When first meeting up
Starting the night off, you’ll want to greet your friends or company appropriately.
When first meeting up, you could casually throw out a “Hey how are you?” (“How are you?”), “How’s it going?” (“How’s it going?/what’s up?”) or “Understood?” (literally meaning “All right” but typically used as a casual greeting).
Note that adding “Na” makes the sentence sound even more laid-back.
Sometimes you’ll find these phrases condensed into a “I’m fine?” (“You good?”) or simply “Are you okay?” (“Is it going?/Things going well?”).
“How are you?” can be used with someone you have not met before – a friend of a friend, for example – because it’s less personal than “How’s it going?”
This latter phrase, or simply “Are you up?”is used more commonly with good friends, as it implies that you know what is going on in their lives.
They can then directly respond to that, rather than just saying something superficial such as “I’m good” (I’m good) or “It’s all ok” (all good).
So when you ask your best friend “Are you okay?” he could reply: “Yes, my new job is going really well” (“Yes, my new job is going really well”).
This word Running by itself can also be used as a reply to indicate that everything is going really well.
You could also say “Running” or “Runs with you” as a response to an action of someone else that you approve of, or view as funny or cool – for example, if your friend receives a drink for free.
Essentials during the night
Looking for the right words to fit in during the night? Terms such as “Bruda” (bro) are terms of endearment commonly used when speaking to friends.
“Bruda, did you see how awesome the car was just now?” (Bro, did you see how awesome that car just was?).
But be careful who you call that. If you don’t know a person, it could come across as disrespectful.
“Celebrate” (celebrating, partying) is an essential word in Austria. It not only means partying in the sense of having a good time with your friends at home, or going to a party that someone is throwing at their house, but predominantly it refers to going clubbing.
Photo by Giovanna Gomes / Unsplash
“Shall we party today or go to a bar?”
“Do you want to go clubbing tonight or to a bar?”
“Treat yourself” (indulge/treat yourself) is also a popular phrase which you would only say to closer friends. It could be, for example, your response when your friend grabs two drinks for himself.
The phrase has a humorous connotation and underlines that you approve of a situation – or encourage it. It is often said as a response to something that is slightly overdone.
“Knocker” (knocker) is a key word for a night out that involves drinking. It refers to a kind of shot (liquor) that comes in small bottles with various flavours such as plumb or fig.
It is named that way because of the procedure when drinking a “Klopfer”. First you look at the number on the bottom of the bottle, then you tap the bottle, the number of times it said (on the bottle), on the table, and then you “ex” (down) your drink.
When the night is over
After a night of “celebrate” you might say “Get home safely” (get home safe) – a common phrase you say to someone when parting on you way home. It’s friendly but not too informal, meaning that you can say it to anyone from close Dude (pals) to people you just met at the ban.
On the other hand, “I’ll dig in” – meaning that you’re leaving – is very colloquial, and only something you would say to people that you have known for a while, or feel like they are easygoing.
But not everyone uses this phrase. So if you are unsure, just stick to “Get home safely”.