German · Hausflur / Smalltalk
You meet a neighbour on the stairs: what to say in German
You meet a neighbour in the stairwell.
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How it's done. In German buildings it is usual to greet neighbours on the stairs: Guten Morgen, Guten Tag, Guten Abend, even if you do not know each other.Prepared by the Movko team, November 2026. This is language help, not legal or medical advice: check the rules with the office itself.
Cheat sheet for your visit
The first phrase is open: tap ▶ to listen, or “Show” to show it to the other person. The rest of the dialogue is in the course in the app.
1
THEY SPEAK FIRST
THEY SAY
Guten Morgen!GOO-tayn MOR-gayn!
Good morning!
They might also say:
Morgen!
MOR-gayn!
Morning!
Guten Morgen, schönes Wetter heute, nicht wahr?
GOO-tayn MOR-gayn, SHYOH-nes VEH-tuh KHOY-teh, neekht vahr?
Good morning, lovely weather today, isn't it?
YOU REPLY
Guten Morgen! Schönes Wetter heute.
GOO-tayn MOR-gayn! SHYOH-nes VEH-tuh KHOY-teh.
Good morning! Lovely weather today.
THEY SAY
Schönen Tag noch!SHYOH-nayn tahk nokh!
Have a nice day!
They might also say:
Dann noch einen schönen Tag!
Dahn nokh IGH-nayn SHYOH-nayn tahk!
Then have a nice day!
2
YOU FINISH
Danke, Ihnen auch!
DAHN-keh, EE-nayn owkh!
Thank you, you too!
The course is in the app
This dialogue is part of the course “German for life in Germany”: 416 situations with audio, a pronunciation guide and spaced review.
On the website the first dialogue, the 112 category, the rescue phrases and the “Basics” are fully open.
Words worth knowing
Guten
GOO-tayn
adjective
good (in greetings)
Morgen
MOR-gayn
noun
morning
Schönes
SHYOH-nes
adjective
nice
Wetter
VEH-tuh
noun
weather
heute
KHOY-teh
adverb
today
Schönen
SHYOH-nayn
adjective
nice (in wishes)
5 more words, with explanations, base forms and tap-a-word help, are in the app.
If you did not understand
Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?
KYOH-nayn zee dahs BEE-teh vee-dehr-KHOH-layn?
Can you repeat that, please?
Danke!
DAHN-keh!
Thank you!
Similar situations
After moving in you get to know a neighbourHausflur / Smalltalk · A1 in the app
→You are carrying a pushchair up the stairs and a neighbour offers helpHausflur / Smalltalk · A1 in the app
→A neighbour in the stairwell starts chatting about the weatherHausflur / Smalltalk · A1 in the app
→A neighbour is going on holiday and asks you to look after the post and plantsHausflur / Smalltalk · A2 in the app
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