German Phrase
Was gibt's Neues bei dir?
Meaning
Literally “What is there new at you?”, the idiomatic English equivalent is “What’s new with you?”. It’s a friendly, informal way to ask someone about recent developments in their life.
When to use
Use this phrase in casual conversations with friends, family, or colleagues you address with “du”. It works well when you haven’t spoken for a while or when you want to shift the chat to personal updates.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Wasgibt'sNeuesbeidir?
Was (interrogative pronoun)
Used to ask about something unknown; here it means “what”.
gibt's (gibt es)
Contraction of the verb geben + es in 3rd‑person singular present; literally “there is/are”.
Neues (nominalized adjective)
Adjective “neu” used as a neuter noun, capitalised, meaning “new things”.
bei + dative
Preposition that indicates location or person; it governs the dative case.
dir (dative of du)
Second‑person singular informal pronoun in the dative, referring to the listener.
🗨In Conversation
Was gibt's Neues bei dir?
What’s new with you?
Nicht viel, ich habe gerade einen neuen Job angefangen.
Not much, I just started a new job.
✕Common Mistakes
Was gibt Neues bei dir?
The contraction “gibt’s” (gibt es) is required; “gibt” alone sounds incomplete.
Was gibt's neue bei dir?
When used as a noun, the adjective must be capitalised and neuter: “Neues”.
Was gibt's Neues bei dich?
The preposition “bei” requires the dative case, so it must be “bei dir”, not “bei dich”.
↔Alternatives
Was gibt es Neues bei dir?
What’s new with you?
Was ist neu bei dir?
What’s new with you?
Gibt es etwas Neues bei dir?
Is there anything new with you?
Cultural Tip
The contraction “gibt’s” is typical of spoken German and sounds natural in informal settings. Avoid using the formal “Sie” form unless you’re speaking with someone you don’t know well; in that case you’d say “Was gibt es Neues bei Ihnen?”. Also, remember that “Neues” is capitalised because it functions as a noun.