How to respond to typical German small talk questions
Master Small Talk in German - Connect with Native Speakers: How to respond to typical German small talk questions
Typical German small talk questions often revolve around polite greetings, interests, the weather, travel, work, and weekend plans. Common questions include:
- How are you? (formal: “Wie geht es Ihnen?” informal: “Wie geht es dir?” or shortened “Wie geht’s?”)
- What do you do in your free time? (“Was machst du in deiner Freizeit?”)
- What are your hobbies? (“Was sind deine Hobbies?”)
- Did you see the game yesterday? (“Hast du das Spiel gestern gesehen?”)
- How was your journey here? (“Wie war Ihre Anreise?”)
- Any plans for the weekend? (“Hast du am Wochenende etwas Besonderes geplant?”)
- How is work/study going? (“Wie läuft es bei der Arbeit/Studium?”)
- Have you ever been to (some destination)? (“Warst du schon einmal in …?”)
Common polite and natural responses to “Wie geht’s?” include:
- “Gut, danke.” (Good, thanks.)
- “Mir geht’s gut, und dir/Ihnen?” (I’m good, and you?)
- “Es geht so.” (It’s going so-so.)
- “Nicht so gut.” (Not so good.)
For hobbies or interests, responses such as “Ich spiele Fußball.” (I play football.), “Ich gehe gerne schwimmen.” (I like to go swimming.), and more personal likes are usual.
Talking about the weather is also a safe and common topic:
- “Das Wetter ist heute wirklich schön, oder?” (The weather is really nice today, isn’t it?)
German small talk tends to be somewhat practical and direct, often focusing on meaningful topics like travel experiences, hobbies, work, and current events rather than superficial chit-chat.