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's | How's it going? (quite informal) |
| Wie läuft's? | How's life? (quite informal) |
| Mir geht es gut, danke | I'm fine, thanks |
| Mir geht es ganz gut, danke | I'm OK, thanks |
| Ganz gut, danke | Alright, thanks |
| Geht so | So-so |
| nicht so besonders or nicht so gut | Not 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 gearbeitet | Working a lot |
| Viel zu tun gehabt für die Uni | Studying a lot |
| Ich habe viel zu tun gehabt | I've been very busy |
| Alles wie immer | Same as usual |
| Nicht viel | Not much |
| Ich komme gerade aus … zurück | I've just come back from … |
| Portugal | Portugal |
Asking where someone is
| Wo bist du? | Where are you? |
| Ich bin … | I'm … |
| zu Hause | at home |
| auf der Arbeit | at work |
| in der Stadt | in town |
| auf dem Land | in the countryside |
| beim Einkaufen | at the shops |
| im Zug | on a train |
| bei Stefan | at 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 Weihnachten | Christmas |
| an Silvester | New Year |
| an Ostern | Easter |
| Was machst du am Wochenende? | What are you doing at the weekend? |
