Common German expressions in German

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Common German expressions include greetings, farewells, polite phrases, and idiomatic sayings used in everyday conversation:

Greetings & Farewells

• Hallo = Hi
• Guten Tag = Good day
• Guten Morgen = Good morning
• Guten Abend = Good evening
• Tschüss = Bye (informal)
• Auf Wiedersehen = Goodbye (formal)

Polite Phrases

• Bitte = Please / You're welcome
• Danke = Thank you
• Entschuldigung = Sorry / Excuse me
• Wie geht's? = How are you?
• Mir geht's gut, danke. = I'm good, thanks.

Common Idiomatic Expressions

• Das ist mir egal. = I don't care.
• Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. = I don't understand anything (literally: "I only understand train station.")
• Nichts zu danken. = No need to thank me.
• Alle Jahre wieder. = Every year again (used for annual events/rituals)
• Um den heißen Brei herumreden. = To beat around the bush.
• Das ist nicht mein Bier. = That's not my cup of tea (literally: "That's not my beer.")

Cultural Note

In formal settings, use Sie + automatic (and polite) greetings like Guten Tag and addresses with Herr / Frau.

Related Topics: Greetings and Farewells, Polite Phrases, German Idioms

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