German phrases for meeting your new neighbours in Germany
Greet neighbours with “Guten Tag” and use Sie. Say who you are: “Ich bin neu im Haus” or “Ich bin gerade oben eingezogen”, and add your surname. They may answer with a welcome. Say “Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen”, and wait for them to offer du before you switch.
Try it · about two minutes
In your first week you meet a neighbour on the stairs and introduce yourself.
Sound on: the neighbour speaks German. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.
How does the conversation usually go?
It’s your first week in the building. On the stairs you meet a neighbour carrying shopping.
YouHallo, ich wohne nebenan.
Hello, I live next door.
- Neighbour
Willkommen im Haus!
Welcome to the building!
YouEs freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.
Nice to meet you.
- Neighbour
In welchem Stock wohnen Sie?
Which floor do you live on?
YouIch bin gerade oben eingezogen.
I’ve just moved in upstairs.
- Neighbour
Sie sprechen sehr gut Deutsch!
You speak German very well!
YouIch lerne Deutsch.
I’m learning German.
- Neighbour
Wenn Sie mal Hilfe brauchen, klopfen Sie einfach.
If you ever need a hand, just knock.
YouDas ist sehr nett von Ihnen, danke.
That’s very kind of you, thank you.
- Neighbour
Möchten Sie mal einen Kaffee trinken?
Would you like to have a coffee sometime?
YouJa, sehr gern!
Yes, I’d love to!
Which German phrases do you need?
Hallo, ich wohne nebenan.
Hello, I live next door.
Ich bin neu im Haus.
I’m new in the building.
Darf ich mich vorstellen?
May I introduce myself?
Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.
Nice to meet you.
Willkommen im Haus!
Welcome to the building!
Ich bin gerade oben eingezogen.
I’ve just moved in upstairs.
In welchem Stock wohnen Sie?
Which floor do you live on?
Ich lerne Deutsch.
I’m learning German.
Wenn Sie mal Hilfe brauchen, klopfen Sie einfach.
If you ever need a hand, just knock.
Möchten Sie mal einen Kaffee trinken?
Would you like to have a coffee sometime?
What is worth knowing in Germany?
Sie until someone offers du
Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.
Nice to meet you.
Freut mich, dich kennenzulernen.
Nice to meet you.
Neighbours you don’t know are addressed with Sie. Someone usually offers du (“Wir können uns auch duzen”) once you know each other, and in some younger buildings it comes quickly.
Your name on the bell
Soon after you move in, put your surname on the doorbell and on your letterbox. Neighbours see it, and the post and couriers can find you.
Counting floors
The ground floor is the Erdgeschoss, so the erster Stock is one flight up. “Im dritten Stock” means the third floor above the ground.
In welchem Stock wohnen Sie?
Which floor do you live on?
Questions about this situation
- Which German phrases matter most here?
- “Hallo, ich wohne nebenan.” (Hello, I live next door); “Ich bin neu im Haus.” (I’m new in the building); “Darf ich mich vorstellen?” (May I introduce myself). The full list is above.
- Can I hear how they sound?
- Yes: press the speaker next to a phrase to hear it, recorded for the Frasa app.
- How can I practise this conversation?
- Press “Start the conversation” above to play it through and choose your replies, with a note on why some fit better in Germany. Frasa, an iPhone app, lets you save these phrases and rehearse them out loud.
Related situations in German
- Borrowing something from a neighbour
- Asking a neighbour to keep the noise down
- Asking a neighbour to take in a parcel
- Small talk with a neighbour in the lift
Practise these phrases in Frasa
Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.
AI-generated. May be inaccurate.