Time-of-day greetings
Guten Morgen
Good morning
Use until about noon
Guten Tag
Good day / Hello
Use from noon until evening
Guten Abend
Good evening
Use after about 6pm
Hallo
Hello
Informal — any time of day
Goodbyes
Tschüss
Goodbye
Informal — with friends
Auf Wiedersehen
Goodbye (until we see each other again)
Formal — shops, offices
Asking how someone is
Wie geht es Ihnen?
How are you?
Formal — "Ihnen" signals formality
Wie geht's?
How are you?
Informal — short form
Gut, danke.
Fine, thank you.
Standard response
Practice
It is 8 in the morning. Which greeting do you use?
You are saying goodbye to a shop assistant. Which is more appropriate?
Someone says "Wie geht es Ihnen?" — what word tells you they are being formal?
Your friend texts at 7pm. Which greeting fits best?