(b) In responding to a formal introduction, say angenehm (lit. ‘pleasant’) or:(Es) freut mich (, Sie kennenzulernen).
I’m pleased to meet you. See 42.3g (p. 115) for impersonal verbs with the dummy subject es.
Remember that in Germany it is customary to shake hands with people each time one
meets them, not just when being introduced to them for the first time.(c) When introducing two people to each other, it is considered good form first to tell
a woman a man’s name or a more senior person a younger person’s name. Expressions
for introductions include:Darf ich (Ihnen) Herrn Arnold vor*stellen?
May I introduce Mr Arnold (to you)? See 28.2 (p. 49) for the declension of Herr.
Ich möchte (Ihnen) Frau Pühmeyer vor*stellen.
I’d like to introduce Mrs Pühmeyer (to you).Darf ich (Sie) bekannt machen? Frau Pühmeyer, das ist Herr Arnold.
May I introduce you? Mrs Pühmeyer, this is Mr Arnold.Frau Pühmeyer, darf ich Sie mit Herrn Arnold bekannt machen?
Mrs Pühmeyer, may I introduce you to Mr Arnold? See also 61.6b (p. 169) on ‘Making acquaintances’.
The following are used on less formal occasions:Frau Weingarten, kennen Sie Herrn Zeisig?
Mrs Weingarten, do you know Mr Zeisig?Herr Doktor Gutmann, kennen Sie schon Manfred Seeler?
Dr Gutmann, do you know Manfred Seeler?
Das sind Herr und Frau Neumann.
This is Mr and Mrs Neumann.Kennen Sie sich schon?
Do you already know each other?61.4 Official introductions
(a) In dealing with officialdom, either in person or by letter, there are a few variations
on the above:
(Wie ist Ihr) Vorname/Familienname/Nachname/Mädchenname?
(What is your) first name/surname/maiden name?Wie heißen Sie mit Vornamen und (mit) Familiennamen/
Nachnamen?
What is your first name and your surname?
Sind Sie Herr Schwarz?
Are you Mr Schwarz? (Answer: Ja, das bin ich, ‘Yes I am’)See also 73.2 (p. 228) on ‘Supplying personal details’.
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Introductions