

Which phrase would you use to ask someone to pass on your greetings to a friend?

Which phrase means “See you next week.”

Anna arrives. David says: 'Welcome! Good to see you.'

Anna kommt an. David sagt: '____! Schön, dich zu sehen.'

They arrange to meet next Monday. Anna says: 'See you next week.'

Sie verabreden sich für kommenden Montag. Anna sagt: '____.'

David points to the sofa: 'Have a seat.'

David zeigt auf das Sofa: '____.'

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

Na?

Hey, how's it going?

Say this phrase out loud:

Alles klar?

All good? / Everything okay?

Say this phrase out loud:

Schön, dich zu sehen.

Good to see you.

Say this phrase out loud:

Lange nicht gesehen.

Long time no see.

Say this phrase out loud:

Willkommen!

Welcome!

Say this phrase out loud:

Setz dich.

Have a seat.

Say this phrase out loud:

Fühl dich wie zu Hause.

Make yourself at home.

Say this phrase out loud:

Grüß ___ von mir.

Say hi to ___ from me.

Say this phrase out loud:

Bis gleich.

See you in a moment.

Say this phrase out loud:

Bis dann.

See you then / See you.

Say this phrase out loud:

Bis bald.

See you soon.

Say this phrase out loud:

Bis nächste Woche.

See you next week.

Say this phrase out loud:

Wir sehen uns.

We'll see each other.