German Phrase
Guten Abend. Wie geht's?
Meaning
Literally, ‘Good evening. How’s it going?’, this is a friendly, informal way to greet someone in the early night hours and ask about their wellbeing. The contraction ‘geht’s’ makes the question sound casual and conversational.
When to use
Use this greeting after sunset, typically from around 6 p.m. onward, when you meet friends, colleagues, or acquaintances. It works well in informal settings; in formal contexts you might say ‘Guten Abend, wie geht es Ihnen?’
✦Grammar Breakdown
GutenAbend.Wiegeht's?
Adjective Declension (Guten)
‘Guten’ is the accusative masculine singular form of ‘gut’, used here because ‘Abend’ is masculine and the greeting is a fixed expression.
Noun Gender (Abend)
‘Abend’ is a masculine noun (der Abend). In greetings, the article is omitted, but the adjective still takes the appropriate ending.
Contraction (geht's)
‘geht’s’ is a colloquial contraction of ‘geht es’, where ‘es’ (it) is dropped and the apostrophe marks the omission.
Verb ‘gehen’ as ‘to be’
In the phrase ‘Wie geht’s?’, the verb ‘gehen’ functions idiomatically to ask about someone’s state, similar to ‘How are you?’ in English.
🗨In Conversation
Guten Abend. Wie geht's?
Good evening. How are you?
Gut, danke! Und dir?
Good, thanks! And you?
✕Common Mistakes
Guten Abend, wie geht es du?
‘es’ should be omitted in the contraction, and the pronoun must agree in case and form.
Guten Abend. Wie geht's du?
When using the contraction, the pronoun ‘du’ is not used; the verb already includes the subject.
Guten Abend. Wie geht es Sie?
‘Sie’ is the formal ‘you’; the correct formal version is ‘Wie geht es Ihnen?’
↔Alternatives
Guten Abend! Wie geht es dir?
Good evening! How are you?
Hallo, wie geht's?
Hi, how’s it going?
Schönen Abend! Alles klar?
Nice evening! Everything alright?
Cultural Tip
In German‑speaking countries, greetings change with the time of day. ‘Guten Abend’ signals respect for the evening period. When speaking to strangers or in a business setting, keep the full form ‘Wie geht es Ihnen?’; the shortened ‘Wie geht’s?’ is reserved for people you know well. Also, avoid using ‘Guten Abend’ too early (before sunset) as it may sound odd.