Learn how to wish someone ‘good afternoon’ in German

You already know how to say good morning and good evening in German, and you want to take your greetings to the next level? Then you may be wondering how to say good afternoon in German, let’s explore different greetings related to afternoons and how you can use them.

In this guide, we will show you some more natural ways to greet someone in the afternoon and show you what a typical German afternoon looks like. “Afternoon” is spelled “der Nachmittag” in German. As a result, if you want to wish someone a good afternoon in German, you would say “guten Nachmittag”.

This is possible, but it is unlikely to be used as a greeting. It only works when you are saying goodbye in German, such as telling someone to enjoy the rest of their afternoon.

General ways of saying good afternoon in German

English	German	IPA
Afternoon	Der Nachmittag	[ˈnaːxmɪˌtaːk]
Good afternoon!	Guten Nachmittag!	[ˈɡuːtn̩ ˈnaːxmɪˌtaːk]
Enjoy the rest of your afternoon!	Schönen Nachmittag noch!	[ˈʃøːnən ˈnaːxmɪˌtaːk nɔx]
How is your afternoon going?	Wie läuft dein Nachmittag?	[vi: lɔʏ̯ft daɪ̯n ˈnaːxmɪˌtaːk]
I had a good afternoon	Ich hatte einen schönen Nachmittag	[ɪç ‘hatə ‘aɪ̯nən ˈʃøːnən ˈnaːxmɪˌtaːk]
How was the meeting this afternoon?	Wie war das Meeting heute Nachmittag?	[vi: va:ɐ̯ das ‘me:tɪŋ ‘hɔʏ̯tə ˈnaːxmɪˌtaːk]
I’m usually home in the afternoons	Nachmittags bin ich meistens zuhause.	[ˈnaːxmɪˌtaːks bɪn ɪç maɪ̯stəns tsu’haʊ̯zə]
I’ll see you in the afternoon	Wir sehen uns heute Nachmittag	[vi:ɐ̯ ‘ze:ən ʊns ‘hɔʏ̯tə ˈnaːxmɪˌtaːk]

Learning good afternoon and good morning in German will help you leave a positive impression on people. It will also help you build some long-lasting friendships and relationships.

Good afternoon in German slang

Knowing German slang is essential if you want to sound like a native. Even the greeting “Guten Tag” is formal and not often used casually – but “guten Nachmittag” would not sound natural. Instead, greet someone in the afternoon with some simple German slang words and phrases. Let’s have a look at a few of them:

English	German	IPA
Hi	Na	[naː]
Hellooo	Hallöchen	[haˈløːçən]
Hello	Tach	[ta:x]
‘Sup?	Was geht?	[vas ɡeːt]
What’s up?	Was geht ab?	[vas ɡeːt ap]
How’s it going?	Wie läuft’s?	[viː lɔɪ̯fts]
Everything good?	Alles klar?	[ˈaləs klaːɐ̯]
Is everything good with you?	Alles gut bei dir?	[ˈaləs klaːɐ̯ baɪ̯ diːɐ̯]

Knowing these German slang improves your chances of becoming fluent in German as these words are widely used in day-to-day regular conversations.

Afternoon greetings in various German regions

There are no specific afternoon greetings that vary by region in Germany, but you can never go wrong with a simple “hallo” in German. If you want to be more regionally specific, try some of these greetings.

In the table below, we have separately mentioned the German regions where these greetings are used.

English	German	IPA	Region
Hello	Moin	[mɔɪ̯n]	Hamburg, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein
Hello	Moin Moin	[mɔɪ̯n]	Hamburg, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein
Hello	Servus	[ˈseɐ̯vus]	Bavaria
Hello	Mahlzeit	[‘maːltsaɪ̯t]	Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg
Hello	Tach	[ta:x]	Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hamburg, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein

Good afternoon in Swiss German

Swiss German is similar to the dialects of South Germany. The greeting “Servus” can be heard throughout Switzerland, Austria, and South Germany. This can be used throughout the day, whether in the morning, evening, or afternoon.

English	German	IPA
Hello	Servus	[ˈseɐ̯vus]
Hello	Grüß Gott	[ɡʁyːs ɡɔt]
Hello	Grüezi	[gʁʏət͡si]
Have a nice rest of your afternoon!	No a schöna Nachmittag!	[no: a: ‘ʃø:na ˈnaːxmɪˌtaːk]

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What does a German afternoon look like

In Germany, the time between noon and evening is considered the afternoon, as it is in other countries. This is usually between 12 and 5 p.m.

Huge lunches

While Americans work all day and eat their largest meal at dinner, Germans like to take a break between 1 and 3 p.m. for “Mittagessen,” which includes a variety of warm German dishes. This is the most important meal of the day for many people.

Hausaufgaben

In some European countries, school lasts the entire day. Poor French students usually have classes from 8:30 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. – but not Germans.

Students here leave school between noon and afternoon, but they are expected to complete some Hausaufgaben (homework), so they usually spend their afternoons at home completing those before going out to play.

Kaffee und Kuchen

Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) is unquestionably the highlight of a German afternoon. This is an essential German tradition that you should incorporate into your life right now.

First, ensure that you understand how to order coffee in German. Then simply grab some cake and gather your friends for a cozy afternoon of chit-chat.

Feierabendbier

Many Germans like to have their famous “Feierabendbier” (a nice German beer), right after work, in the late afternoon or early evening, to celebrate the end of the work day. This is the ideal way to cap off your afternoon.

Many people wonder why to learn German and how to select it as a preferred foreign language. Know that, German is a language spoken by millions of people. Knowing German will help you grab several personal and professional opportunities. It will also help you develop some memorable friendships and relationships.

Conclusion

While you can say “good afternoon” in German, you now understand that using different expressions makes more sense. Know that, It is perfectly normal to begin learning a language by thinking in your mother tongue and then gradually translating your thoughts into the new language. Natives will understand you regardless and will be very forgiving if you make mistakes like this.

However, as your language skills improve, you will be more likely to express yourself directly in your target language. So keep learning!