German Phrase
Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen.
Meaning
The sentence means “It was nice to meet you.” It expresses a pleasant impression after a first encounter and is typically said at the end of a meeting or conversation.
When to use
Use this phrase right after you have met someone for the first time, especially when you want to convey that the meeting was enjoyable. It works in both informal and semi‑formal settings, but you can choose a more casual alternative if the context is very relaxed.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Eswarschön,dichkennenzulernen.
Verb "sein" in Präteritum
"war" is the simple past (Präteritum) form of "sein" and is used for past events.
Adjective "schön"
"schön" means "nice" or "pleasant" and here modifies the whole situation.
Accusative pronoun "dich"
"dich" is the accusative form of "du" and is the object of the infinitive phrase.
Infinitive with "zu"
"kennen zu lernen" is the infinitive construction with "zu"; together they form the verb "kennenlernen" (to meet).
🗨In Conversation
Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen.
It was nice to meet you.
Mir ging es genauso, bis bald!
I felt the same way, see you soon!
✕Common Mistakes
Es ist schön, dich kennenzulernen.
Do not use present tense "ist" here; the meeting already happened, so past tense is required.
Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen.
The infinitive must be split with "zu" (kennen zu lernen) when used after "schön".
Es war schön, dich kennenzulernen.
If you are speaking formally, replace "dich" with the polite "Sie".
↔Alternatives
Es war nett, dich kennenzulernen.
It was nice to meet you.
Freut mich, dich kennengelernt zu haben.
I'm glad to have met you.
Ich habe mich gefreut, dich kennenzulernen.
I was happy to meet you.
Cultural Tip
In German, "schön" and "nett" are both polite ways to comment on a meeting. "Schön" sounds slightly more formal, while "nett" is more casual. Avoid overly familiar language (e.g., "du bist cool") unless you already have a close relationship. Germans also often add a follow‑up like "Bis zum nächsten Mal" (see you next time) to keep the conversation courteous.