How to say Happy New Year in German before the New Year Begins

For new readers to this blog, here is the link to the Happy New Year explanation from a previous post. This is used in the spoken language –  in the four days between the end of Christmas (27 Dec) and 31 December. Since Germans have 2 1/2 days of public holidays off for Christmas, people still say ‘Frohe Weihnachten’ on the 26 Dec.

On 01 January, and for several days (or weeks) into the new year, we can greet people with ‘Ein gutes neues Jahr!’

On a greeting card, we use ‘Viele gute Wünsche zum Neuen Jahr!’

Christmas Time Notes from Germany

Pension-Sprachschule would like to wish you a Merry Christmas from Hessen, the heart of Germany.

This year, it is a four-and-a-half-day holiday including the weekend and 25 +26 December. Monday, 24 December, our Christmas, is the one that is only half a day. Everything closes at 2pm that day (except gas stations, fast food restaurants, etc.)

F R O H E  W E I H N A C H T E N !

F R O H E  F E I E R T A G E !

Seen in Zeilitzheim in Lower Franconia

 

Happy New Year Greeting in German

Before the new year begins, Germans greet either with:

Einen guten Beschluss! (a good closure) or

Einen guten Rutsch! (a good slide).

Only when the new year has actually begun, you will hear Ein gutes neues Jahr! (A happy New Year).

To either of these greetings, if you happen to be in Germany, you can reply with several general versions of “The same to you!” by saying:

Ebenso! or Gleichfalls! or Ebenfalls!

or more directly addressing the person:

Ihnen auch! (you too; the polite version) or

Dir auch! (you too; the familiar version)

Clover and pigs (as well as chimney sweeps) are among the many good luck charms we give away before New Year’s Day. Starting 2 January, these items usually go half-priced.

So tomorrow, Monday, 31 December, is your last chance to buy presents. Keep in mind that stores close by early afternoon.

Notes from Germany

This photo is not accurate. We have no snow at the moment and the weather bureau tells us we are having the mildest winter on record in 30 years.

Nevertheless, enjoy your holidays, wherever you are.

The meaning of “Wie geht’s?” in German

Last night I was out with a German friend. Somewhere during the conversation, she remembered a question she had stored for me for a while.
She leaned towards me and said, “Do you remember my American neighbors, X and Y? For some reason, every time they see me, they ask me how I am doing. Do they think there is something wrong with me?”

I had a good laugh about it and then proceeded to explain that a simple “Hello, how are you?”, when spoken in English, is mostly meant as a greeting. The proper reply would be “I’m fine, thanks. And you?”.

The neighbors’ try at German by asking her “Hallo. Wie geht’s?” is seen as a true inquiry by most Germans. A true question deserves a true answer, and sometimes a rather lengthy one. My friend also saw this anywhere from being inquisitive to downright nosy. She had to laugh too, when she realized she had given them a straight answer, and much more, every time.

I had to learn this one myself, too. On the way to the supermarket, I often encounter elderly neighbors, and being the friendly sport I am, I asked them how they were… Then the time for grocery-shopping was gone, lunch break was over, and I had to return to work. But I learned about their lives spent in the last six months.

By now you might wonder how do you greet Germans without having to say “Wie geht’s?”. You can say it if you are absolutely bored or want to practice your German listening skills.

If you need to avoid this time-consuming pastime, then it is best to bite your tongue after the initial hello saying. Or you could add “Guten Morgen!”, “Guten Tag”, etc.,  but then do not forget to lower your voice on the last syllable. This indicates the end of the communication.

If I don’t hear from you soon, I know you did not adhere to my suggestions.

 

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