'How are you doing?' in German: Don't be fooled! (2023)

The true meaning and semantics of words and phrases is an incredibly interesting but very complicated subject. A phrase as simple as "How are you?" It can have many different meanings depending on when it is used, where it is used and how it is used.

For example, in English, "How are you" is an expression to simply say hello to someone. It comes in the form of a question; however, it's not really a question. For example, people in the United States don't expect an answer to the question "How are you?" It's more like saying hello; Hence, it is only used to greet someone.

In German, however, things are a little different.

The literal translation of "How are you" in German would be "How are you?"

The big difference here is that we Germans, like the Swiss and the Austrians, we (I'm Swiss, folks) expect a response to our "How are you?"

Next, we'll take a closer look at how '¿Cómo estás?' into German, taking into account the two meanings, the simple meaning of "Hello", but also the extended meaning of "How are you?" ', which is embodied in the German phrase 'How are you?'

In the latter case, the purpose of the statement is "How are you?" This is usually to ask how someone is really doing, about their mood/state of mind, and in some cases even their health.

"How are you?" in German when used as a simple greeting

If you want the German equivalents of "How are you" used in the United States, click here. All this can be used as a simple greeting.

Nobody necessarily expects you to say more than one of these things when greeting someone. So if someone greets you with "Good morning!" you can simply reply "Good morning!" and that may be the end of the story.

How are you as a greeting in Swiss German

If you want to greet someone in Swiss German, you should go here with one of these guys.

"How are you?" in German when used to ask about a person's mood/state of mind and in some cases a person's health

If you really want to ask how someone is really feeling (asking about their feelings/current mood/health and/or state of mind), you can use one of the following German expressions.

Note that the Germans definitely expect an answer to these questions.

"How are you?" in Swiss German when asking about a person's state of mind/mood and in some cases a person's health

Being Swiss I thought I might make things a bit more complicated and confusing and add some Swiss-German expressions that I could use in this context. Here we go:

How to respond to "How are you?" in German

'How are you' como Begrüßung:

When someone greets you with "hello", "hello", "good morning", "good afternoon" or "good evening", you can say exactly the same thing. That's perfectly fine.

Samantha:Good morning!

Fritz:Good morning!

'How are you?' in the sense of asking how someone is really doing:

When someone asks you "How are you?" (informal) or "How are you?" (formal) thenIn fact, you have to answer this question.. A simple word like "good" would not suffice here. The shortest possible answer would be something like "fine, thanks". In some cases, however, this would not be very polite.

In most cases, it makes sense to insist a little more on how you really are. You might as well provide context here:

Peter: how are you?/ How are you?

Carolina: I'm fine, thank you. /I've got a lot to do, but I'm really enjoying the good weather! / I feel really good. Thanks for the question! I have many things to do. However, I really like the good weather!

"How are you?" in German: sample dialogs | Greetings

#Example #1: [Good morning]

Attitude:Chantal is on her way to school and meets her neighbor Trudi. // Chantal goes to school and meets her neighbor Trudi.

Chantal:Good morning!

To try:Good morning!

Comments:It is quite possible that only these words are said. It's perfectly fine to say "good morning" and move on. On the other hand, you can start a conversation after saying "good morning".The same applies to good morning and good night.

#Example #2: [Hello!]

Attitude:Marcel and Peter meet at a mutual friend's birthday party. However, the two did not know each other until then. // Marcel and Peter meet at a mutual friend's birthday party. But they still didn't know each other.

Marcelo:Hello. I'm marcelo

Pedro:Hello, I'm happy to meet you. I am pedro

Comments:greet someone withHelloesquite informal;However, in many situations it would not be considered rude to use it to greet strangers. However, you wouldn't necessarily use this in a very formal setting. Especially if you are of a lower rank or age than your opponent.

For example, as a student, you wouldn't say "Hello" to your teacher. In that case, I'd rather use something like "Good morning, Good morning, Good evening" and probably add something like Mr. XYZ, then say Good morning, Mr. (Teacher) Bichsel.

Example #3: [Hello!]

Attitude: Sandra and Mischa meet by chance at the theater. // Sandra and Mischa meet at the theater by chance.

Sandra:No!

Misha:No,Sandra! Long time no see. Good to see you again!

Comments:Hey is an informal greeting in German and not very common among adults. There's a certain amount of surprise that you've actually met someone, usually a friend.

"How are you?" in German: sample dialogs | when asked about a person's health and mental state

#Example #1: [How are you?]

Attitude:Caroline and Peter meet by chance on the bus. // Caroline and Peter meet on the bus.

Carolina: Hello Peter!How are you?

Pedro: Hello Carolina, thank you. i'm doing it right I just had a swim in the lake and now I'm going home. How are you?

#Example #2: [Are you okay?]

Attitude:Mischa and Daniel meet by chance in the city. // Mischa and Daniel meet in town.

Mischa: Hey Daniel, I haven't seen you in a long time.are you well

Daniel: Hi Misha! Good to see you again. Yes I'm fine. I've just spent two weeks in Tokyo and now I'm back in Zurich.

"How are you?" in Swiss German: Dialogue Examples | when used as a greeting

#Example #1: [Sorry!]

Attitude:Yannick works at a restaurant in the city of Zurich. Pascal is a guest at the restaurant. The two do not know each other. / Yannik works in the city of Zurich. Pascual is a guest. They don't know each other.

Yannick:Hello!Welcome to zum Löi Restaurant

Easter: I'm sorry!

Comments:Grüezi is mainly used in the canton of Zurich. In Bern they would say "Grüessäch". It's exactly the same, just in a different dialect.

"How are you?" in Swiss German: Dialogue Examples |when asking about someone's state of mind and mood

#Example #1: [Hey (name), are you in shape?]

Attitude: Michael meets his friend Daniel at the train station. They're pretty close.

Michael: what a day(Dänu is a Swiss nickname for Daniel),You are in shape?

Daniel:Hello Michu (Michu is a Swiss nickname for Michael). And you, it's hot, mues don't need a bugle.

Comments:This phrase "Hey, are you in shape?" It can be used when you meet someone physically, but it's also very common to use this phrase online, say on Facebook, Instagram or maybe even on a dating site like Tinder.

Related questions

What are some informal ways to say "How are you in German"?

If you just want to say hello to someone, you can use: "No,"„Hello,"„Joe."If you really want to know how the other person is doing, here are some ways to ask informally: "It's working?", “How are you,"„You are in shape?", “Understood?”

What are some formal ways to say "How are you?" in German?

If you want to greet someone in German with formal language, you can use "Good morning, good morning, good night." "Good morning"obviously it is only used in the morning and "Goodnight"it only makes sense at night. You can "Good morning"during the day, but I wouldn't necessarily use it at night.

How do you say "You're an idiot" in German?

This one is pretty easy. Could you just say "You're an idiot."Another way of saying this would be "You're an idiot."Another way to convey this message is to say, “You are a fool"which would literally translate to "You're a fool" in English.

How do you say "you're great" in German?

"You are amazing" means translated "You are incredible"in German. Another way of saying it would be "You are incredible."Other ways of saying the same thing would be something like "You are amazing" ("You are amazing"), "You are simply amazing" or "You are (really) great" (lit.: you are really amazing).

What is the difference between "How are you Address"e "How are you"?

How are you is informal.You will use it when talking to someone you know well (family, friends).

"How are you" is formal. You'll use it when talking to adults you don't know well (strangers). However, if you are, for example, 35 years old and can meet a man of the same age, you can also use "how are you" depending on your attitude.

The more formal the attitude, the more likely you are to use "how are you". As a kid, unless you were talking to close friends or family, you always had to say "How are you" when talking to adults.