Hello!

Your first German conversation can start with one word: Hallo! Use it with friends and classmates. Guten Tag is a polite greeting when you meet someone you don't know.

Use Guten Morgen in the morning and Guten Abend in the evening. Gute Nacht means 'good night' and is usually a goodbye before bed, not a greeting.

Anna and Samir meet before class. Use ich heiße to give your name. You can also say ich bin, which means 'I am'. Use du with a friend, a child, or someone who has agreed to use first names and du with you.

The letter ß sounds like s in 'see'. In heißen, ei sounds like 'eye'. Learn Wie heißt du? as a whole phrase for now.

At reception, Anna uses Sie with Frau Weber. Sie is the polite 'you'. Use it with adults you don't know in formal situations. Write this Sie with a capital S, even in the middle of a sentence.

Frau + surname is a polite way to address a woman. Herr + surname is used for a man. You don't need these titles when introducing yourself with your full name.

The verb changes with the person. Learn these six forms together. Sein means 'to be'. Heißen means 'to be called'.

Say ich bin, not ich bist. With du, use bist and heißt. With polite Sie, use sind and heißen.

After saying hello, you can ask Wie geht's? Learn the answers below as ready-to-use phrases. With someone you address as Sie, use Wie geht es Ihnen?

Try it aloud with your own name: Hallo! Ich heiße … Then ask Wie heißt du? You already have the start of a conversation.