Looking to make a good first impression? This is easily done when you know how to introduce yourself.
Here we'll introduce you to all the German phrases you need to know to begin an introduction, start conversations, and to say goodbye. Take a look at the tables below and get ready for next time you meet somebody new!
Here we'll introduce you to all the German phrases you need to know to begin an introduction, start conversations, and to say goodbye. Take a look at the tables below and get ready for next time you meet somebody new!
Beginning an Introduction
Below we've the gathered the most essential phrases you'll need to start a self-introduction in German. Use them the next time you need to make a self-introduction!Hallo!
A great way to start any conversation is using a greeting such as this or any of the following: Hey, Hi, or Hallöchen!. Sometimes Germans will shake hands when they meet for the first time – this is, however, most common in formal situations. Hugging or kissing each other on the cheek is also becoming more and more popular among young Germans, even if you don't know the person. It's best to follow the other persons lead though when you first meet them and see what they are most comfortable with. A great follow up question after a greeting is: Wie heißen Sie?.
Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen
Once you learn the other person's name, it's polite to say this phrase or one of the following: Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen or Es ist mir ein Vergnügen. The second option here is a bit more formal than the other two. There are several ways somebody could respond to any of these phrases, such as: Freut mich auch, Sie kennenzulernen, Gleichfalls, or Ebenso.
Erlauben Sie mir, mich vorzustellen
This is a very formal way to start a self-introduction. You would only ever really use it in very formal situations such as: job interviews, business meetings, fancy museums, or maybe when you meet your posh in-laws for the first time. After you say this phrase, you would then give your name: Mein Name ist Rebecca.
Ich möchte dir Sarah vorstellen
When you want to introduce somebody else, use the sentence pattern: Ich möchte dir + NAME + vorstellen.. You also use the less formal sentence patterns: Ich würde dir gerne + NAME + vorstellen or Das ist + NAME to do the same thing. In order to illustrate how to use these phrases, let's say that you're meeting up with some friends for dinner and have brought your brother along. You might walk up to your friends and say Ich würde dir gerne meinen Bruder Chris vorstellen in order to let them know who is with you. Your friends would probably then turn to your brother and say: Schön, dich kennenzulernen!.
Sind wir uns schon einmal begegnet?
If someone says this phrase to you, then that means they think they have seen you before. Maybe you two met through a friend or at work? There are lots of ways you could respond. You could say either Ich glaube nicht or Könnte sein. Or, if you also recognize the other person, you could respond with Ja, ich glaube, wir kennen uns.
Furthering a Conversation
Once initial introductions are out of the way, it's time to jump into a conversation! Below you'll find example questions that you can use to do help you do this.Was machen Sie beruflich?
A sentence similar to this is Wo arbeiten Sie?. A person usually wants to know what you do professionally when they ask you one of these questions. You could respond in many ways. You could say your job title or what kind of work you do. For example, Ich bin Übersetzerin or Ich arbeite in einem Lebensmittelgeschäft. If you are a student, you could also say what subject you are a studying. For example, Ich bin Studentin in Oxford und studiere englische Literatur.
Was führt Sie hierher?
You could hear this question for example at a party, a job interview, the doctor's, or even just in a store. There's lots of ways you could answer it. For example like this: Ich bin mit Joe befreundet und er hat mich eingeladen, mitzukommen. If you need to answer it while in a job interview, you could say something like: Ich hatte früher einen Job in diesem Bereich und ich hoffe, dass ich meine Fähigkeiten verbessern kann.
Ending an Introduction
Ending your first conversation on the right note is essential if you want to leave a good impression. Check out the table below for example ways on how to do this!Lassen Sie uns in Verbindung bleiben
Use this phrase or the phrase: Lassen Sie uns in Kontakt bleiben if you like the person or people you just met and would like to talk to them again sometime later. You might want to exchange numbers afterwards. Someone could respond to this phrase with: Auf jeden Fall, ich gebe Ihnen meine Nummer.
Hier ist meine Nummer 584-2453
Most people in German-speaking countries own a cellphone, or a Handy as they call it in German. Exchanging phone numbers can be a great way to stay in contact with somebody new, and a good time to do this is at the end of a conversation. Here's a short example of what you could say: Wir sollten uns nächste Woche wiedersehen. Hier ist meine Nummer: 382-65482. In response, someone might say something like: Vielen Dank, ich werde Sie am Wochenende anrufen.
Hier ist meine Karte
Here is a phrase that you could use during formal situations or if you are trying to impress someone. Karte in this phrase is referring to a business card, which usually includes your contact information and is like an advertisement for yourself or your business. Exchanging cards in a business situation is a good way to make contacts for the future. In response to this phrase, somebody might say something like: Danke, lassen Sie mich Ihnen auch meine geben.
Es war mir eine Freude, wir sehen uns
This phrase is very formal and might be used at the end of business phone calls or official meetings. The informal versions of it are: Es war sehr schön, Sie kennenzulernen, wir sehen uns or Es war mir ein Vergnügen. Someone might answer these phrases with: Ich freue mich darauf, wieder mit Ihnen zu sprechen.