The short answer
Austria runs on German with an Austrian lilt - Grüß Gott for a polite hello, Servus for a friendly hi and bye. English is widely spoken in Vienna, Salzburg and every tourist town, but a few German words open doors and warm smiles. Learn Bitte (please), Danke (thank you), Entschuldigung (excuse me) and Sprechen Sie Englisch? (do you speak English?) and you are set. For emergencies, the Europe-wide number is 112. Menus and signs in the big sights usually carry English alongside, and Hindi is understood in Vienna's Indian restaurants.
The five phrases that matter most
Grüß Gott
gruess got
Hello (polite Austrian greeting)
नमस्ते
Servus
ZER-voos
Hi / bye (friendly, informal)
हाय / अलविदा
Bitte
BIT-uh
Please / here you go
कृपया / लीजिए
Entschuldigung
ent-SHOOL-di-goong
Excuse me / sorry
माफ़ कीजिए
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
SHPREKH-en zee ENG-lish
Do you speak English?
क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं?
All the phrases
Greetings and thanks
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello (polite Austrian greeting) | Grüß Gott | gruess got | नमस्ते |
| Hi / bye (friendly, informal) | Servus | ZER-voos | हाय / अलविदा |
| Good morning | Guten Morgen | goo-ten MOR-gen | सुप्रभात |
| Good evening | Guten Abend | goo-ten AH-bent | शुभ संध्या |
Getting help
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Please / here you go | Bitte | BIT-uh | कृपया / लीजिए |
| Thank you | Danke | DUN-kuh | धन्यवाद |
| Thank you very much | Danke schön | DUN-kuh shern | बहुत धन्यवाद |
| Excuse me / sorry | Entschuldigung | ent-SHOOL-di-goong | माफ़ कीजिए |
| Yes | Ja | yah | हां |
| No | Nein | nine | नहीं |
| Do you speak English? | Sprechen Sie Englisch? | SHPREKH-en zee ENG-lish | क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं? |
| I do not understand | Ich verstehe nicht | ikh fer-SHTAY-uh nikht | मैं नहीं समझा/समझी |
Food (vegetarian, Jain, allergies)
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| The bill, please | Die Rechnung, bitte | dee REKH-noong BIT-uh | बिल लाइए |
| I do not eat meat | Ich esse kein Fleisch | ikh ES-uh kine FLYSH | मैं मांस नहीं खाता/खाती |
| Is this vegetarian? | Ist das vegetarisch? | ist dus vay-guh-TAH-rish | क्या यह शाकाहारी है? |
| Without onion and garlic, please | Ohne Zwiebel und Knoblauch, bitte | OH-nuh TSVY-bel oont KNOB-lowkh BIT-uh | बिना प्याज़-लहसुन, कृपया |
Directions and transport
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette? | vo ist dee toy-LET-uh | शौचालय कहाँ है? |
| Where is...? | Wo ist...? | vo ist | कहाँ है...? |
| Train station | Bahnhof | BAHN-hohf | रेलवे स्टेशन |
Shopping and numbers
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much does this cost? | Wie viel kostet das? | vee feel KOS-tet dus | इसकी कीमत क्या है? |
Emergency
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Help! | Hilfe! | HIL-fuh | मदद! |
| I need a doctor | Ich brauche einen Arzt | ikh BROW-khuh EYE-nen artst | मुझे डॉक्टर चाहिए |
Save or print
Save the top phrases as a picture to send to your parents, or print the whole sheet.
The five phrases that matter most
- Hello (polite Austrian greeting) / नमस्ते
- Grüß Gott (gruess got)
- Hi / bye (friendly, informal) / हाय / अलविदा
- Servus (ZER-voos)
- Please / here you go / कृपया / लीजिए
- Bitte (BIT-uh)
- Excuse me / sorry / माफ़ कीजिए
- Entschuldigung (ent-SHOOL-di-goong)
- Do you speak English? / क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं?
- Sprechen Sie Englisch? (SHPREKH-en zee ENG-lish)
Trips to Austria
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Quick questions
Sources
- Austrian National Tourist Office (austria.info, B2B): Travel planning: general travel tips · checked 23 Oct 2026
- Babbel: Austrian German words: everyday vocabulary (Gruss Gott, Servus, Bim, Sackerl) · checked 30 Oct 2026