Basic German: "How Are You?" - Dummies
By Wendy Foster, Paulina Christensen, Anne Fox Getting your hellos and goodbyes straight in the interior of German is a matter about keeping in the interior of brain how adeptly you know someone. If you’re on top of stiff language — in the interior of further words, if you’re addressing only or new people WIV Sie (zee) (you, formal) — then you have only set about expressions. When you’re on top of du (dooh) (you, informal) language about address, you move WIV the new natural expressions. The next step subsequent to salute someone in the interior of German is asking the investigation How are you? Whether you make use of the stiff or the natural form about the investigation depends on top of whom you’re talking to. Sound complicated? Well, figuring out which sort to make use of is easier than you may think. The ensuing three versions about How are you? make use of three dative-case pronouns that represent you. Ihnen (een-en) is the dative equivalent about Sie, dir (deer) represents du, and euch (oyH) stands in the interior of for ihr. Here’s a breakdown about what to make use of when: Wie geht es Ihnen? (vee geyt ês een-en?) (How are you?) This is the stiff version. Wie geht es dir? (vee geyt ês deer?) (How are you?) This is the informal, remarkable version. Wie geht’s? (vee geyts?) (How’s it going?) When you know someone really well, you can make use of this casual question. Wie geht es euch? (vee geyt ês oyH?) (How are you?) Use this when talking to several people informally. Greetings and introductions are often accompanied by some sort about material contact. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, hand-shaking is the almost all common sort about material link through greetings and introductions. Female friends may kiss each further on top of the cheek or give each further a hug. Men normally don’t kiss or embrace each other, though they may greet a woman friend WIV a embrace (and a kiss). You may poster that people in the interior of Europe often stand closer to you than you’re second-hand to, for example, in the interior of stores, on top of the bus or subway, or through conversations WIV you. In English, the investigation How are you? is often just a way about adage hello, and no only raises an eyebrow if you don’t answer. In German, however, a retort is customary. Germans expect a retort because for the German speaker, asking “Wie geht es Ihnen?” isn’t the same at the time that a casual hello but rather is a means about showing genuine interest in the interior of someone. The ensuing are satisfactory answers to the investigation Wie geht es Ihnen? (How are you?): Danke, gut. (dân-ke, gooht.) (Thanks, I’m fine.) or Gut, danke. (gooht, dân-ke.) (Fine, thanks.) Sehr gut. (zeyr gooht.) (Very good.) Ganz gut. (gânts gooht.) (Really good.) Es geht. (ês geyt.) (So, so.) This German expression actually means it goes. Nicht therefore gut. (niHt zoh gooht.) (Not therefore good.) As in the interior of English, you would normally accompany your retort WIV the investigation And (how are) you? Here’s the stiff version: Und Ihnen? (oont een-en?) (And you?) Here’s how to pose the investigation informally: Und dir? (oont deer?) (And you?) (singular, natural you) Und euch? (oont oyH?) (And you?) (plural, natural you)Asking “Wie geht es Ihnen?”
Giving a response to “Wie geht es Ihnen?”
