Looking to make a good first impression? This is easily done when you know how to introduce yourself.
Here we'll introduce you to all the German phrases you need to know to begin an introduction, start conversations, and to say goodbye. Take a look at the tables below and get ready for next time you meet somebody new!
Here we'll introduce you to all the German phrases you need to know to begin an introduction, start conversations, and to say goodbye. Take a look at the tables below and get ready for next time you meet somebody new!
Beginning an Introduction
Below we've gathered the most essential phrases you'll need to start a self-introduction in German. Use them the next time you need to make a self-introduction!
 German
|
 English
|
|---|---|
| Hello! | |
| How's it going? | |
| What's your name? | |
| My name is Lukas. | |
| Nice to meet you. | |
| Pleasure to meet you. | |
| Pleasure. | |
| Nice to meet you too. | |
| Let me introduce myself. | |
| I'd like to introduce Sarah. | |
| This is my sister, Amelia. | |
| Have we met before? |
Hallo!
A great way to start any conversation is by using a greeting such as this or any of the following: Hey, Hi, or Hallöchen!. Sometimes Germans will shake hands when they meet for the first time – this is, however, most common in formal situations. Hugging or kissing each other on the cheek is also becoming more and more popular among young Germans, even if you don't know the person. It's best to follow the other person's lead though when you first meet them and see what they are most comfortable with. A great follow up question after a greeting is: Wie heißen Sie?.
Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen
Once you learn the other person's name, it's polite to say this phrase or one of the following: Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen or Es ist mir ein Vergnügen. The second option here is a bit more formal than the other two. There are several ways somebody could respond to any of these phrases, such as: Freut mich auch, Sie kennenzulernen, Gleichfalls, or Ebenso.
Erlauben Sie mir, mich vorzustellen
This is a very formal way to start a self-introduction. You would only ever really use it in extra formal situations, such as: job interviews, business meetings, fancy gatherings, or maybe when you first meet your posh in-laws. After you say this phrase, you would then give your name: Mein Name ist Elias.
Ich möchte dir Sarah vorstellen
When you want to introduce somebody else, use the sentence pattern: Ich möchte dir + NAME/PERSON + vorstellen. You also use the less formal sentence patterns: Ich würde dir gerne + NAME/PERSON + vorstellen or Das ist + NAME/PERSON to do the same thing. In order to illustrate how to use these phrases, let's say that you're meeting up with some friends for dinner and have brought your brother along. You might walk up to your friends and say Ich würde dir gerne meinen Bruder Jonas vorstellen in order to let them know who is with you. Your friends would probably then turn to your brother and say: Schön, dich kennenzulernen!.
Continuing an Introduction
Once initial introductions are out of the way, it's time to jump into a conversation! Below you'll find example questions that you can use to help you do this.|
German
|
English
|
|---|---|
| What do you do? | |
| Where do you work? | |
| What brings you here? | |
| Where are you from? | |
| How old are you? | |
| What do you do for fun? | |
| What kind of hobbies do you have? |
Was machen Sie beruflich?
A sentence similar to this is Wo arbeiten Sie?. A person usually wants to know what you do professionally when they ask you one of these questions. You could respond in many ways. You could say your job title or what kind of work you do. For example, Ich bin Übersetzerin or Ich arbeite in einem Lebensmittelgeschäft. If you are a student, you could also say what subject you are studying. For example, Ich bin Studentin in Oxford und studiere englische Literatur.
Was führt Sie hierher?
You could hear this question for example at a party, a job interview, the doctor's, or even just in a store. There's lots of ways you could answer it. For example like this: Ich bin mit Lukas befreundet und er hat mich eingeladen, mitzukommen. If you need to answer it while in a job interview, you could say something like: Ich hatte früher einen Job in diesem Bereich und ich hoffe, dass ich meine Fähigkeiten verbessern kann.
Ending an Introduction
Ending your first conversation on the right note is essential if you want to leave a good impression. Check out the table below for example ways on how to do this!|
German
|
English
|
|---|---|
| It was nice meeting you. | |
| Let's keep in touch. | |
| Let's get together again some time. | |
| Here is my number 584-2453. | |
| Let's go for a coffee sometime. | |
| Do you want to meet up again some time next week? | |
| Take care! | |
| I hope to see you soon. | |
| Here is my card. | |
| It has been a pleasure, we'll speak again soon. |
Lassen Sie uns in Verbindung bleiben
Use this phrase or the phrase: Lassen Sie uns in Kontakt bleiben if you like the person or people you just met and would like to talk to them again sometime later. You might want to exchange numbers afterwards. Someone could respond to this phrase with: Auf jeden Fall, ich gebe Ihnen meine Nummer.
Hier ist meine Nummer 584-2453
Most people in German-speaking countries own a cellphone, or a Handy as they call it in German. Exchanging phone numbers can be a great way to stay in contact with somebody new, and a good time to do this is at the end of a conversation. Here's a short example of what you could say: Wir sollten uns nächste Woche wiedersehen. Hier ist meine Nummer: 382-65482. In response, someone might say something like: Vielen Dank, ich werde Sie am Wochenende anrufen.
Relax while Listening to the Phrases
Keep calm and learn German! Listen to the phrases again with relaxing background music. This will help you improve your listening skills and remember the phrases. Choose your favorite style, then kick back and relax!
Video with Meditative Music
Audio with Meditative Music
Relax with the Sounds of Nature: River
Relax with the Sounds of Nature: Wind
Study Anytime & Anywhere with MP3s and PDFs
Take your learning on the go with our free mp3 and pdf downloads! Whether you're on your way to work or enjoying a coffee break, any time can be filled with a short review. Enjoy and happy learning!
Phrases
- Preview Download Phrases Full Article
- Preview Download Phrases List
- Preview Download Phrases: Beginning an Introduction
- Preview Download Phrases: Continuing an Introduction
- Preview Download Phrases: Ending an Introduction
Dialogue
- Preview Download Dialogue
- Preview Download Dialogue (with translations)
- Preview Download Worksheet Dialogue Exercise
- Preview Download Worksheet Dialogue Exercise (with translations)
Practice & Record a Dialogue
Take the next step and use what you’ve learned! Check out this topic’s dialogue unit and practice the phrases in a variety of exercises. Test your knowledge and get ready for real life conversations!
Hallo. Wie heißt du?en
Ich heiße Andreas. Wie heißt du?en
Ich bin Sophie, freut mich dich kennenzulernen, Andreas.en
