32 Luxembourgish greetings and everyday phrases, with audio
Moien, Äddi, Merci, Wannechgelift — and 28 more. The Luxembourgish greetings and everyday phrases a newcomer needs in the first week, each with a native recording from the official LOD dictionary and a note on when to use it.
Updated · 3 min read
You can live in Luxembourg for years in French, German and English — and still notice how warmly people react to a simple *Moien*. These 32 phrases cover a first conversation, a shop, a phone call and a goodbye. Each one is a word or example sentence from the Lëtzebuerger Online Dictionnaire (LOD), recorded by a native speaker; press play and say it after them. The ten most-searched ones also have their own page with our own team's recordings: see Luxembourgish phrases.
Saying hello
moien
Literally: 1. Hello / good morning / good afternoon
Meaning: The everyday greeting from morning to afternoon, with anyone. More: hello in Luxembourgish.
Gudde Moien, Madamm, wat kann ech fir Iech maachen?
Literally: 2. Good morning, madam — what can I do for you?
Meaning: Gudde Moien is the full good morning — why there is no n: the n-rule. Page: good morning.
Gudden Owend, wéi geet et Iech?
Literally: 3. Good evening — how are you?
Meaning: Gudden Owend for the evening; Iech is the polite you.
Salut, wéi geet et?
Literally: 4. Hi, how are you?
Meaning: Salut — hi, between friends. It also means *bye*.
Kanner, hutt der der Boma scho Bonjour gesot?
Literally: 5. Children, have you said hello to Grandma yet?
Meaning: Bonjour soen — to say hello; *Bonjour* is used in Luxembourgish too.
Mir heeschen Iech häerzlech wëllkomm.
Literally: 6. We bid you a warm welcome.
Meaning: häerzlech wëllkomm — a warm welcome.
How are you? Who are you?
Moien, wéi geet et?
Literally: 7. Hello, how are you?
Meaning: Literally “how goes it?” — from goen. Page: how are you in Luxembourgish.
Wéi geet et (Iech)?
Literally: 8. How are you? (polite with Iech)
Meaning: Add Iech for someone you call Dir — see pronouns.
Wéi heeschs du?
Literally: 9. What's your name?
Meaning: To a friend; politely *Wéi heescht Dir?* — heeschen, to be called.
Et freet mech, seet een zu engem, deen ee kenne léiert.
Literally: 10. “Et freet mech” is what you say to someone you are getting to know.
Meaning: Et freet mech — nice to meet you. Page: nice to meet you.
Please, thank you, sorry
Villmools merci!
Literally: 13. Thank you very much!
(Et ass) gär geschitt! seet een als Äntwert op e Merci.
Literally: 14. “You're welcome!” is the answer to a thank-you.
Meaning: Page: you're welcome.
Entschëllegt, ass dee Stull nach fräi?
Literally: 15. Excuse me, is this seat free?
Meaning: Entschëllegt to someone you call Dir, entschëlleg to a friend. Page: excuse me and sorry.
Pardon? (Wat hutt Der gesot?)
Literally: 16. Sorry? (What did you say?)
Meaning: Pardon? with a rising voice when you didn't catch something.
When you don't understand
Yes, no — and dach
Jo, du hues Recht!
Literally: 20. Yes, you're right!
neen
Literally: 21. No
Dach, dat stëmmt!
Literally: 22. Yes it is — that's true!
Meaning: Dach answers yes to a negative, like German *doch* or French *si*.
Wishes
No der Operatioun hu meng Frënn mir eng gutt Besserung gewënscht.
Literally: 24. After the operation my friends wished me a speedy recovery.
Meaning: Eng gutt Besserung — get well soon.
Gesondheet! wënscht een engem, dee genéitst huet.
Literally: 25. “Gesondheet!” is what you wish someone who has sneezed.
Meaning: Gesondheet! — bless you (literally: health).
Prost, loosst Iech de Patt gutt schmaachen!
Literally: 26. Cheers — enjoy your drink!
Meaning: Prost — cheers. *De Patt* is the drink you share.
Äddi a schéine Weekend!
Literally: 27. Bye, and have a nice weekend!
Saying goodbye
Awar
Literally: 29. Goodbye
Meaning: LOD gives French *au revoir* as its translation.
Bis geschwënn!
Literally: 30. See you soon!
Salut, ech ginn elo heem!
Literally: 31. Bye, I'm going home now!
Meaning: ech ginn = I go (goen) — here with its n, before the vowel of *elo*.
Ech hunn dech gär.
Literally: 32. I love you.
Meaning: Literally “I have you gladly” — gär hunn = to like, to love (hunn).
Du or Dir?
Most of these phrases work with everyone. Where they don't, the difference is the pronoun: du for friends, children and colleagues who offer it, Dir for everyone else — *wéi heeschs du?* but *wéi heescht Dir?*; *entschëlleg* but *entschëllegt*. When in doubt, use Dir. The full system is in Luxembourgish personal pronouns.
A first conversation
Put them together: *Moien!* — *Moien, wéi geet et?* — … — *Wéi heescht Dir?* — … — *Et freet mech.* — … — *Äddi a schéine Weekend!* The answers need verbs: the present tense of wunnen, schaffen and schwätzen lets you say where you live, what you do and which languages you speak — exactly what the Sproochentest speaking part asks first.
Learn them so they come without thinking
16Word teaches Luxembourgish 16 words and sentences at a time, with native recordings and a Blocks game between answers — from any of 36 languages. Free to start.
Keep learning
- All Luxembourgish phrase pages, with our recordings
- Personal pronouns: du, Dir, hatt, si
- How to ask questions
- Negation: net, keen, dach
- The n-rule: gudde Moien, gudden Owend
- Irregular verbs and modals
- The past tense
- Word order
- 100 common Luxembourgish verbs
- Luxembourgish proverbs, with audio
- How to learn Luxembourgish online
- The Sproochentest, explained
- All Luxembourgish verb tables
- Start learning Luxembourgish
Questions about Luxembourgish greetings
How do you say hello in Luxembourgish?
Moien. It is used from morning to afternoon with anyone; in the evening, Gudden Owend. Between friends, Salut.
How do you say goodbye in Luxembourgish?
Äddi or Awar; add Bis geschwënn (see you soon) or a wish such as Äddi a schéine Weekend!
How do you say please and thank you in Luxembourgish?
Wannechgelift (please) and merci (thank you); villmools merci is thank you very much, and the answer is gär geschitt.
What do you say when someone sneezes in Luxembourgish?
Gesondheet! — literally health, like German Gesundheit.
How do you say cheers in Luxembourgish?
Prost — for example Prost, loosst Iech de Patt gutt schmaachen! (Cheers, enjoy your drink!).
Official sources
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