German - Common Farewells & Wishes

Lesson 141 of 158

A friendly scene of two people saying goodbye in German, learning common farewell phrases in Germany.

Goal: Everyday social phrases for evenings, weekends, and holidays

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

Ready to add friendly German phrases to your goodbye toolkit? This short lesson focuses on real things Germans say when leaving, wishing luck, or celebrating. Keep it light — these are easy to practice aloud.

Level A1: In Lesson 141 you'll learn and practice common German social phrases used for goodnight wishes, weekend farewells, holiday greetings, and short well-wishes like "Good luck" or "Get well soon." These CEFR-aligned phrases are perfect for real-life goodbyes and small talk in Germany. We'll listen, try a short dialogue, and do quick exercises to lock them in.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Recognize and say 13 common German social phrases for farewells, holidays, and good wishes.
  • Use simple, polite phrases in informal and service situations (A1).
  • Practice saying each phrase aloud so you feel confident in real conversations.
An evening street in Germany where people use phrases like 'Gute Nacht' and 'Schönes Wochenende' — practice these social expressions.

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.

Komm gut nach Hause.

Get home safely.

Meaning: Get home safely.

When to use: Say this to a friend when they are leaving to go home; informal (du). Formal: 'Kommen Sie gut nach Hause.'

Tip: Using this with strangers — use the formal 'Kommen Sie gut nach Hause.' if you need to be polite.

Komm gut nach Hause — ruf mich an, wenn du angekommen bist.
Get home safely — call me when you arrive.
Nach der Party sagte er: ‚Komm gut nach Hause.‘
After the party he said, 'Get home safely.'

Gute Nacht.

Good night.

Meaning: Good night.

When to use: Use this as a farewell in the late evening or when someone goes to bed.

Mir fällt die Augen zu. Gute Nacht!
My eyes are closing. Good night!
Anna verabschiedete sich: ‚Gute Nacht.‘
Anna said goodbye: 'Good night.'

Schlaf gut.

Sleep well.

Meaning: Sleep well.

When to use: Informal phrase to wish someone a good sleep; common among friends and family.

Tip: Don't use the informal 'Schlaf gut' with people you must address formally.

Schlaf gut! Bis morgen.
Sleep well! See you tomorrow.
Vor dem Einschlafen sagte er zu ihr: ‚Schlaf gut.‘
Before falling asleep he said to her: 'Sleep well.'

Schönes Wochenende.

Have a nice weekend.

Meaning: Have a nice weekend.

When to use: Common on Fridays when saying goodbye at work or to friends before the weekend.

Ich wünsche dir ein schönes Wochenende! Bis Montag.
Have a nice weekend! See you Monday.
Im Supermarkt sagte die Kassiererin: ‚Schönes Wochenende.‘
At the supermarket the cashier said, 'Have a nice weekend.'

Frohe Weihnachten.

Merry Christmas.

Meaning: Merry Christmas.

When to use: Standard greeting during the Christmas season.

Frohe Weihnachten! Wir sehen uns nach den Ferien.
Merry Christmas! See you after the holidays.
Auf der Weihnachtskarte stand: ‚Frohe Weihnachten!‘
On the Christmas card it said: 'Merry Christmas!'

Guten Rutsch!

Have a good start into the New Year.

Meaning: Have a good start into the New Year.

When to use: Said before New Year's Eve or when wishing someone well for the turn of the year.

Wir treffen uns bald — Guten Rutsch!
We'll meet soon — Have a good New Year's start!
Vor Silvester sagte er zu seinen Nachbarn: ‚Guten Rutsch!‘
Before New Year's Eve he said to his neighbors: 'Have a good start into the New Year!'

Frohes neues Jahr!

Happy New Year!

Meaning: Happy New Year!

When to use: Said on New Year's Day or right after midnight to wish someone a happy new year.

Tip: Sometimes written as 'frohes neues Jahr' (lowercase 'neues') in casual messages — that's common but standard capitalization is fine.

Frohes neues Jahr! Was sind deine Vorsätze?
Happy New Year! What are your resolutions?
Um Mitternacht riefen alle: ‚Frohes neues Jahr!‘
At midnight everyone shouted: 'Happy New Year!'

Einen schönen Abend noch.

Have a nice rest of your evening.

Meaning: Have a nice rest of your evening.

When to use: Polite farewell often used in shops, restaurants, and services in the evening.

Die Bedienung sagte: ‚Einen schönen Abend noch.‘
The server said: 'Have a nice rest of your evening.'
Wir verlassen das Restaurant; der Gastgeber wünschte uns einen schönen Abend noch.
We left the restaurant; the host wished us a nice rest of the evening.

Viel Spaß!

Have fun!

Meaning: Have fun!

When to use: Say this before an activity (party, trip, film, class) to wish someone enjoyment.

Viel Spaß im Kino heute Abend!
Have fun at the cinema tonight!
Viel Spaß beim Konzert — erzähl mir danach davon.
Have fun at the concert — tell me about it afterwards.

Viel Erfolg!

Good luck / Much success!

Meaning: Good luck / Much success!

When to use: Used before exams, interviews, or other important tasks.

Viel Erfolg bei der Prüfung morgen!
Good luck on the exam tomorrow!
Du hast hart gearbeitet — viel Erfolg beim Vorstellungsgespräch.
You've worked hard — much success at the job interview.

Gute Besserung!

Get well soon!

Meaning: Get well soon!

When to use: Say this to someone who is sick or injured to wish for a speedy recovery.

Gute Besserung — ruh dich aus und trink viel Wasser.
Get well soon — rest and drink lots of water.
Nach der Operation schickten sie ihm Karten mit ‚Gute Besserung!‘
After the surgery they sent him cards saying 'Get well soon!'

Herzlichen Glückwunsch!

Congratulations!

Meaning: Congratulations!

When to use: Use when someone has an achievement: birthday, exam, wedding, new job, etc.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum neuen Job!
Congratulations on the new job!
Sie schrieb: ‚Herzlichen Glückwunsch!‘ zur bestandenen Prüfung.
She wrote: 'Congratulations!' for passing the exam.

Alles Gute!

All the best!

Meaning: All the best!

When to use: A general good-wish for birthdays, farewells, or sending good luck.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
All the best for your birthday!
Wir sagen ‚Alles Gute!‘, wenn jemand eine Reise beginnt.
We say 'All the best!' when someone starts a trip.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna and David meet after work on a Friday evening.

Anna and David exchange short German farewells and wishes, showing common everyday phrases for learners.

What are Anna and David doing?

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Schönes Wochenende!

Have a nice weekend!

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Danke! Dir auch — einen schönen Abend noch.

Thanks! You too — have a nice rest of your evening.

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Komm gut nach Hause.

Get home safely.

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Gute Nacht und schlaf gut!

Good night and sleep well!

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which German phrase means 'Good night'?

You want to wish a colleague a nice weekend on Friday. Which phrase do you use?

Which phrase is appropriate before an important exam to wish someone success?

Someone is ill. Which phrase should you say?

It's late and my friend is leaving. I say: Good night.

It's late and my friend is leaving. I say: ___.

You have an interview tomorrow. A friend tells you: Good luck!

You have an interview tomorrow. A friend tells you: ___.

It's Friday at work. A colleague says as you leave: Have a nice weekend.

It's Friday at work. A colleague says as you leave: ___.

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:

Komm gut nach Hause.

Get home safely.

Say this phrase out loud:

Gute Nacht.

Good night.

Say this phrase out loud:

Schlaf gut.

Sleep well.

Say this phrase out loud:

Schönes Wochenende.

Have a nice weekend.

Say this phrase out loud:

Frohe Weihnachten.

Merry Christmas.

Say this phrase out loud:

Guten Rutsch!

Have a good start into the New Year.

Say this phrase out loud:

Frohes neues Jahr!

Happy New Year!

Say this phrase out loud:

Einen schönen Abend noch.

Have a nice rest of your evening.

Say this phrase out loud:

Viel Spaß!

Have fun!

Say this phrase out loud:

Viel Erfolg!

Good luck / Much success!

Say this phrase out loud:

Gute Besserung!

Get well soon!

Say this phrase out loud:

Herzlichen Glückwunsch!

Congratulations!

Say this phrase out loud:

Alles Gute!

All the best!