General conversation

Here are some common German phrases for general conversation with people you already know.

Asking how someone is

Wie geht es dir?How are you?
Wie geht'sHow's it going? (quite informal)
Wie läuft's?How's life? (quite informal)
Mir geht es gut, dankeI'm fine, thanks
Mir geht es ganz gut, dankeI'm OK, thanks
Ganz gut, dankeAlright, thanks
Geht soSo-so
nicht so besonders or nicht so gutNot so well
Und dir?And you? (in reply to wie geht es dir? or wie geht's)
Und selbst?And yourself?

Asking what someone is or has been doing

Was machst du gerade?What are you up to?
Was hast du so gemacht?What have you been up to?
Viel gearbeitetWorking a lot
Viel zu tun gehabt für die UniStudying a lot
Ich habe viel zu tun gehabtI've been very busy
Alles wie immerSame as usual
Nicht vielNot much
Ich komme gerade aus … zurückI've just come back from …
PortugalPortugal

Asking where someone is

Wo bist du?Where are you?
Ich bin …I'm …
zu Hauseat home
auf der Arbeitat work
in der Stadtin town
auf dem Landin the countryside
beim Einkaufenat the shops
im Zugon a train
bei Stefanat Stefan's place

Asking about someone's plans

Hast du schon Pläne für den Sommer?Do you have any plans for the summer?
Was machst du …?What are you doing for …?
an WeihnachtenChristmas
an SilvesterNew Year
an OsternEaster
Was machst du am Wochenende?What are you doing at the weekend?
sound

Sound is available for all the German phrases on this page — simply click on any phrase to hear it.

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