German people don’t necessarily expect you to say “it’s nice to meet you” the first time you meet them, and so there are not expected phrases for use.
However, the German language does have a range of ways to greet someone for the first time. So, if you’re tired of using “Guten Tag” or “Hallo!” (although they are perfectly acceptable phrases to use during a first meeting) you might want to use one of the following instead.
Es freut mich Sie kennenzulernen
Pronunciation: ess froit mikh zee kennuhn-tsu-lairnen
Setting: Formal (but can also be informal)
When to use: Start of conversation
Literally meaning ‘it is nice to get to know you’ this phrase can be used in both formal and informal settings when you are meeting someone for the first time. Because you can use it both formally and informally, it’s a useful one for you to know.
Es hat mich gefreut Sie kennenzulernen
Pronunciation: ess hat mikh guhfroit zee kennuhn-tsu-lairnen
Setting: Formal (but can also be informal)
When to use: Start of conversation
This is the past tense form of ‘es freut mich Sie kennenzulernen’ and so means ‘it has been a pleasure to meet you.’ This phrase is used at the end of a meeting or discussion with someone you’ve just met.
It’s a very common expression but is slightly more formal than its present-tense counterpart, so it’s better to use it at work rather than in the pub!
Ich freue mich Sie kennenzulernen
Pronunciation: ikh froi-uh mikh zee kennuhn-tsu-lairnen
Setting: Formal (but can also be informal)
When to use: Start of conversation
Very similar to ‘es freut mich Sie kennenzulernen’ this one emphasises your feelings, so it means ‘I am please to get to know you.’ It can be used interchangeably with ‘es freut mich Sie kennenzulernen.’
Freut mich!
Pronunciation: froit mikh
Setting: Informal
When to use: Start and end of conversation
More of a survival phrase than a chance to show off your German, ‘freut mich!’ means ‘pleases me!’ German people will generally accept this as a normal way of being greeted by someone for the first time, but it’s better to use one of the longer phrases so you don’t come across as being too abrupt or informal.
Es ist schön dich zu treffen
Pronunciation: ess isst sh-ur-n dikh tsu treffun
Setting: Informal
When to use: Start of conversation
This is a literal translation of the English ‘it is nice to meet you’ though should only be used in informal contexts, as the ‘you’ here (dich) is the accusative form of the informal ‘you’ (du).
Es war schön dich zu treffen
Pronunciation: ess var sh-ur-n dikh tsu treffun
Setting: Informal
When to use: End of conversation
This is the past tense of ‘es ist schön dich zu treffen’ and means ‘it was nice to meet you.’ You would use this at the end of the meeting, but you should avoid it if you’ve already said ‘es ist schön dich zu treffen.’ Not that it would be wrong to use both at the same meeting, it would just be a little redundant.
(You can take a look at our blog from October 19 2022 on ‘Conjugations of Sein’ to see why ‘Es ist’ changes to ‘Es war.’)
Ich freue mich auf unsere Zusammenarbeit
Pronunciation: ikh froi-uh mikh owf unzuhruh tsu-zammun-ar-bite
Setting: Formal
When to use: End of conversation
Specifically one to use when meeting colleagues for the first time, ‘ich freue mich auf unsere Zusammenarbeit’ literally means ‘I look forward to working together.’ You could also use it to sign off a successful business meeting, to make it clear that you’re ready to take your deal forward.
Es ist schön hier zu sein
Pronunciation: ess ist sh-ur-n here tsu z-eye-n
Setting: Formal and Informal
When to use: End of conversation
This is a fairly generic expression that doesn’t need to be addressed to anyone in particular, it literally means ‘it’s nice to be here.’ You might use this one at a party where you know some of the guests, but you don’t know the host.
Ich bin erfreut Sie kennenzulernen
Pronunciation: ikh bin airfroit zee kennuhn-tsu-lairnen
Setting: Very formal
When to use: Start of conversation
This is a very formal, slightly old-fashioned way of saying ‘pleased to meet you.’
It’s one you should use only in very formal settings, such as meeting your boss’ boss or your spouse’s grandparents.
Angenehm
Pronunciation: an-guh-name
Setting: Very formal, old-fashioned
When to use: End of conversation
Even more old-fashioned than ‘ich bin erfreut Sie kennenzulernen’, angenehm means ‘pleased’ and is not really one to use (unless you want to sound like a German Jane Austin protagonist).
Some people do still use it, depending on personal taste, but it is one you’ll mostly hear in German period dramas rather than everyday life.
Darren has been a language teacher for sixteen years, and has taught all ages from pre-school to adults. He has been a German speaker since he was 12 years old.
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