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?"
5 Answers
Doesn't really matter, there are several options and as those are short, daily phrases, no one expects you to form out lengthy sentences. However, it is common to thank and to ask how the other person is doing:
Danke, gut, und Ihnen? (more formal)
Danke, gut, und selbst? (less formal)
Just observe what other people say, as there are regional customs.
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4I'm a German living abroad, but at the German school of Rome and in Saarbrücken, where I lived for 1 year, I never happened to hear "Danke, gut, und selbst?" instead of "Danke, gut, und dir?". Moreover, this selbst is not grammatically correct, as far as I know. Commented Oct 17, 2014 at 11:59
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4I'd like to second @WalterTross. "Wie geht's?" is short for "Wie geht es Dir/Ihnen?" rather than for "Wie geht es?" (there is no third Es involved in this communication) Commented Oct 19, 2014 at 11:20
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3@WalterTross: As I said, there are regional customs, and it is quite common here in the south. When talking about phrases, I'd say that grammar is not as important; they tend to develop a life of their own, being changed to be spoken quick, easy and harmonical. Commented Oct 19, 2014 at 12:28
Gut
maybe "Schlecht", but short as "Gut" is the common answer
I thought about these possibilities:
- mir geht’s gut, danke!
- mir geht’s so-und-so, und dir?
- mir geht’s schlecht, und dir?
- mir geht’s prima, danke!
But I am not a native speaker! I hope these are ok.
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2I'm austrian, not german. But I would never use
mir geht's schlecht, except with very close friends.– raznagulCommented Apr 21, 2016 at 9:03 -
1@raznagul: Maybe a better phrase is mir geht’s nicht-so-gut,– Tom AuCommented Jul 19, 2016 at 22:45
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@TomAu: No. What I meant with the comment was: Even if I don't feel well I usually wouldn't tell other people. "Wie geht's?" is usually just meant as polite salutation, and not an actual concern about the other persons condition.– raznagulCommented Jul 20, 2016 at 11:20
Gut:
- Mir geht es sehr gut.
- Mir geht es spitze.
- Prima.
So So:
- Na ja, es geht.
- Es läuft.
- Es geht so.
Schlecht:
- Mir geht es nicht gut.
- Nicht so gut.
- Schlecht drauf.
For asking back: Und Dir, Und Ihnen, Bei Dir, Bei Ihnen...
You say "Gut". And to ask them back you have to say "und dir?". Some say "und Ihnen?". It is dependent on how you want to respond. “Und ihnen” is used when talking to someone who is not a close friend or family member, as it is the polite form of “you”.
Gut, danke.Or if you want to be nice and return the question,Gut, danke, und Dir/und selbst?. Note however that someone asking youWie geht's?is almost certainly asking about you, not about how something is going. To ask you how your work is coming along, someone would ask(Wie) kommst du voran?or possiblyGeht's voran?.