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German · Neighbours · Beginner

Small talk phrases in German

With a neighbour, keep it short and use Sie: answer “Hallo, wie geht es Ihnen?” with “Gut, danke. Und Ihnen?”. The weather is the safe topic: “Es regnet schon wieder” or “Hoffentlich wird das Wetter bald besser”. Ask back, “Wie war Ihr Wochenende?”, and part with “Schönen Tag noch”.

Try it · about two minutes

You share the lift with a neighbour and fill the ride with a few friendly words about the weather.

Sound on: the neighbour speaks German. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

The conversation

  1. Neighbour

    Hallo, wie geht es Ihnen?

    Hello, how are you?

    You

    Gut, danke. Und Ihnen?

    Fine, thanks. And you?

  2. Neighbour

    Es regnet schon wieder.

    It’s raining again.

    You

    Hoffentlich wird das Wetter bald besser.

    I hope the weather gets better soon.

  3. Neighbour

    Wie lange wohnen Sie schon hier?

    How long have you lived here?

    You

    Ich bin gerade oben eingezogen.

    I’ve just moved in upstairs.

  4. Neighbour

    Willkommen im Haus!

    Welcome to the building.

    You

    Danke schön. Ich heiße Sam.

    Thank you. I’m Sam.

  5. The lift is still going up. It’s your turn to ask something.

    You

    Wie war Ihr Wochenende?

    How was your weekend?

  6. Neighbour

    Wir waren nur zu Hause und haben uns ausgeruht.

    We just stayed at home and relaxed.

    You

    Ach, schön!

    Oh, nice.

Key phrases

  • Hallo, wie geht es Ihnen?

    Hello, how are you?

  • Gut, danke. Und Ihnen?

    Fine, thanks. And you?

  • Schönes Wetter heute, oder?

    Nice weather today, isn’t it?

  • Es regnet schon wieder.

    It’s raining again.

  • Hoffentlich wird das Wetter bald besser.

    I hope the weather gets better soon.

  • Wie lange wohnen Sie schon hier?

    How long have you lived here?

  • Ich bin gerade oben eingezogen.

    I’ve just moved in upstairs.

  • Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.

    Nice to meet you.

  • Wie war Ihr Wochenende?

    How was your weekend?

  • Einen schönen Tag noch!

    Have a nice day.

Good to know in Germany

Sie with neighbours

Neighbours

Wie geht es Ihnen?

How are you?

Friends

Wie geht’s dir?

How are you? (casual)

With neighbours you don’t know well, use Sie. Wait for them to offer du, which often happens among younger neighbours.

Often on the stairs

Many older German buildings have no lift, so this kind of chat happens just as often on the stairs or at the front door.

Short is fine

Small talk with neighbours tends to be brief. A greeting, a word on the weather and a goodbye is a complete, friendly exchange.

Einen schönen Tag noch!

Have a nice day.

More situations in German

All situations in German

Keep 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.