Getting confident with greetings is a great way to break the ice in any language, and saying “good afternoon” in German is no exception. The golden standard for wishing someone a good afternoon in German is guten Tag (good day). This is similar to saying “have a good day” in German, but it’s a bit shorter and easier to remember for beginner learners.
Remember that nett (nice) is reserved only for describing personality in German, so make sure to use guten (good) or schönen (beautiful) instead while wishing someone a good day or a good afternoon to sound more like a native. The beauty of the German language is in its variety, so make your German sound smoother and more natural with 15 ways to say “good afternoon” in German by reading on!
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6 formal ways to say ‘good afternoon’ in German
In formal settings, kindness is key to showing respect towards your listener since you won’t often include du (you, informal) or Sie (you, formal)—meaning you can’t rely on German pronouns to show formality. It’s similar to good morning in German but with a touch of later-day flair. Most Germans don’t specifically refer to the afternoon in greetings, opting to say guten Tag (good day) rather than guten Nachmittag (good afternoon). While guten Nachmittag is technically correct, it’s not the go-to for most Germans wanting to say “good afternoon.”
Since all nouns are capitalized in German regardless of their position in the sentence, you’ll always capitalize Tag or the less-common Nachmittag (afternoon) when wishing someone a good afternoon in German. See a few examples of this grammar rule as you peruse the formal ways to say “good afternoon” in German below:
- Schönen Tag noch. = Have a beautiful day.
- Guten Nachmittag! = Good afternoon!
- Einen guten Nachmittag noch. = Have a good rest of the afternoon.
- Ich wünsche Ihnen einen angenehmen Nachmittag. = I wish you a pleasant afternoon.
5 phrases to casually say ‘good afternoon’ in German
When it comes to casual good afternoons in German, the vibe is about being relaxed and friendly. In less professional and formal contexts, you might refer to the afternoon more directly, telling someone to enjoy their afternoon or asking how their afternoon is going rather than wishing them a blanket guten Tag.
The phrase should come across as more personable, like how to say hello in German to dear friends and loved ones. As you bump into an old friend at a café or send your child off on a Saturday afternoon to play in the rain, remember one of these casual phrases to wish them a good afternoon in German:
- Genieß den Nachmittag! = Enjoy the afternoon!
- Tagchen! = Playful variation of guten Tag (good day)
- Mahlzeit! = Meal time! (Used around lunchtime as both a “enjoy your meal” and an afternoon greeting)
- Na, alles gut am Nachmittag? = Hey, all good this afternoon?
- Ich hoffe, du hast ’nen entspannten Nachmittag. = Hope you’re having a relaxing afternoon.
How to say ‘good afternoon, everyone’ to a group of people in German
If you’re speaking to more than one person, how do you say “good afternoon, everyone” in German? You can either say Guten Tag allerseits (good afternoon, everyone) or, if you really want to be particularly kind, you can say Einen schönen guten Tag allerseits (A very good day to you all) to go the extra mile. The latter phrase is a bit more formal, but either one can be used in casual and professional interactions alike.
How different German dialects say ‘good afternoon’
As you travel across Germany and its neighboring countries, you’ll encounter several distinct German dialects with their own ways to say ‘good afternoon’ in German. Refer to the handy table below so that you don’t get caught off guard by the German-speaking natives around the heart of Europe:
| German Phrase | English Translation | Region |
| Grüß Gott | greetings (religious) | Austria |
| Guten Tach | good day | Northern Germany |
| Sali | good afternoon | Switzerland |
| A guade Nocht | Have a good rest of the day. | Bavaria |
Key takeaways for saying ‘good afternoon’ in German
“Good afternoon” is a polite greeting and an easy starting point to learn as you build your German vocabulary. Below are some key takeaways to keep in mind as you wrap up your language studies for the day:
- Germans never use “nice” outside of describing personality, so opt to wish a German guten Tag (good day) instead of a netter Tag (nice day) to sound like a native.
- The most common way to say ‘good afternoon’ is guten Tag (good day).
- You can add allerseits (everyone) to the end of your phrases when wishing a group of people a good afternoon in German.
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