🇩🇪 GermanA1–A2

German Introductions: Essential Phrases

This page focuses on short, natural German you can use the first time you meet someone in Germany. It covers the most useful parts of an introduction: greeting, saying who you are, exchanging a few basic details, and ending the conversation smoothly. You will see both polite Sie forms for strangers and informal du forms for peers, so you can choose the version that fits the situation.

Useful in real conversations

Essential German phrases

Greetings and opening

Short, safe ways to start a first conversation and respond when someone greets you.

Hallo!
Hello!
Guten Morgen!
Good morning!
Guten Tag!
Hello.
Hi!
Hi!
Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.
Nice to meet you.
Freut mich, dich kennenzulernen.
Nice to meet you.
Freut mich auch.
Nice to meet you too.

Saying who you are

Simple ways to give your name, where you're from, where you live, and what language you are learning.

Ich heiße [Name].
My name is [Name].
Mein Name ist [Name].
My name is [Name].
Ich bin [Name].
I'm [Name].
Ich komme aus [place].
I'm from [place].
Ich wohne in [place].
I live in [place].
Ich lerne Deutsch.
I'm learning German.

Keeping the conversation going

Useful questions and replies for exchanging basic personal information without making the talk feel forced.

Und Sie?
And you?
Und du?
And you?
Woher kommen Sie?
Where are you from?
Woher kommst du?
Where are you from?
Was machst du hier?
What are you doing here?
Ich arbeite hier.
I work here.
Ich lerne auch Deutsch.
I'm learning German too.

Ending politely

Natural ways to wrap up a first conversation and leave on good terms.

Es war schön, Sie kennenzulernen.
It was nice meeting you.
Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen.
It was nice meeting you.
Ich muss jetzt los.
I have to go now.
Tschüss!
Bye!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Goodbye!

Example conversations

Meeting a new colleague

A short formal introduction at work after being introduced to someone.

You
Guten Tag!
Hello!
Other person
Guten Tag. Ich bin Anna.
Hello. I'm Anna.
You
Mein Name ist David. Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.
My name is David. Nice to meet you.
Other person
Freut mich auch. Woher kommen Sie?
Nice to meet you too. Where are you from?
You
Ich komme aus Kanada.
I'm from Canada.
Other person
Ich komme aus München.
I'm from Munich.
You
Ich muss jetzt los. Es war schön, Sie kennenzulernen.
I have to go now. It was nice meeting you.
Other person
Auf Wiedersehen!
Goodbye!

Chatting after a German class

An informal first conversation with a classmate before leaving.

You
Hi!
Hi!
Other person
Hi, ich bin Tom.
Hi, I'm Tom.
You
Ich heiße Mia. Was machst du hier?
My name is Mia. What are you doing here?
Other person
Ich lerne Deutsch. Und du?
I'm learning German. And you?
You
Ich lerne auch Deutsch.
I'm learning German too.
Other person
Woher kommst du?
Where are you from?
You
Ich komme aus Italien. Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen.
I'm from Italy. It was nice meeting you.
Other person
Tschüss!
Bye!

A few things to know

polite by default

Use polite forms by default with unfamiliar people: Guten Tag, Sie, and Es war schön, Sie kennenzulernen. Switch to du only with peers, classmates, or when the other person clearly invites it. The page includes both versions where that choice matters.

grammar

Using aus with where you're from

In Ich komme aus [place]., aus means 'from' and the place follows it directly. With city and country names, you usually do not add an article: Ich komme aus Berlin. Ich komme aus Kanada.

usage

Short follow-up questions

In first meetings, German often keeps the reply very short. After answering, you can return the question with Und Sie? or Und du? instead of repeating the full sentence. This is a normal conversational shortcut, not missing words.

Keep building your everyday vocabulary

German Restaurant and Café PhrasesGerman phrases for getting a table, ordering, checking ingredients, paying, and leaving politely in a restaurant or café in Germany.How to Ask for Directions in GermanEveryday German for politely asking where a place is, understanding simple route directions, checking what you heard, and thanking the person who helped you.German Hotel and Accommodation PhrasesEssential German for hotel check-in, room questions, problem reports, and checkout in Germany.Essential German Shopping PhrasesEveryday shopping phrases in German for finding items, asking about price, size, and colour, trying things on, paying, and handling a simple exchange or return.German Public Transport PhrasesGerman phrases for getting around on buses and trains in Germany: finding the right service, buying a ticket, checking times and stops, making a transfer, and dealing with delays or confusion.

Put the phrases in context