Questions tagged [salutation]
formal and informal greetings
81
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How do you say “To whom it may concern” in German?
To whom it may concern
is a common opening statement (in an formal e-mail) in English, especially when you do not know the gender of your audience. I am looking for the proper equivalent for it in ...
4
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1
answer
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"Sehr geehrte Dame, sehr geehrter Herr" bei Anschreiben für Wohnung
Es geht um eine Zeitungsannonce (auf die man online antworten kann) von einer Privatperson, von der ich den Namen nicht weiß. Die Anrede im Plural zu formulieren kommt mir komisch vor, da ich fast ...
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10
answers
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Schlussformel für Beschwerdebrief?
Diese Frage wurde auch hier (auf Englisch) beantwortet:
How to end a complaint letter in German
Standardschlussformel für förmliche Briefe ist ja „Mit freundlichen Grüßen“.
Wenn ich nun aber einen ...
5
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3
answers
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What is the origin of "Helau"?
I heard native speakers saying "Helau" as a greeting, What's the etymology of the word?
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Geschlechtsneutrale Anrede bei unbekannten Empfängern [duplicate]
Wie lautet heutzutage die korrekte geschlechtsneutrale Anrede an unbekannte Personen / Gruppenemailadressen?
Eine ähnliche Frage wurde bereits vor 12 Jahren gefragt, aber in den letzten Jahren hat ...
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6
answers
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A strange greeting! Servos?
Ever since I have arrived in Germany, I have been picking up words I hear often and then going back home to check their meanings. There is one word that still baffles me.
It is a form of greeting.
...
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10
votes
5
answers
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Woher kommt »Bis die Tage«?
Unter Bekannten gibt es die umgangssprachliche Abschiedsfloskel
Bis die Tage!
Ich bin allerdings nicht sicher, woher sie kommt, denn die Tage ist kein Adverb wie morgen oder bald.
Handelt es sich ...
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5
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2
answers
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Why do people in central Switzerland say "Grüzach" instead of Grüezi?
Grüezi is the most common greeting in Switzerland. However, each canton has its own dialect making verbal speech (and local spellings) different in different parts of the country.
In central ...
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6
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Was ist eine formelle, allgemeingültige und nicht-binäre Version von "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren"?
Ich suche eine generische, allgemein-verständliche bzw. -gültige und formelle Anrede als Ersatz für das in Anschreiben und Briefen verwendete
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
welche nicht-binäre ...
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58
votes
15
answers
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Polite alternatives to "Grüß Gott"?
I'm looking for polite alternatives to the omnipresent
Grüß Gott
in Austria/Bavaria. I dislike using a religious phrase to salute others (potentially non religious persons). I'm also not very ...
CommunityBot
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1
answer
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Formal / Informal "you" when referring to God
I'm still struggling to understand when to use du / Sie. I was trying to read the Luther Bible and I noticed in 2 Samuel 24:14
David sprach zu Gad: Es ist mir sehr angst; aber laß uns in die Hand des ...
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2
answers
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"Ihr" as second person singular
I'm reading "Der Hobbit" and in their first encounter Bilbo and Galdalf address each other as "Ihr". I learned that it's either "du" or "Sie". Is it common to use "Ihr", in literature for instance?
...
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1
answer
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Difference: Ihr vs sie [closed]
Plurals of personal pronouns
The personal pronoun sie can be regarded as they, but also Ihr can. What's the difference between the plural sie and Ihr? (I'm assuming that Ihr is not just a polite way ...
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1
answer
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What are the various Swiss dialects for Guten Abend and other day greetings?
Swiss people were heard saying Guten Abend as "Gütte Oppa" in one part of the country. How is the Swiss-German spelling for this actually, and what are the various ways the different Swiss ...
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0
votes
1
answer
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Quasi-persönliche Anrede in Vorträgen ("einige von ihnen")
Beim hören vieler Vorträge auf deutsch ist mir aufgefallen, dass der Redner solche Sprachkonstrukte verwendet als ob er nicht viele Personen anspricht, sondern eine.
Zum Beispiel, "wie Sie gerade ...
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1
answer
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Why do I see 'Ihr' form instead of du/Sie? [duplicate]
I'm pretty new to German, but something I've learned is that formal form of 'Du' is 'Sie'.
However, I sometimes see that 'Ihr' is also used in singular, but what's the difference ?
As example, there ...
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18
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4
answers
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Generisches Maskulinum
Ich benutze noch immer das generische Maskulinum. Da ich eine Frau bin, nimmt es mir auch keiner übel. Doch überall wo ich lese, erscheint ein anderer Ausdruck und Unterstreichung des Sexus.
In ...
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"Salü" vs "Sali" greeting in Switzerland
Often hear Swiss people say "Sali" which I think means salutations, a common informal greeting. But just found out someone writing "Salü" for the same meaning, which looks like it'...
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Is 'Grüß Gott' greeting in Bavaria religious-neutral?
'Grüß Gott' is often used as greeting on Bavarian trails. From my limited experience, it's most often used by older people, younger use 'Hallo' more often.
I don't feel 'Hallo' is very adequate to ...
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3
answers
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Is writing "Herr Prof. X" exaggerated/mandatory? Is it old-fashioned?
How necessary or exaggerated is the following Anrede?
"Sehr geehrter Herr Prof. X" bzw. "Sehr geehrte Frau Dr. Z"
I mean, should I write Herr Prof. X, or is Prof. X enough?
Also, is it old-...
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votes
5
answers
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What is an acceptable response to "wie geht's"?
If someone asks me how something is or how I am doing, for example if someone asks me "wie geht's?" Is it okay to respond with "alles gut" or should I say "Alles ist gut?"
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Arrivederci auf Bayerisch
In Niederbayern habe ich schon mehrmals einen Grußformeln zum Abschied gehört, was eigentlich wie die italienische 'arrivederci' klingt.
Auf diesem Link sieht man 'pfiat di' , 'wiederschaun', und '...
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8
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The exact German word for addressing a woman with higher academic/social status (The applicability of the term 'Frau')
I am a native Sinhalese Speaker. Currently, I am learning German at the University. I am much obliged if a native German-speaking person can answer my problem, please.
My problem:
In the English ...
7
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2
answers
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How to say: 'to you, too' or 'you as well'
Example:
Person A: 'Have a nice weekend!'
Person B: 'You too!'
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vote
2
answers
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Is "Fräulein" archaic?
Why don't German-speaking countries nowadays ever use "Fräulein" for a young woman instead "Frau"?
Is the word old-fashioned or obsolete? If so, why, and which decade after the ...
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0
answers
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Geschlechtsneutrale formale Anreden [duplicate]
Ich bin allgemein etwas unglücklich mit den formalen Anreden "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren", "Sehr geehrte Frau X" und "Sehr geehrter Herr X". Meistens ist es in der ...
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When to say "du auch" and when to say "dir auch"?
I often get confused replying to people in conversation and use the wrong option. I understand using "dir" conveys the message of "to you too", but there are some cases where it's ...
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2
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What are some proper ways to welcome someone unknown? [closed]
When you meet someone who you do not know. You will formally greet him/her with "Hallo", "Guten Tag" or "Guten Morgen" (whichever is appropriate) with a handshake.
I want to know, when is more ...
CommunityBot
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13
votes
1
answer
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What greetings were common before "grüß Gott" became universal?
Today, the overwhelming majority of German speakers in Southern Germany and Austria greet each other using grüß Gott. The English Wikipedia article on grüß Gott claims, without a supporting reference,...
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1
answer
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Why do Germans write "Good morning in the morning"? [closed]
This English sentence keeps being used by colleagues of mine at work (in emails) and I've no idea why it's used and if they realize that it doesn't make any kind of sense in English. Is this a ...
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5
answers
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How do non-Baviarians respond to "Grüß Gott!"?
As we know from here "Grüß Gott!" is a "Bavarian thing," not implying anything more than a type of "hello."
How do non-Bavarians respond? An acquaintance from northern Germany likes to say "Wenn Du ...
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votes
7
answers
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How does a German say "Nice to meet you"?
In English it is common to reply with "Nice to meet you" when you were introduced to somebody. Likewise you say "Was nice to meet you" on leaving.
Are there any similar phrases a German would use in ...
CommunityBot
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Wie geht es X - Dative or Accusative? [closed]
Wie geht es Ihnen? - Ihnen is a Dative case of Ihr. Gut.
Wie geht es dir? - dir is Dative of du. Same thing.
Wie geht es Herrn Schwarzenberg? - den Herrn is Accusative of Herr.
Wie geht es Ihren ...
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Can the polite form ‘wie geht es Ihnen’ be shortened to ‘wie geht’s’?
I understand that
Wie geht’s?
is a shortened form of
Wie geht es dir?
where the es becomes contracted and the dir is omitted. However, this can only be used with close friends where du is OK. ...
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vote
3
answers
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z.Hd. (unbekanntes Geschlecht) Mustermann
Ich habe einen Brief vom Finanzamt bekommen, der ist von einem Beamten (einer Beamtin) unterschrieben. Wie es sehr oft passiert, ist der Nachname in Klammern geschrieben.
Mit freundlichem Gruß(...
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3
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How to address more than one person in an E-mail?
I have to address my future German Au Pair family in an E-mail and until now have only been in contact with the woman. However the last E-mail was signed with both names, so I now feel I should ...
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votes
4
answers
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Addressing an email
What is the polite way to start off an email which is not addressed to a specific individual?
In the states I might use a friendly, Hello, or Good day in the space for Salutation. The body of the ...
CommunityBot
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2
answers
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Wie ist die korrekte Anrede für 3 Personen, wenn man nur von zweien den Namen kennt?
Ich muss eine geschäftliche E-Mail schreiben.
Zwei Personen sieze ich und kenne die Nachnamen.
Diese beiden Personen würde ich normalerweise anreden mit
Guten Tag Frau x, guten Tag Herr y,
Die ...
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8
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3
answers
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Morning greetings?
Just heard about the greeting Moin which is prevalent in Hamburg at least but seemingly not in other non-harbour like cities.
I hear Morge quite a bit, and of course Guten Morgen, but just wondering ...
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5
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How to informally say "Sending love to you and your family" in German?
Best way to say "Sending love to you (female) and your family" in German? Our families are very close, so it should be informal.
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2
answers
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Wie verwendet man Titel in der Anrede einer E-Mail?
Ich möchte in einem Programm automatisch E-Mails an bekannte Kontakte generieren.
Wie sollte die Anrede dieser E-Mail aussehen?
Die Titel, die ein Kontakt in dem Programm haben kann, sind:
Doktor
...
CommunityBot
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votes
1
answer
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Korrekte Bezeichnung von Professoren im Text
Ich kenne die Regeln für Professoren für die Anschrift und für die Anrede. Wie verweise ich jedoch korrekterweise im Text auf die Person? Beispielsweise in einem Brief:
Das wird Ihnen auch [Person] ...
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3
answers
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how to say "thank you in advance" in a letter
In English letters/emails to strangers we often use the phrase "thank you for your time" as a way to preemptively thank the receiver for answering. Is there an equivalent phrase in German?
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answers
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Gute Anrede für Bedienungen
Ich suche eine gute Anrede für Bedienungen im Restaurant. Seit Fräulein in Verruf gebracht wurde, denke ich oft über eine Alternative nach. Ich habe bereits etliche Bedienungen gefragt und oft fanden ...
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2
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How to address a formal letter to a German lawyer?
I am writing a business letter to a German lawyer (however it is not about law). Normally I might address the salutation in German as "Sehr geehrter Dr. so-and-so." However, this figure is a ...
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votes
1
answer
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Korrekte Anrede bei Antwort mit allgemeiner E-Mail-Adresse
Ich muss auf eine E-Mail antworten, die von einer Frau Meier geschrieben wurde, aber als Absender nur eine allgemeine E-Mail-Adresse (wie [email protected]) hat.
Wie ist hier dir korrekte Anrede?
...
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2
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"Auf Wiederschreiben" als Abschiedsgruß?
Am Ende eines Treffens kann man Auf Wiedersehen als Abschiedsgruß benutzen. Am Ende eines Telefongesprächs kann man Auf Wiederhören sagen.
Kann man am Ende eines Briefs oder einer E-Mail Auf ...
CommunityBot
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0
votes
1
answer
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"How's stuff?" | "How are your project's going?" | "What's new in your world?"
Saying "How are you?" or "How's it going?" is well documented in any German 101 class. But I'm curious how one does this in the context of business. I note that most of my conversations with coworkers ...
CommunityBot
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9
votes
2
answers
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Formal greeting without specific recipient
When writing a formal email or letter to a specific person in German I usually use:
Sehr geehrte Frau X
Sehr geehrter Herr X
However when the receiver of the letter/email is not an specific ...
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votes
6
answers
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What is the difference between "moin" and "moin moin"?
"Moin" and "moin moin" both are popular salutations in northern Germany - I'm interested in the differences between them.
Some say "moin moin" is intended as an answer to "moin", others will label ...
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