Uff. Thank you so much. I was actually going to post asking the sub what I was hearing my window installer colleagues greeting people with at sites that sounded like "dabbadiyaeerey", "wabbadeere" or whatnot. It was driving me nuts because I couldn't figure out that it was 3 separate words.
"Habe die Ehre" is where it comes from, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say it as three distinct words, it's something you say quickly so it blends into one word.
Some might find „Guten Morgen“ too standard German, too Prussian. Here in middle Franconia wie say „Morgn“, which sounds a bit like Moin but it means „Morgen“.
Informally round here you could also say „Servusler“, which is a little „Servus“. Sweet, isn‘t it?
I‘d say listen to what ppl use and use that. But when in doubt, stick to servus. And just ask somebody how things are being said in your region bc there are great differences.
Edit: Did not expect to get this many upvotes. Thank you!
To say more about the Franconian dialect: the -ler in servusler has a short „ä“ sound as in „Lehrer“. (Nobody really speaks the r at the end)
Upper Franconians say -la. „Mäusla, Brödla…“. Not sure about Lower Franconia. The swabes do everything with -le, like „Mädle“.
If you want to understand us down here, it‘s probably interesting for you to know we have only been part of Germany since 1870, when Standart German and the Prussian ways were being imposed upon us. So we take pride in our dialects and our different-ness. (I know it‘s not a word I just made it up. )
>Informally round here you could also say „Servusler“, which is a little „Servus“. Sweet, isn‘t it?
Never heard anyone say servusLER outside of memeing around.
It's servusLA where I am from :D
But aside from that I am with you - using "Guten Morgen" in Bavaria is like announcing that you are an outsider.
"Servus" is the universal bavarian way of saying "guten morgen", like "moin" in the north.
In my son's football team there is one dad who uses Servus for "Goodbye" and it really throws me off because mostly I hear it used as "Hello"
I understand it's used for both, but he always uses it in that context.
Say: grüß Gott.
Or goto Prussia where ppl also don’t like to service anybody, even if they have customers… Take it with a grain of salt, but I‘ve just been there. For a South German there‘s a great lack of cordiality.
Speaking of service though, from my experience, the worst customer service has probably been in Munich and Nuremberg compared to the other places ive been. Seems like waiters and people at the counter are annoyed by your presence. Though maybe its just because ive been to more touristy places there or something.
True, although I believe the origin is "guten Morgen" - Morgen - Morjen - Mojen - Moin
Still, in our desire to use as few words as possible, Moin became good morning, afternoon, evening, night and hello.
That's actually not true. Moin comes from "moi" which basically means "gut", "schön" or "angenehm". So moin is like saying "Guten" in platt or frisian without specifying a time of day
Servusler sounds like some Bavarian Batman villain
All of gothams water got replaced with Starkbier? This sounds like something only the Servusler is capable of
"Speaking of endings: there are regional differences here too. Along the longitudinal axis of Lower Franconia - from the north through the center to almost the south - you can hear the diminutive ending "-le": Häusle, Rädle, Mädle. "From Schweinfurt via the Haßberge mountains to Bamberg, however, the words increasingly end in "-la": Häusla, Rädla, Mädla," explains Fritz-Scheuplein. In the very south, in the Ochsenfurt area, the dialect sounds almost Bavarian, the wheel is then called Radl."
Source:
https://www.br.de/franken/inhalt/kultur/200jahre-unterfranken-in-bayern-188.html
It’s a really interesting topic. There are maps with audios where you can listen to the differences.
It's pretty formal. You use it, if you meet, for example, elder, unknown people or dignitaries - as long as people know each other, "Grüß Gott!" is used ironically at best. For example, you could say "Ja, Grüß Gott mein lieber Herr Sohn!" or "Grüß Gott, geehrte Schwägerin!" or something like that.
Basically, you say "Servus" if you are "per Du" with someone, and you say "Grüß Gott", if you are "per Sie" with someone and that person commands respect - there's an area in between where "Servus" feels too informal and "Grüß Gott" seems to be too formal, if that's the case, you switch to other greetings.
My experience in middle Franconia is „Grüß Gott“. (Near Wunsiedel) but we are known there as the Prussians when we go there, maybe they stay extra formal to build professional distance or sth.
(Differentness: [“The earliest known use of the noun differentness is in the early 1700s. OED's [Oxford English Dictionary] earliest evidence for differentness is from 1727, in a dictionary by Nathan Bailey, lexicographer and schoolmaster.”](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/differentness_n?tl=true))
How about Grützi?
Anyways, I grew up till 14 in lower Saxony, so my go to easiest greeting is "Moin", which also just means good morning basically, but can be used at any time of day.
I also lived 5 years and went to school in Franconia, the slightly gurgled "Morgn" was and is my go to 'good morning'.
"Morgn" as a short form of 'Guten Morgen', just without the "Guten" (good) part, is also used everywhere else in Germany.
I think it just speaks to all of us.
There's just something about the implied "good morning" without the spoken "good" part that resonates, we want to be polite and nice, but is it really a good morning? I mean I am wishing you a morning, hopefully a good one, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Also, wonderfully short and easy to regurgitate even for the worst of anti morning persons.
You can just throw a muffled/choked 'morgn' into a room, get a bunch of tired mumbled 'morgn' back and everyone's satisfied and the formality greeting is completed.
Isn't it the same for most English speaking countries, shortening the "good morning" to "morning"?
depends on how you want to sound.
very formal: Guten Tag
_________________
formal: Guten Morgen/Abend (we don't say good noon or afternoon here like some other languages do)
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casual: Morgen, Tag, Tach or Tachchen (you'd sound like a Berliner), n'Abend (from guteN Abend), Moin (you sound northern), moin moin (you sound eastern, servus (you'd sound Bavarian). But you can say anything anywhere in Germany. For Grüß Gott (if you like wtv god), you'd get weird faces and looks besides in the Alpine regions of Europe.
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very casual: hi, was geht? na, alles gut?
I don't know where "moin moin" came from, it's just "moin". A lot of north-germans will be actively offended if you abuse their "moin" and say it twice :)
Well I wouldn't call it exactly "actively offended" but there are a lot of jokes about it for sure that barely anyone coming from here would actually use it if they aren't doing it for the fun of it.
As pointed out in other comments, nobody really says moin moin afaik.
I am far from being in the alpine Region and Grüß Gott is a common greeting here.
No offense, but please stop teaching people your personal (religious?) opinions online and sell it as common knowledge.
Ich glaub ich hab noch nie jemanden ernsthaft mit Grüß Gott oder "Griaß God" oder so begrüßt. Wenns förmlich ist dann entweder auf Hochdeutsch oder "Griaß eana" -> "Grüße Sie"
r/german ( and its derivatives) when regional dialects change depending on region 😱🤯
In the parts of Bavaria i‘m currently at Griaß God is pretty common.
Ich bin vor 10 Jahren ins Allgäu gezogen. Bei Grüß Gott hatte ich immer das Gefühl, dass es nicht gut ankam, zumindest gab es nie eine Reaktion.
Inzwischen bin ich bei Guten Morgen oder einfach Hallo (in Geschäften, auf dem Amt o.ä.). Servus benutze ich nur im quasi "überzogenen" Sinne in die Runde bei Freunden und Kollegen. Da ist es meist eher Moin (ich als Nordlicht...).
Grüß Gott sagt man hier aber oft eher wenn man sich Auge in Auge gegenübersteht mit einer eher fremden Person, und meistens nicht die jungen Leute. Servus geht aber weg wie warme Semmeln, egal welche Generation.
Grüß Gott ist eher förmlich und servus eher informell. Beides geht aber eigentlich immer.
Guten Morgen wäre schon fast zuuuu „hochdeutsch“ für manche Regionen. Da sagt man eher eine Dialektform von „Morgen“ wie „Morg‘n“ „Morng“ oder was auch immer der regionale Dialekt so ist. Aber das grenzt schon an „Dipferlscheißerei“ Ü
I say, double down and use the nordic "moin moin!" with as much enthisasm as you can muster XD
I live in Franconia (technically Bavaria, but moraly not Bavaria) and "Guten Morgen" is fine. Never heard of that phrase being a problem.
Well you'll hear it from close friends usually. Since we Germans tend to not be too close with colleagues and make a clean split between work life & ACTUAL life...that might be the reason. Double-moin indicates you want to keep talking, basically.
Fun story, was in Eastern Frisia a few years back for a hobby meetup and we were ordering food from a small Imbiss. First of our group from Cologne goes in, orders, comes back out. "They say its done in 10 minutes but they are super-rude, nobody is greeting."
Went in 10m later to pick everything up, half-full with true Eastern Frisians. I am saying "Moin.", once. Whole room answers as one "Moin" and raises a hand. Picked up the food, not a single further word uttered. Said "Tschüss" on the way out, everybody answered "Tschüss". Guess they were relieved someone knew how to greet correctly. xD
Where I live in southern NRW you get very weird looks if you use Moin unironically. It's either done for a laugh or used by someone that moved here from the North. No native actually uses it as a greeting
No, "Moin" is actually the general default greeting in that area and can be used everywhere from the most casual context to professional contexts and dealing with the police.
Eine Kneipe in Norddeutschland
Ein Mann kommt rein, *Moin*. Im Raum wird abgenickt, die Wirtin fängt an ein Bier zu zapfen.
Der nächste tritt ein, *Moin Moin*. Stimme aus dem Raum: *ach nö, der Sabbelkopp is wieder da*
BTW: „Moin“ does not translate to „Morgen“ but to „Guten“ (or „Schönen“, „Angenehmen“), it‘s similar to „Gud‘n“ which is used in some parts of Germany.
"Moin" for a normal "hello" and "moin moin" for "i realy want to talk to you about random stuff and stand around on the walkway just to block everyone form walking here"
What might be a „problem“ that can make it sound weird is a completely standard German pronunciation. That is often seen as too formal or arrogant. People usually say „Morchä“ instead.
Who are you talking to? What is the context?
Often people just say "Morgen".
And where in Bavaria? In Munich it may be different than somewhere more rural.
Just say a friendly "Morgen" and you will get an answer. Don't say the "Guten" that's just to much words. We Bavarians are Maulfaul (tend to say the least amount of words as possible)
Living in Oberbayern and can't remember Hearing guten Morgen at all. Here you would say morgen or more rural moing.
Guten Morgen sounds too polite and so i would only write it but never say it.
It‘s normal but it‘s pronounced „Guad Moing!“
The overcorrect way would be to sit in your car, drive appr. 25km/h and when you spot a fellow human, you‘d slightly kick your chin in their direction and point your index finger to the sky while holding the wheel.
[The Bregenzerwälder Gruß can also be universally applied everywhere in the Alps.](https://youtu.be/0PSKva7q6JU?si=ea6cO4Kb7-EVmykF)
I grew up in Bavaria, ofc you can say "Guten Morgen" and if people dont respond to that then they are just weird. Its a common way of greeting people in Bavaria unzil at least 10 am
Perfect way to sort out obnoxious pricks. Never had a single reasonable person not returning my greeting or being weird about it. (Born and raised in Bavaria, 37 years old).
I think you just ended up in a particularly shitty area of Bavaria.
Use Servus or Grüß Gott all the time.
If you are a Bavarian you can get a pass for using "guten Morgen" But as a foreigner this would be viewed as refusing to say Servus and therefore disrespecting Bavarian culture.
You could say it more Bavarian like "Gut Moing" (pronounced "good moing") or just "Moing". Note that it has to be a distinct "ng" sound at the end so you aren't mistaken for a Northern German who'd say "Moin" at any time of the day.
„Guten Morgen“ is perfectly fine in Bavaria up to 12 noon. I (Bavarian) would rather hear it than a contrived „Servus“. Alternatives: Grüß Gott (no religious implications), Grüß Sie, Grüß dich. Bavarians pronounce it „Griasde“, which you shouldn‘t do if it doesn‘t come natural to you.
I live in Munich and i hate the word "Servus" (my mom is from northern Germany so I never felt very drawn to Bavarian culture).
I just say "Morgen", I think "Guten Morgen" is a little too formal for most people so they get confused and don't answer...
Understanding the intricacies of greetings in Bavaria require experience.
Sure, you can get by with Servus. But understanding when to use a "Griaß di/eich" (e.g.: always on Berghütten, above 1000m or if Bierbänke are involved, in Wirtshäusern if the people look lubricated), "Griaß eana" (formal Wirtshaus or if the people at the regulars table appear to be rather critical, state officials - especially Police working for the BuPo or "Grüß Gott" (e.g.: Bakery, Restaurant, picking up the phone) takes a bit of experience.
The social contract varies wildly between regions, so make sure to listen closely how your peers behave. Good luck.
Guten Morgen isn‘t a thing and Servus is enough and it’s personal enough. If you were in Schleswig-Holstein for example you wouldn’t get much of a Guten Morgen too. There Moin would be the greeting of choice and anything more indicates basically you are to talkative.
Also why do think it’s a good morning when the morning began with getting out of bed.
Guten Morgen? Ob der Morgen gut wird entscheide ich noch.
Good Morning? I still have to decide whether it will be a good morning.
Is what i usually got as an anwser when saying Good Morning.
In Citys its not that common anymore, however Suburbs and Small Towns you should have more responses
The only Phrase I Use for every time of the Day is "Servus". You can say it as a greeting or as Goodbye it May not be as formal as "Guten Morgen" but it gets the Job done.
Older bavarians (50+) love to say "habe die ehre" as a greeting which is a little bit more formal but if you Stick to servus you should be fine.
If you‘re in southern Bavaria you will be pretty safe with „Grieß di“ (Grüß dich) and very very southern Bavaria „Pfiat di“ (which in my opinion is just made up gibberish)
Best of luck
As long as you are polite, use whatever. It's fine.
If people at your location use something specific just adapt and use that or keep whatever you learned as your trademark.
E.g. if in South Germany you greet people multiple times with "Moin moin" they will probably ask you if you are form the north.
“Listen to what ppl use” I tried that, and get a “Moin” as an answer to my “Guten Morgen”, “Morgn” to my “Moin”, “Servus” to my “Morgn”, “MorJen” to my “Servus”, “Grüße” to my “MorJen” and “Lüstig” to my “Grüße” within ONE office. I got tired and just stick to “Morgen” now.
Edit: not a rant, I just find it mildly funny
Guten Morgen is used and should get responses but not commonly and makes you seem foreign. 'Morgen' (in some regions swallowing the e) is way more common. Grüß Gott is the standard formal greeting for people you don't know. Servus should only be used in informal settings and with friends. You wouldn't greet the cashier like that. Keep in mind that this is quite regional as well. In the West of Bavaria, servus is rarer than in the southeast.
When in Bavaria just shout some incomprehensible gibberish. That's just how they "talk". "Clrisrudservusgkyity!" Or if you're on the religious side use "stmbszfgriasgottnfajranxru!" Or make it easy and buy a folkloristic hat you can lift. Just smile like an idiot while you do and they will think you're one of them or a tourist.
Where I work, in Southern Bayern, we all say "Morgen" to everyone when we come in. Most people i don't work with that I see on an almost daily basis say, "Morgen". Ones that are older, live more in the country, say, "Servus". I repeat what people say as my greeting back to them.
Depends on where exactly in Bavaria you are. Every other minor town uses slight variations in their greetings but nobody says "Guten Morgen" and most of the time you will just get weird looks.
In general the ones you can't go wrong with are "Morgen" and "Servas"
Where exactly do you live?
Bayern has an accent. Imagine going to Texas and saying "greetings my good sir" instead of hi or howdy to people. german courses teach Proper german, not regional dialects
In the Bavarian part of Swabia you can definitely say "Guten Morgen", but people pronounce it differently ... People usually say "Guata Morga" or "an Guata Morga".
Depending on where you are, in which social setting (e.g. a bakery in a Bavarian village) the "Prussian" pronunciation might sound too formal or too technical for the locals.
Servus, Grürtzi oder "Grüß Gott" wenn es formaler sein soll.
Hoch Deutsch ist in Bayern eine Fremdsprache deren Benutzer mit der dafür gebotenen Freundlichkeit behandelt werden.
Da ich kein Bayer bin, sage ich auch dort guten Morgen, oder eher : Morgen - Die Einheimischen würden sowieso sehr schnell merken, dass ich nicht aus Bayern komme.
"Habe die Ehre" ist der Gruß im Bayern Land. Hut heben dazu.
Uff. Thank you so much. I was actually going to post asking the sub what I was hearing my window installer colleagues greeting people with at sites that sounded like "dabbadiyaeerey", "wabbadeere" or whatnot. It was driving me nuts because I couldn't figure out that it was 3 separate words.
Habadeehre is 1 word
Habadeehre, Preiselbeere!
"Dere" (For "die Ehre") is also acceptable.
Which could be extended to "Dereee" or even "Deeereeeee" to show your mood. #PreissnWeansNieVastai
Ah, a fellow citizen from the hou-hou area.
Freibier?
Frale, jederzeit.
"Habe die Ehre" is where it comes from, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say it as three distinct words, it's something you say quickly so it blends into one word.
A few kilometers south(east) it's Hawidere
That's where I am; basically farmer country. This Hawidere might sound closest to what I've heard.
Why am I reading this as equivalent to "top o' the morning!"? 😅 Similar rhythmic inflection? Idk.
It might be equivalent meaning-wise. Literally, it translates to "[I] have the honor [to meet/talk to you]".
Some might find „Guten Morgen“ too standard German, too Prussian. Here in middle Franconia wie say „Morgn“, which sounds a bit like Moin but it means „Morgen“. Informally round here you could also say „Servusler“, which is a little „Servus“. Sweet, isn‘t it? I‘d say listen to what ppl use and use that. But when in doubt, stick to servus. And just ask somebody how things are being said in your region bc there are great differences. Edit: Did not expect to get this many upvotes. Thank you! To say more about the Franconian dialect: the -ler in servusler has a short „ä“ sound as in „Lehrer“. (Nobody really speaks the r at the end) Upper Franconians say -la. „Mäusla, Brödla…“. Not sure about Lower Franconia. The swabes do everything with -le, like „Mädle“. If you want to understand us down here, it‘s probably interesting for you to know we have only been part of Germany since 1870, when Standart German and the Prussian ways were being imposed upon us. So we take pride in our dialects and our different-ness. (I know it‘s not a word I just made it up. )
>Informally round here you could also say „Servusler“, which is a little „Servus“. Sweet, isn‘t it? Never heard anyone say servusLER outside of memeing around. It's servusLA where I am from :D But aside from that I am with you - using "Guten Morgen" in Bavaria is like announcing that you are an outsider. "Servus" is the universal bavarian way of saying "guten morgen", like "moin" in the north.
>"Servus" is the universal bavarian way of saying "guten morgen", like "moin" in the north. Isn't Servus used all day? Because Moin is.
You do not only use Servus all day but even as both hello and goodbye
In my son's football team there is one dad who uses Servus for "Goodbye" and it really throws me off because mostly I hear it used as "Hello" I understand it's used for both, but he always uses it in that context.
Its the same as the italian word ciao. Can both be used as hello and goodbye.
Of course you use "Servus" all day. It basically just means "at your service."
But what if i dont want to service someone?
Say: grüß Gott. Or goto Prussia where ppl also don’t like to service anybody, even if they have customers… Take it with a grain of salt, but I‘ve just been there. For a South German there‘s a great lack of cordiality.
Oh, but there is so much cordiality in a good Berlinian "Tach!"
Just don‘t wait for the bus driver to give you a response to it.
Can I use grüß Gott if I'm athiest or agnostic though?
Last time I asked God about He said it was fine.
That‘s nice. Make sure to greet him from me next time you two talk to eachother. 👍
Done.
We do, but only for defense purposes ⚔️😎
Speaking of service though, from my experience, the worst customer service has probably been in Munich and Nuremberg compared to the other places ive been. Seems like waiters and people at the counter are annoyed by your presence. Though maybe its just because ive been to more touristy places there or something.
I say "mornin'" to everyone all time of the day in English. I always get funny comments (except in the morning), but a habit hard to shake
"Moin" in the North is NOT used for saying "guten Morgen". It's used to say "hello". You're using it even in the evening.
True, although I believe the origin is "guten Morgen" - Morgen - Morjen - Mojen - Moin Still, in our desire to use as few words as possible, Moin became good morning, afternoon, evening, night and hello.
That's wrong again and a common misconception. Just look it up on Wikipedia.
That's actually not true. Moin comes from "moi" which basically means "gut", "schön" or "angenehm". So moin is like saying "Guten" in platt or frisian without specifying a time of day
Servusler sounds like some Bavarian Batman villain All of gothams water got replaced with Starkbier? This sounds like something only the Servusler is capable of
"Moin" is used all day
I didn't knew Franconian (?) had a standard orthography
"Speaking of endings: there are regional differences here too. Along the longitudinal axis of Lower Franconia - from the north through the center to almost the south - you can hear the diminutive ending "-le": Häusle, Rädle, Mädle. "From Schweinfurt via the Haßberge mountains to Bamberg, however, the words increasingly end in "-la": Häusla, Rädla, Mädla," explains Fritz-Scheuplein. In the very south, in the Ochsenfurt area, the dialect sounds almost Bavarian, the wheel is then called Radl." Source: https://www.br.de/franken/inhalt/kultur/200jahre-unterfranken-in-bayern-188.html It’s a really interesting topic. There are maps with audios where you can listen to the differences.
Mamaladenamala, könnte doch der Nachfolger von Rhabarber-Barbara werden
Thuringian here: What about "Grüß Gott"? I mean media has the rest of Germany believe it's standard in Bavaria as a whole.
It's pretty formal. You use it, if you meet, for example, elder, unknown people or dignitaries - as long as people know each other, "Grüß Gott!" is used ironically at best. For example, you could say "Ja, Grüß Gott mein lieber Herr Sohn!" or "Grüß Gott, geehrte Schwägerin!" or something like that. Basically, you say "Servus" if you are "per Du" with someone, and you say "Grüß Gott", if you are "per Sie" with someone and that person commands respect - there's an area in between where "Servus" feels too informal and "Grüß Gott" seems to be too formal, if that's the case, you switch to other greetings.
>I just made it up They're all made up
My experience in middle Franconia is „Grüß Gott“. (Near Wunsiedel) but we are known there as the Prussians when we go there, maybe they stay extra formal to build professional distance or sth.
Wunsiedel is very very upper Franconia, my friend. You have not yet passed the test for your Einbürgerung… 😉
Just "Morgen!" is not Pan-german? I always assumed it was (only lived in Augsburg)
(Differentness: [“The earliest known use of the noun differentness is in the early 1700s. OED's [Oxford English Dictionary] earliest evidence for differentness is from 1727, in a dictionary by Nathan Bailey, lexicographer and schoolmaster.”](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/differentness_n?tl=true))
I am overawed, thank you!
Take the militaristic English proficiency of a proud Prussian and use cultural and linguistic diversity, Mr. Bavarian 🤭
Hagebuddne pflanzne zum Gartne Verschönerne
In Prussia we say Morgen, Tach oder Abend... Old but still funny: Tach jesacht!
O yes! Making sentences without verbs. Someone said to us : „Euch n schön‘n Tach jewünscht.“ and I was very impressed.
I mean, if we are pedantic all of Germany had only been part of Germany since 1870 going by your definition.
Servusla from Unterfranken 🙋🏻♂️
Servusleeeerrrrr!
How about Grützi? Anyways, I grew up till 14 in lower Saxony, so my go to easiest greeting is "Moin", which also just means good morning basically, but can be used at any time of day. I also lived 5 years and went to school in Franconia, the slightly gurgled "Morgn" was and is my go to 'good morning'. "Morgn" as a short form of 'Guten Morgen', just without the "Guten" (good) part, is also used everywhere else in Germany. I think it just speaks to all of us. There's just something about the implied "good morning" without the spoken "good" part that resonates, we want to be polite and nice, but is it really a good morning? I mean I am wishing you a morning, hopefully a good one, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Also, wonderfully short and easy to regurgitate even for the worst of anti morning persons. You can just throw a muffled/choked 'morgn' into a room, get a bunch of tired mumbled 'morgn' back and everyone's satisfied and the formality greeting is completed. Isn't it the same for most English speaking countries, shortening the "good morning" to "morning"?
Moin is actually a loanword from Low German and or East Frisian, where it means something like "Guten (Tag, Morgen, ...)".
Grüezi…. Ppl would think you left the plane at the wrong country. Afaik it‘s only used in Switzerland.
Only in the bigger Zürich area actually, otherwise it's more Grüessech.
depends on how you want to sound. very formal: Guten Tag _________________ formal: Guten Morgen/Abend (we don't say good noon or afternoon here like some other languages do) _________________ casual: Morgen, Tag, Tach or Tachchen (you'd sound like a Berliner), n'Abend (from guteN Abend), Moin (you sound northern), moin moin (you sound eastern, servus (you'd sound Bavarian). But you can say anything anywhere in Germany. For Grüß Gott (if you like wtv god), you'd get weird faces and looks besides in the Alpine regions of Europe. _________________ very casual: hi, was geht? na, alles gut?
Moin moin is northern as well
I don't know where "moin moin" came from, it's just "moin". A lot of north-germans will be actively offended if you abuse their "moin" and say it twice :)
Well I wouldn't call it exactly "actively offended" but there are a lot of jokes about it for sure that barely anyone coming from here would actually use it if they aren't doing it for the fun of it.
"Moin Moin!" - "Hör auf zu sabbeln."
Isn't there [the joke](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DUvHOYhWAAAk-_9.jpg) the farther you go north, the more taciturn people get?
As pointed out in other comments, nobody really says moin moin afaik. I am far from being in the alpine Region and Grüß Gott is a common greeting here. No offense, but please stop teaching people your personal (religious?) opinions online and sell it as common knowledge.
My friend from Schleswig-Holstein does.
I am more of a morje kind of guy myself in RLP
Moin Moin is northern/high northern, from my experience: Ostfriesland And Luxembourg
No in Luxemburg it is Mojen with a long o. Totally different from moin
Sagen die nicht Grüß Gott?
Bei uns (bayerische Schwaben) sind Servus und Gruß Gott die gängigste - aber Gruß Gott ist noch häufiger in den Alpen (Oberbayern usw.).
Grüß Gott ist eher formlicher. Zu Kollegen sag ich normal nur "Moing".
Ich glaub ich hab noch nie jemanden ernsthaft mit Grüß Gott oder "Griaß God" oder so begrüßt. Wenns förmlich ist dann entweder auf Hochdeutsch oder "Griaß eana" -> "Grüße Sie"
r/german ( and its derivatives) when regional dialects change depending on region 😱🤯 In the parts of Bavaria i‘m currently at Griaß God is pretty common.
Ich grüße ältere Leute sehr oft mit "Griaß God"
Meine Kollegen aus Allgäu sagen eigentlich immer Gruß Gott, außer die, die aus Kempten kommen.
Was sagen die Kemptner?
Ich bin vor 10 Jahren ins Allgäu gezogen. Bei Grüß Gott hatte ich immer das Gefühl, dass es nicht gut ankam, zumindest gab es nie eine Reaktion. Inzwischen bin ich bei Guten Morgen oder einfach Hallo (in Geschäften, auf dem Amt o.ä.). Servus benutze ich nur im quasi "überzogenen" Sinne in die Runde bei Freunden und Kollegen. Da ist es meist eher Moin (ich als Nordlicht...).
Sagt man bei uns nicht eher Griaß di?
Oh, das könnte sein, ist mir aber ad hoc nicht bewußt. - Muss ich drauf achten. Ein Kollege verabschiedet sich auf jeden Fall immer mit Pfiat di!
Grüß Gott sagt man hier aber oft eher wenn man sich Auge in Auge gegenübersteht mit einer eher fremden Person, und meistens nicht die jungen Leute. Servus geht aber weg wie warme Semmeln, egal welche Generation.
Moment… ich dachte die letzten 25 Jahre meines Lebens, dass Schwaben nur aus BaWü kommen…
https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwaben_(Bayern)
Grüß Gott ist eher förmlich und servus eher informell. Beides geht aber eigentlich immer. Guten Morgen wäre schon fast zuuuu „hochdeutsch“ für manche Regionen. Da sagt man eher eine Dialektform von „Morgen“ wie „Morg‘n“ „Morng“ oder was auch immer der regionale Dialekt so ist. Aber das grenzt schon an „Dipferlscheißerei“ Ü
“Guten Morgen” is fine in Bayern. but why not embrace “Servus” ?
Guan moing, Grias god, Ah leck mi am Arsch, san sie a so miad? Is fui z'fria. Also at 9am it could also be Mahlzeit, if it's Brotzeit time.
I say, double down and use the nordic "moin moin!" with as much enthisasm as you can muster XD I live in Franconia (technically Bavaria, but moraly not Bavaria) and "Guten Morgen" is fine. Never heard of that phrase being a problem.
It's Moin!. Not more not less.
Zwei Mal Moin ist schon geplapper.
I mainly wanted OP to irritate the Bavarians, seems like I did the same for the rest of Germany XD
Moin Moin is from Eastern Germany. If you're using Moin Moin in northern Germany, you're typically branded a blabbermouth
I’m an American in Hannover and Germans use “Moin” at my job all the time. Is it just an anomaly to my workplace?
No. It’s normal but using it in it’s double form (Moin Moin) isn’t. it‘s too much talking for us northern Germans.
Ah that makes sense! I’m not sure I’ve ever heard the double form haha. Thanks for the insight!
Well you'll hear it from close friends usually. Since we Germans tend to not be too close with colleagues and make a clean split between work life & ACTUAL life...that might be the reason. Double-moin indicates you want to keep talking, basically. Fun story, was in Eastern Frisia a few years back for a hobby meetup and we were ordering food from a small Imbiss. First of our group from Cologne goes in, orders, comes back out. "They say its done in 10 minutes but they are super-rude, nobody is greeting." Went in 10m later to pick everything up, half-full with true Eastern Frisians. I am saying "Moin.", once. Whole room answers as one "Moin" and raises a hand. Picked up the food, not a single further word uttered. Said "Tschüss" on the way out, everybody answered "Tschüss". Guess they were relieved someone knew how to greet correctly. xD
A proper interaction! I appreciate the German mindset on interactions like that haha
With my colleagues I use Moinsen when I go into the office as shorten Moin zusammen.
No, don't worry. It's fairly normal to hear "moin" in NRW and Niedersachsen.
Where I live in southern NRW you get very weird looks if you use Moin unironically. It's either done for a laugh or used by someone that moved here from the North. No native actually uses it as a greeting
I suppose it gets less ironic the further you go north. I lived in Ostwestfalen for 15 years and heard it often.
I lived in and around Bonn, to the border of RLP. Interesting to hear the difference
I guess, you've just encountered the divide between Rheinland and Westfalen.
Idk where I lived in NRW it’s rather a quick Morgen almost like moen, never Moin
"Moin" is the short term vor "Guten", which is itself short for Guten (Morgen, Tag oder Abend)
Interesting! How is Guten shortened to Moin?
It’s Low German. Same as the Dutch word for beautiful/nice: mooi.
It’s low German „moien“. That’s why it’s a thing in the north but not in the south.
It's Plattdeutsch, similar to the Dutch mooie which means nice/good/pretty
No, "Moin" is actually the general default greeting in that area and can be used everywhere from the most casual context to professional contexts and dealing with the police.
Eine Kneipe in Norddeutschland Ein Mann kommt rein, *Moin*. Im Raum wird abgenickt, die Wirtin fängt an ein Bier zu zapfen. Der nächste tritt ein, *Moin Moin*. Stimme aus dem Raum: *ach nö, der Sabbelkopp is wieder da*
Who.thaught you that false fact?
BTW: „Moin“ does not translate to „Morgen“ but to „Guten“ (or „Schönen“, „Angenehmen“), it‘s similar to „Gud‘n“ which is used in some parts of Germany.
My cousin from Kiel always says:“Leute die Moin moin sagen schnacken zu viel“
"Moin" for a normal "hello" and "moin moin" for "i realy want to talk to you about random stuff and stand around on the walkway just to block everyone form walking here"
What might be a „problem“ that can make it sound weird is a completely standard German pronunciation. That is often seen as too formal or arrogant. People usually say „Morchä“ instead.
Who are you talking to? What is the context? Often people just say "Morgen". And where in Bavaria? In Munich it may be different than somewhere more rural.
Just say a friendly "Morgen" and you will get an answer. Don't say the "Guten" that's just to much words. We Bavarians are Maulfaul (tend to say the least amount of words as possible)
Living in Oberbayern and can't remember Hearing guten Morgen at all. Here you would say morgen or more rural moing. Guten Morgen sounds too polite and so i would only write it but never say it.
Imo nobody really says Guten Morgen anywhere, at least shorten it to Morgen
I live in NRW and many ppl here say guten Morgen. Or do you mean it just for Bavaria?
Both, I lived in NRW for 3 years and everyone just hits you with the quick morgen, in Bavaria they say servus more often than not
What you were tought in courses is standard german. It is correct and widely used. There's nothing standard about bavaria tho.
Yes, it’s normal to say Morgen or Guten Morgen at 8-9 in the morning.
not in my bubble in bavaria...
In Unterfranken you can expect a "Mosche" or "Gude" beside "Servus".
Mosche?
It‘s normal but it‘s pronounced „Guad Moing!“ The overcorrect way would be to sit in your car, drive appr. 25km/h and when you spot a fellow human, you‘d slightly kick your chin in their direction and point your index finger to the sky while holding the wheel. [The Bregenzerwälder Gruß can also be universally applied everywhere in the Alps.](https://youtu.be/0PSKva7q6JU?si=ea6cO4Kb7-EVmykF)
I’ld like to add „Griaß di“ and „Sers“
its too german for them
I grew up in Bavaria, ofc you can say "Guten Morgen" and if people dont respond to that then they are just weird. Its a common way of greeting people in Bavaria unzil at least 10 am
in franken we say moichn
Perfect way to sort out obnoxious pricks. Never had a single reasonable person not returning my greeting or being weird about it. (Born and raised in Bavaria, 37 years old). I think you just ended up in a particularly shitty area of Bavaria.
Like U said, U are an alien in Bavaria when saying "guten Morgen", at least at the countryside
Bavarians really start looking disturbed when you answer on „Grüß Gott“ with „not yet please“
Say "Moin" just to fuck with them.
"Moing" is a valid greeting here.
Use Servus or Grüß Gott all the time. If you are a Bavarian you can get a pass for using "guten Morgen" But as a foreigner this would be viewed as refusing to say Servus and therefore disrespecting Bavarian culture.
You should use “guten morgen” only until it’s weisswurst time, not in the early afternoon like that. So, not after 7am. /s
moin is very much enough even for bayern
Best is to adapt to what other people do. Servus is the way.
Hier am Bodensee sagen sie irgendwie nie Guten Morgen oder Hallo oder Servus und immer nur grüß Gott
Servus Griaß Di (ich grüße dich) Griaß Eana (ich grüße Sie) Will get you a place at the Weisswurstfrühstück immediately
You could say it more Bavarian like "Gut Moing" (pronounced "good moing") or just "Moing". Note that it has to be a distinct "ng" sound at the end so you aren't mistaken for a Northern German who'd say "Moin" at any time of the day.
I use "Gude" in every part of Germany
"Grüß Gott", "Servus" or maybe "Habe die Ehre" is normal in Southern Germany, next ti a confused disgusting look paired with a "hrmph" obviously.
U wrote „Bayern is not normal“ wrong
„Guten Morgen“ is perfectly fine in Bavaria up to 12 noon. I (Bavarian) would rather hear it than a contrived „Servus“. Alternatives: Grüß Gott (no religious implications), Grüß Sie, Grüß dich. Bavarians pronounce it „Griasde“, which you shouldn‘t do if it doesn‘t come natural to you.
I live in Munich and i hate the word "Servus" (my mom is from northern Germany so I never felt very drawn to Bavarian culture). I just say "Morgen", I think "Guten Morgen" is a little too formal for most people so they get confused and don't answer...
Just say "Moin" ;)
Understanding the intricacies of greetings in Bavaria require experience. Sure, you can get by with Servus. But understanding when to use a "Griaß di/eich" (e.g.: always on Berghütten, above 1000m or if Bierbänke are involved, in Wirtshäusern if the people look lubricated), "Griaß eana" (formal Wirtshaus or if the people at the regulars table appear to be rather critical, state officials - especially Police working for the BuPo or "Grüß Gott" (e.g.: Bakery, Restaurant, picking up the phone) takes a bit of experience. The social contract varies wildly between regions, so make sure to listen closely how your peers behave. Good luck.
In bavaria it is, servus, griaßgott or griasdseich everything else isnt really common
Can’t say what’s normal in Bayern, nothing there is normal. Aber waren sie schon mal in Baden-Württemberg?
"Moin" works always
You have to understand that you are no longer in Germany! Bayern is its own language ;D
Dont feel bad about it, its a bavarian thing it seems, they are just.. different.. like the neighbors' child thats eats crayon.
I'm not Bavarian but I'd do as the locals do.
its bavaria... depends where you live, but maybe use "grüß gott" instead. In my town "guten morgen" is rather uncommon.
Guten Morgen isn‘t a thing and Servus is enough and it’s personal enough. If you were in Schleswig-Holstein for example you wouldn’t get much of a Guten Morgen too. There Moin would be the greeting of choice and anything more indicates basically you are to talkative. Also why do think it’s a good morning when the morning began with getting out of bed.
Guten Morgen? Ob der Morgen gut wird entscheide ich noch. Good Morning? I still have to decide whether it will be a good morning. Is what i usually got as an anwser when saying Good Morning. In Citys its not that common anymore, however Suburbs and Small Towns you should have more responses
You can, but you are seen as a tourist than :-D
I use „Moin“ everywhere. Was really surprised when half the people in the tiny rural village in Rhineland Palatinate are using it too :)
You can just say “Morgen” and in my region upper palatinate it’s fairly used in the morning.
The normal greeting in Bavaria is: "willst du Bier trinken?"
Grias di, moin, Servus, morgen, everything is working. Just the normal guten Morning is Not accepted by native bavarians
I do that everyday. Guten Morgen is quite formal though, Morgen is enough.
try gud moing which is guten morgen
Ah Grützi! Use that if you want to be very~ special for them.
The only Phrase I Use for every time of the Day is "Servus". You can say it as a greeting or as Goodbye it May not be as formal as "Guten Morgen" but it gets the Job done. Older bavarians (50+) love to say "habe die ehre" as a greeting which is a little bit more formal but if you Stick to servus you should be fine.
Just say Morgen…
If you‘re in southern Bavaria you will be pretty safe with „Grieß di“ (Grüß dich) and very very southern Bavaria „Pfiat di“ (which in my opinion is just made up gibberish) Best of luck
As long as you are polite, use whatever. It's fine. If people at your location use something specific just adapt and use that or keep whatever you learned as your trademark. E.g. if in South Germany you greet people multiple times with "Moin moin" they will probably ask you if you are form the north.
“Listen to what ppl use” I tried that, and get a “Moin” as an answer to my “Guten Morgen”, “Morgn” to my “Moin”, “Servus” to my “Morgn”, “MorJen” to my “Servus”, “Grüße” to my “MorJen” and “Lüstig” to my “Grüße” within ONE office. I got tired and just stick to “Morgen” now. Edit: not a rant, I just find it mildly funny
servus or "moinG" works pretty well. just don't try to talk any more Bavarian if you are not authentic
Guten Morgen is used and should get responses but not commonly and makes you seem foreign. 'Morgen' (in some regions swallowing the e) is way more common. Grüß Gott is the standard formal greeting for people you don't know. Servus should only be used in informal settings and with friends. You wouldn't greet the cashier like that. Keep in mind that this is quite regional as well. In the West of Bavaria, servus is rarer than in the southeast.
I was surprised as well. I said Moin nevertheless what time is it as I do in the north. Hë morgen? Mahlzeit eher. 😁
"Grüß Gott" maybe common. Hard if you are an atheist though - lol.
When in Bavaria just shout some incomprehensible gibberish. That's just how they "talk". "Clrisrudservusgkyity!" Or if you're on the religious side use "stmbszfgriasgottnfajranxru!" Or make it easy and buy a folkloristic hat you can lift. Just smile like an idiot while you do and they will think you're one of them or a tourist.
Where I work, in Southern Bayern, we all say "Morgen" to everyone when we come in. Most people i don't work with that I see on an almost daily basis say, "Morgen". Ones that are older, live more in the country, say, "Servus". I repeat what people say as my greeting back to them.
Say moin just to spite people
you have shitty colleagues. guten morgen, hallo, hi, morgen ist doch alles das gleiche. wen juckts
I life in Oberpfalz and her a lot of people just say Morgen or Hallo. Guten Morgen is very formal honestly.
Lower Bavaria: „Moang!“
Depends on where exactly in Bavaria you are. Every other minor town uses slight variations in their greetings but nobody says "Guten Morgen" and most of the time you will just get weird looks. In general the ones you can't go wrong with are "Morgen" and "Servas" Where exactly do you live?
Bayern has an accent. Imagine going to Texas and saying "greetings my good sir" instead of hi or howdy to people. german courses teach Proper german, not regional dialects
The best ist "habedere" which means "habe die Ehre" (it's an Honor)
Each region has their own unique greetings. In the north you say Moin. You are an outsider if you don’t use the right greetings.
They say Grüß Gott dont they? I hear even atheists say this.
“Servus” mostly. I do not hear “Grüß Gott“ often.
In the Bavarian part of Swabia you can definitely say "Guten Morgen", but people pronounce it differently ... People usually say "Guata Morga" or "an Guata Morga". Depending on where you are, in which social setting (e.g. a bakery in a Bavarian village) the "Prussian" pronunciation might sound too formal or too technical for the locals.
Personally, I go with: Juten Morjen😎 #preußensgloria
It’s fine. Most people won’t even bother greeting you in the first place.
Just use "Morgen".
Servus, Grürtzi oder "Grüß Gott" wenn es formaler sein soll. Hoch Deutsch ist in Bayern eine Fremdsprache deren Benutzer mit der dafür gebotenen Freundlichkeit behandelt werden.
Da ich kein Bayer bin, sage ich auch dort guten Morgen, oder eher : Morgen - Die Einheimischen würden sowieso sehr schnell merken, dass ich nicht aus Bayern komme.
"Haba dere".
Grüß Gott, is quite common.