Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

LEARNING GERMAN

German word of the day: Grüß Gott

This is a phrase you're likely to hear a lot around Austria, especially in rural bits. Expect it too if you're headed north into Germany for Oktoberfest.

Published: 21 September 2023 15:46 CEST
Updated: 22 September 2023 09:30 CEST
German word of the day: Grüß Gott
Photo: Francesco Ungaro / Unsplash + Nicolas Raymond / flickr

In Austria, as well as in Bavaria in southern Germany, this term is interchangeable with ‘Guten Tag’. 

The phrase Grüß Gott derives from ‘grüß dich Gott’, meaning ‘may God bless you’. In Middle High German – spoken roughly from the 11th to the 14th century – grüßen (or greuzen) meant to greet or to bless. Therefore, the greeting is thought to have originated during this period

For contemporary German learners, the religious undertones of the phrase may be surprising. However, many greetings used today have similar connotations. For instance, the Irish greeting ‘dia dhuit’ (God with you) and the Catalan ‘adéu-siau’/’amb Déu sigueu (be with God) are both still commonplace.

You might be more familiar with the Spanish and French terms for goodbye – adiós and adieu (to God). 

Recently, the term has sparked debate in Austria when Bernhard Ebner, a right-wing politician for the People’s Party (ÖVP), opened his statement with Grüß Gott.

The Social Democrat (SPÖ) politician Kai Jan Krainer rejected the term, stating that ‘In Vienna […] it’s Guten Tag’. Therefore, its usage is declining due to this association with conservatism.

READ ALSO: Grüß Gott vs. Guten Tag: What’s the difference in Austria?

If you prefer to use a different greeting to avoid this problem, there are other options. Specific greetings are not unusual in Austria or southern Germany (often referred to in German as a ‘Sprachraum’) and include: Servus, griaß di/grüs dich.

These greetings are more informal than Grüß Gott and tend to be used by people who already know one another, with ‘Servus’ having been compared to the Italian greeting ‘ciao’. 

READ ALSO: How to greet people like a local in Austria

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Bloß

This fun German word has a myriad of meanings, from describing going sock-less to making a strong statement.

Published: 5 September 2024 16:17 CEST
German word of the day: Bloß

Why do I need to know bloß?

Like many colloquial words in German, bloß is a word you’ll hear everywhere on the streets.

But unlike other filler words like na and halt, it can also double up as an adjective and adverb. 

Here’s how it’s used

So what exactly does this fun four letter word mean? In its simplest form it’s a substitute for nur, or only, as in Ich war bloß eine Woche in Wien (I was only in Vienna for a week). 

It’s also commonly used in the phrase “not only…but also”, as in Ich war nicht bloß in Wien, sondern auch in Wiener Neustadt (I was not only in Vienna, but also in Wiener Neustadt).

When used as an adjective, the little word also means bare or naked, as in mit bloßen Füßen (barefoot) or mit meiner bloßen Hand (with my bare hand)

You’ll also commonly hear it being used to place emphasis on a statement or exclamation, especially when it’s a negative one. An angry parent might scold their misbehaving teenager with “Mach das bloß nie wieder!” (Don’t you ever do that again!) Or “Komm mir bloß nicht auf die unschuldige Tour!” (Don’t play innocent with me!).

It’s also used to express regret or resignation, similar to its cousin filler word ‘halt’. Lamenting their strong words, the parent might also sigh and say, “Ich hätte das bloß nicht gesagt’ (I shouldn’t have said that).

Someone who’s exasperated about any situation might also utter, “Was soll ich bloß machen?” (What exactly should I do now?”) While the sentence can be said without the “bloß”, putting it in there gives an extra punch, showing extra urgency. “Was soll ich machen?” is what you might ask about a house chore, but if you lock yourself out and no one is around, that “bloß” definitely belongs in the middle.

Where does it originate?

While the word is commonly used today, it actually dates back to the Old High German “bloz” and is closely related to the Dutch word “bloot”. It has its origin in the Indo-Germanic root “bhel-“, which means “to shine” or “to glow”, so obviously the meaning has evolved a lot over the years. 

SHOW COMMENTS