Vocabulary
Gute Nacht!
/ˌɡuːtə ˈnaxt/· phrase
good night (going to bed)
Only when someone goes to bed, or when you leave very late at night. It is never a hello: if you arrive at 9 p.m., say Guten Abend.
CEFR A1Frequency ●●●●●
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
Strong
Mastered
One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
Gute Nacht!
good night (before sleeping)
Gute Nacht, Mama! Bis morgen!
Good night, Mum! See you tomorrow!
Common combinations
- Gute Nacht und schlaf gut!Good night and sleep well!
- Gute Nacht zusammen!Good night, everyone!
Similar & opposite
↔ Opposites
Guten Morgen!
Common learner mistakes
- Gute Nacht! (as a hello in the evening)Guten Abend!Gute Nacht is only a goodbye, when people go to bed or leave very late. The evening hello is Guten Abend.
- Guten Nacht!Gute Nacht!die Nacht is feminine, so there's no -n: Gute Nacht. But Guten Morgen, Guten Tag, Guten Abend.
Real examples
- Ich bin müde. Gute Nacht!I'm tired. Good night!
- Gute Nacht und bis morgen!Good night and see you tomorrow!
- Danke, Frau Weber! Auf Wiedersehen und gute Nacht!Thank you, Ms Weber! Goodbye and good night!
