Greetings & Introductions
Use these phrases when meeting new colleagues, acquaintances, or business contacts in German-speaking environments to introduce yourself, make polite conversation, and break the ice.
Key Phrases
Hi! Wie geht’s dir denn so?
casualHi! How are things going with you?
Warm and relaxed; use with friends, fellow students, or informal colleagues.
Guten Tag! Schön, dass Sie heute da sind.
politeGood day! It's great that you are here today.
Polite and welcoming; ideal for greeting clients or business partners.
Ich bin Lukas, ich fange heute als neuer Kollege im Team an.
casualI'm Lukas, I'm starting today as a new colleague on the team.
Friendly first-name introduction for informal workplaces or social gatherings.
Guten Tag, mein Name ist Lukas Weber, ich bin der neue Projektleiter.
neutralGood day, my name is Lukas Weber, I am the new project manager.
Standard professional introduction using full name and professional role.
Freut mich echt, dich kennenzulernen!
casualReally great to meet you!
Enthusiastic and informal; only use when on a first-name ('du') basis.
Freut mich sehr, Sie kennenzulernen.
politeIt is a great pleasure to meet you.
Standard polite response when introduced to someone addressed as 'Sie'.
Sag mal, wie heißt du eigentlich mit Vornamen?
casualTell me, what's your first name actually?
Natural way to ask a peer's name if you missed it in an informal group.
Entschuldigung, wie war noch mal Ihr Name?
politeExcuse me, what was your name again?
Polite and tactful way to ask someone to repeat their name.
Das ist übrigens Sarah, sie arbeitet mit mir im Team.
casualThis is Sarah, by the way, she works with me on the team.
Casual way to introduce a peer or colleague to others.
Darf ich Ihnen Frau Dr. Klein vorstellen? Sie leitet unsere Abteilung.
politeMay I introduce Dr. Klein to you? She heads our department.
Polite formal introduction using surname and title in professional settings.
Kennen wir uns nicht schon von der Konferenz in Köln?
neutralDon't we already know each other from the conference in Cologne?
Common conversation starter when someone looks familiar.
Aus welcher Ecke kommst du denn ursprünglich?
casualWhich area are you from originally?
Conversational phrasing asking about someone's home region.
Woher kommen Sie ursprünglich, wenn ich fragen darf?
politeWhere are you originally from, if I may ask?
Polite phrasing with a softening clause, ideal for business small talk.
Ich komme ursprünglich aus Wien, aber ich wohne schon seit drei Jahren in Berlin.
neutralI'm originally from Vienna, but I've been living in Berlin for three years now.
Natural way to share both your hometown and current place of residence.
Wir können uns übrigens gerne duzen, wenn das für Sie in Ordnung ist.
neutralBy the way, we can gladly use 'du' if that is alright with you.
Used to transition smoothly from formal 'Sie' to informal 'du'.
Es war sehr schön, Sie kennenzulernen. Ich wünsche Ihnen noch einen schönen Tag!
politeIt was very nice meeting you. I wish you a pleasant day!
Polite concluding remark after a first encounter or meeting.