German · Greetings & Essentials

"Get well soon" in German: gute Besserung

gute Besserung

Say it: GOO-tuh beh-SEH-roongphrase/ˈɡuːtə bəˈsɛʁʊŋ/

Get well soon in German is gute Besserung. Say it in messages and at the door. Cards may add Gute Besserung und bald wieder auf den Beinen!

WhatsApp to a sick friend

Gute Besserung! Trink viel Tee.
Get well soon! Drink lots of tea.
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How to pronounce gute Besserung

Say it

GOO-tuh beh-SEH-roong

/ˈɡuːtə bəˈsɛʁʊŋ/

GOO-tuh beh-SEH-roong. Stress SEH; soft -ung.

"Get well soon" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
gute Besserungget well soon

Core wish.

Gute Besserung!get well soon!

Exclamation.

gute Besserung und ruh dich ausget well soon and rest

Longer care line.

baldige Besserungspeedy recovery

Slightly formal.

How to use gute Besserung in real life

  1. 1WhatsApp to a sick friend

    Gute Besserung! Trink viel Tee.

    Get well soon! Drink lots of tea.

    Full phrase.

  2. 2Office chat

    Sag Anna bitte gute Besserung von uns.

    Please tell Anna get well soon from us.

    Pass-along wish.

  3. 3Hospital visit

    Gute Besserungdie Blumen sind von allen.

    Get well soon — the flowers are from everyone.

    Spoken with a gift.

Mistakes English speakers make with gute Besserung

Incorrect: Get well soon!

Correct: Gute Besserung!

Use the German headword phrase.

Incorrect: gute Verbesserung

Correct: gute Besserung

Besserung is the recovery word, not Verbesserung.

Good to know

Gute Besserung is the default for colds, surgery, and short illness. For grief you switch to other condolences. Colleagues send it in group chats without needing a long update.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Checking on a roommate with a cold

  1. ChatPal

    Gute Besserung. Brauchst du Suppe?

    Get well soon. Do you need soup?

  2. You

    Dankeund gute Besserung nochmal an dich gestern.

    Thanks — and get well soon again to you from yesterday.

  3. ChatPal

    Mir geht's schon besser. Dir jetzt gute Besserung!

    I'm already better. Get well soon to you now!

  4. You

    Mach ich. Erstmal schlafen.

    Will do. Sleeping first.

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"Get well soon" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Get well soon" in German

How do you say get well soon?

Gute Besserung.

On a card?

Gute Besserung! is enough; add a short rest wish if you like.

Pass it along?

Sag X bitte gute Besserung von mir.

Formal variant?

Baldige Besserung appears on some cards.

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