Leslie Massey
If you're planning a trip to Austria, it's always a good idea to learn some local greetings to help you fit in with the locals and get a first-hand experience of Austrian life and culture. Austrians speak a version of High German, so many German greetings are also used in Austria. If you're up early, before 10 am, you can greet everyone you meet with a cheerful 'Guten Morgen', which means 'good morning' in German. You could also say 'Morgen', which is a shorter version of the same greeting, or even use the slang term 'Moagn'.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Formal greeting | Guten Morgen |
| Informal greeting | Morgen, Moagn, Moin, Moin Moin, Morje, Mojenn, Morschn |
| Religious greeting | Grüß Gott |
| Casual greeting | Hallo, Servus, Serwas, Griaß di, Griaß enk/Griaß eich |
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What You'll Learn
Formal ways to say 'good morning' in Austria
Austrians speak a form of German that is technically the same language as that spoken in Germany, but with some notable differences in terms and expressions.
If you're looking to greet someone formally in Austria before 10 a.m., you can say "Guten Morgen", which is the same as in Germany. This can be shortened to "Morgen" or, if you want to go for the Austrian slang version, "Moagn".
Another formal greeting is "Grüß Gott", which translates as "God bless you" and is used throughout the day. This greeting is also used in Upper Austria, but with a slightly different spelling and pronunciation: "Griaß God".
In a formal context, you can also use the German "Auf Wiedersehen" to say goodbye, or add an Austrian touch with "Auf Wiederschauen".
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Informal ways to say 'good morning' in Austria
Austrians speak a version of High German, so many of the informal ways to say good morning in Austria are the same as in Germany. If you're up early, before 10 a.m., you can greet everyone you meet with "Guten Morgen", or the shorter, "Morgen". If you want to go the extra cultural mile, you could say "Moagn", which is good morning in Austrian slang.
Other informal ways to say good morning in Austria include "Servus", "Hallo", and "Grüß Gott", which is a religiously-inspired greeting meaning "God bless you". Austrians from Upper Austria might say "Serwas" instead of "Servus", and "Griaß God" instead of "Grüß Gott".
If you're in Northern Germany, you might hear people say "Moin" or "Moin Moin", which is short for "morning" but is used throughout the day. There are many variations on the word "morning" depending on the region, including "Mojen", "Morje", and "Morschn".
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Austrian slang for 'good morning'
Austrians speak a version of High German, but there are many differences in the terms and expressions used in daily life. These differences are shaped by historical influences and regional peculiarities, which can make Austrian German hard to understand even for Germans.
The formal way to say 'good morning' in Austrian German is 'Guten Morgen', or just 'Morgen' for short. However, if you want to greet someone in Austrian slang, you can say 'Moagn'. This is a more cultural, informal way of saying 'good morning' to those you meet before 10 am.
Other informal ways to greet people in Austria include 'Griaß di', which translates to 'hello' or 'hello there'. The plural form of this greeting is 'Griaß enk/Griaß eich'. 'Servus' is another informal greeting, which can also be used to say goodbye.
If you want to be more formal, you could use the religiously inspired 'Grüß Gott' ('God bless you'), which is a traditional and old-fashioned greeting but still commonly used. In a formal context, you could also use the German 'Auf Wiedersehen', or the more Austrian 'Auf Wiederschauen'.
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Austrian German vs. German
Austrians and Germans speak mutually intelligible variations of German. Austrian German is the official language of Austria and is used in education, media, and administrative communications. German classes, books, movies, and TV shows, on the other hand, typically teach and use Standard German, which is widely understood in all German-speaking countries. While Austrians and Germans can easily understand each other, there are regional dialects and specific terms unique to each country that can make communication challenging.
Austrian German and Standard German have different prosody, or rhythmic and stress patterns. They also have different accents, with certain vowels pronounced and emphasized differently. Austrian German is generally softer and more melodic than Standard German.
The two variations of German also differ in their vocabulary. Austrians and Germans, for example, use different words to refer to foods and beverages. While Austrians say "Grüß Gott" or "Servus" when greeting someone, Germans say "hallo" or "guten tag". Austrians also form diminutives differently from Germans, adding "-erl" to the end of words instead of "-chen" or "-lein".
The two languages also have some grammatical differences. In Austrian German, the perfect tense sometimes uses "sein" ("to be") instead of "haben" ("to have") in the past perfect. The diminutive form is also different, with Austrians adding "-el" and "-erl" to the end of words instead of "-chen" or "-lein". Despite these differences, if you learn Standard German, you will probably be able to get by in Austria, and vice versa.
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Other Austrian greetings
Austrians speak a version of High German, which is very similar to that spoken in Germany. However, there are differences in the way the languages are used in daily life. The Austrian language tends to be more ambiguous and less direct than German. Austrian German is also more ironic, which can sometimes lead to misunderstandings.
If you want to say 'good morning' in Austrian German before 10 am, you can say "Guten Morgen", or the shorter "Morgen". You could also say "Moagn", which is an Austrian slang term.
- Grüß Gott – This is a religiously inspired, traditional greeting, which is still commonly used in formal contexts. It translates to 'God's greeting' or 'God bless you'.
- Servus – This is an informal greeting, which can also be used as a way of saying goodbye.
- Hallo – This is a casual greeting used among friends and family.
- Guten Tag – Meaning 'good day', this greeting is not very common in Austrian German.
- Guten Abend – Meaning 'good evening', this greeting is also not very common in Austrian German.
- Griaß di – This is an informal greeting used among family and friends, and also a friendly way to greet fellow hikers. The plural form is "Griaß enk/Griaß eich".
- Priat di and Pfiat di – These are charming ways to say goodbye.
- Auf Wiedersehen – This is a formal way to say goodbye.
- Auf Wiederschauen – This is a formal goodbye with an Austrian touch.
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Frequently asked questions
Austrians speak German, so to say good morning in Austria, you would say "Guten Morgen".
Good morning in Austrian is spelled "Guten Morgen".
Before 10 a.m., Austrians also use the shorter version "Morgen" or the slang version "Moagn".
You can respond to "Guten Morgen" by saying "Guten Morgen" back or using other greetings like "Grüß Gott" (God bless you), "Hallo", or "Servus".
Austrians speak German technically, but there are fundamental differences in the way they use the language compared to Germans. While Germans are direct and straight to the point, Austrians tend to sound more vague and ambiguous.
