{"id":93884,"date":"2023-11-13T14:18:24","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T19:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/german-welcome-phrases\/"},"modified":"2025-06-02T07:59:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T11:59:48","slug":"german-welcome-phrases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/german-welcome-phrases\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say “Welcome” in German: 10 Useful Phrases"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you’re a host or a guest, it’s important to know the essential German welcome phrases for greeting friends<\/a>, eating and drinking<\/a> or smoothing over social wrinkles.<\/p>\n

In this post, I’ll show you 10 key expressions for saying “welcome” in German, plus tips on how to use them appropriately in context.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

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1. Herzlich Willkommen bei uns\/mir \u2014 <\/em>Warm welcome from us\/me<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:\u00a0<\/strong>So you\u2019ve researched all the German etiquette<\/a>. You\u2019ve laid out the table, got snacks and you\u2019ve even got the\u00a0Hausschuhe<\/em>\u00a0for your guests so that their toes won\u2019t get cold. You’re the absolute\u00a0boss\u00a0<\/em>of hospitality.<\/p>\n

But as soon as they step over the threshold, what do you say to kick off the visit?<\/p>\n

You say: <\/strong>Herzlich Willkommen bei uns\/mir! Komm rein\/Kommen Sie rein!\u00a0<\/em>(Warm welcome to you from us! Come in!)<\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0<\/strong>This phrase is used to welcome people to a place. It\u2019s a different kind of welcome than you would use to say “you\u2019re welcome.” In that case, you would use the term “bitte<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

2. Wie geht\u2019s\/Wie geht es Ihnen? \u2014 <\/em>How are you?<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:\u00a0<\/strong>Your plan is coming together nicely! You\u2019ve invited around two groups of friends, and you think that they\u2019re going to bond together like glue! But there\u2019s one or two that don\u2019t seem to be fully into the conversation\u2014how are you going to break the ice?<\/p>\n

You say: <\/strong>Wie geht’s\/geht es Ihnen? Was hast du\/haben Sie gestern getan?\u00a0<\/em>(How are you? What did you do yesterday?)<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Guten Appetit! \u2014 <\/em>Enjoy your meal!<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:\u00a0<\/strong>You\u2019re sitting at the table. The repast is stretched before you. Magnificent smells are wafting up and your mouth is starting to water.<\/p>\n

You look to the left and to the right, but everybody is sitting still and expectant\u2014shouldn\u2019t your guests be digging in?<\/p>\n

Nein!<\/em> (No!)\u00a0They\u2019re waiting for the signal, and you, the host, are the one to give it!<\/p>\n

You say: <\/strong>Guten Appetit\/Ich w<\/em>\u00fcnsche alle einen guten Appetit!\u00a0<\/em>(Enjoy your food\/I wish you all a good meal!)<\/p>\n

4. Prost!\/Zum Wohl! \u2014 <\/em>Cheers!\/To your health!<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:\u00a0<\/strong>You\u2019re relaxed and you\u2019ve been eyeing the wine that your host has put out. But nobody has touched their glass and you\u2019re a little confused.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, your host stands up, looks everyone in the eyes and calls “Prost.”<\/em> There’s much clinking of glasses and drinking and you decide that you want to get in on this!<\/p>\n

You say (while looking at the person you\u2019re toasting): <\/strong>Prost\/zum Wohl!<\/em><\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0<\/strong>Prost<\/em> is a little more informal than\u00a0zum Wohl.\u00a0<\/em>If you\u2019re uncertain then follow the lead of your hosts or other guests.<\/p>\n

5. F\u00fchlen Sie\/f\u00fchl dich wie zu Hause! \u2014 <\/em>Feel at home here!<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:\u00a0<\/strong>You sigh heavily. There\u2019s one guest who seems to be holding himself rather stiffly, as if he\u2019s afraid he\u2019s going to make a mess. This isn\u2019t what you wanted at all!<\/p>\n

If only there were a way to let him know that he\u2019s welcome and could relax a little bit more. Perhaps you should sidle up to him quietly and say\u2026<\/p>\n

You say: <\/strong>Hallo! Bitte F\u00fchlen Sie\/f\u00fchl dich wie zu Hause!\u00a0<\/em>(Hi! Please feel at home here!)<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Danke vielmals \u2014 <\/em>Thank you very much<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:\u00a0<\/strong>You\u2019ve had the most\u00a0amazing\u00a0<\/em>time. You\u2019ve laughed more than you thought you could, the food was eye-poppingly awesome and you\u2019re pretty sure you\u2019ve met some people that could be your new best friends. How could you possibly say thank you!?<\/p>\n

You say:\u00a0<\/strong>Danke vielmals\u00a0<\/em>f\u00fcr die Einladung! Ich hatte die sch\u00f6nste Zeit.<\/em>\u00a0(Thank you very much for the invitation! I had the loveliest time.)<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Entschuldigung \u2014 <\/em>Excuse me<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:\u00a0<\/strong>You\u2019ve just walked into the pristine room of your hosts. They\u2019ve taken your coats and everything is going swimmingly. But then\u2026\u00a0Nein!\u00a0<\/em>You somehow trip over your own feet and fall right into your host!<\/p>\n

Is the evening ruined? Of course not! All you need to do is say the magic words and any awkwardness will be quickly smoothed over.<\/p>\n

You say:\u00a0<\/strong>Entschuldigung! Es tut mir sehr leid!\u00a0<\/em>(Excuse me! I\u2019m so sorry!)<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0Bitte \u2014 <\/em>You’re welcome<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:<\/strong>\u00a0You hand your guest a plate full of delicious food and they say\u00a0danke!<\/em> (thanks!). Your mind races\u2014what are you supposed to say?<\/p>\n

You say:\u00a0<\/strong>Bitte!<\/em> (You’re welcome!)<\/p>\n

9. Einen sch\u00f6nen Abend noch!\/Sch\u00f6nes Wochenende! \u2014 <\/em>Have a good evening\/weekend!<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:\u00a0<\/strong>Everything has gone as well as you could’ve hoped! You\u2019re about to go down as the best host in history! Your guests have been fed, stories have been told and much merriment has been had by all. Now they\u2019re waiting at the door and you just need to wrap it up\u2026 the cherry on top!<\/p>\n

You say: <\/strong>Immer sch\u00f6n,\u00a0<\/em>euch\/Sie zu sehen!\u00a0<\/em>Einen sch\u00f6nen Abend noch!\u00a0<\/em>(It\u2019s always fun to see you! Have a great evening!)<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0Mach\u2019s gut! \u2014 <\/em>Take care!<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s practice:\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s been a cozy night with your friends. Nothing fancy, but you\u2019ve clinked more than a few beers together.\u00a0Prosts\u00a0<\/em>all around! You\u2019ll be seeing all of them again soon, so you just want something informal to send them on their way.<\/p>\n

All you need to say is…<\/p>\n

You say:\u00a0<\/strong>Mach\u2019s gut!\u00a0<\/em>(Take care!)<\/p>\n

The Importance of\u00a0Gastfreundschaft<\/em>\u00a0(Hospitality)<\/h2>\n

The one thing that Germans are known for far and wide is their exceedingly organized society<\/a>.\u00a0Ordnung\u00a0<\/em>(order) is the principle on which their entire culture is built. There’s a time and a place for everything. And there are rules to go along with it.<\/p>\n

Schulordnung<\/em> (school rules).\u00a0Arbeitsordnung<\/em> (work rules).\u00a0\u00d6ffentliche Ordnung<\/em>\u00a0(public order).\u00a0Stra\u00dfenverkehrsordnung\u00a0<\/em>(traffic rules)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>And the list goes on.<\/p>\n

Although predictably there are also\u00a0Hausordnung\u00a0<\/em>(house rules), home is one of the places where Germans can really kick back, relax and be their most laid-back selves. As such, typically only very close friends or family are invited into the home. If you’re invited, consider it an honor!<\/p>\n

A popular way for people to bond socially is to\u00a0share food together<\/a>, whether it\u2019s just an afternoon\u00a0Kaffee und Kuchen\u00a0<\/em>(coffee and cake) or a full sitdown dinner. So follow these tips and you\u2019ll be the smoothest cat in the\u00a0Dorf<\/em> (village).<\/p>\n

You can learn more about German culture (and everyday expressions) on FluentU.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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