You already know how to start a chat in German. Greet your teacher now, using a hello you already know.
Nice one. Now how do you finish the chat and walk away? Today we fix that gap.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Say common German goodbyes clearly
- Pick the right goodbye for a friend or an adult
- Open and close a short chat in German
Here are today's German goodbyes, one card at a time. You will see the English and hear the German first. Join in and say it with the class, then the card flips to show the spelling.
Listen for the chooss sound in Tschüss and the long -zay-en ending on Auf Wiedersehen. In Gute Nacht, notice the soft kh at the end of Nacht.
We take turns at the board. When a card flips, everyone says the German together quietly from their seats. Volunteers come up to find each German goodbye with its English meaning.
The goodbye list stays on the board while you write. Open your copy and write:
- Tschüss and label it friend
- Auf Wiedersehen and label it adult
- One time-based goodbye (a Bis… phrase) and a short note on when you would use it (soon, tomorrow, later, or in a bit)
Take care with the umlauts in Tschüss (ü) and später (ä).
You are leaving your classroom in Hamburg. Turn to the person beside you.
The board shows the frame:
- Partner A: Hallo! or Guten Tag!
- Partner B: Hallo! or Guten Tag!
- A: a goodbye
- B: a goodbye
Round 1: say goodbye as classmates (try a friendly one). Round 2: one of you is the teacher at the door (use a careful adult goodbye). Anchors on the board: friend = Tschüss · adult = Auf Wiedersehen · time-based Bis… options work with either.
Unlock the full learning experience
You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.