Language in use

German for work

Interviews, meetings and e-mails in a German-speaking office — and when to switch from Sie to du.

Why this field

Germany, Austria and Switzerland recruit abroad in many fields, and even where the working language is English, the coffee break, the canteen and the e-mail to the HR department are often in German.

Office German follows a few firm conventions: surnames, Sie, fixed openings and closings in e-mails. Knowing them matters more than a large vocabulary, because getting them wrong is noticed at once.

Sentences to say aloud

The label says where a sentence belongs. The speaker next to it reads it aloud.

1. Guten Tag, ich habe um zehn Uhr ein Vorstellungsgespräch bei Frau Schneider.Good morning, I have an interview with Ms Schneider at ten.

   formal

2. Ich arbeite seit drei Jahren als Softwareentwicklerin.I have been working as a software developer for three years.

   neutral German uses the present tense with seit for something still going on — not the perfect, as English does.

3. Könnten Sie mir bitte sagen, wie die Einarbeitung abläuft?Could you tell me how the induction period works?

   polite Könnten Sie is the polite subjunctive; the verb of the question goes to the end after wie.

4. Wollen wir uns duzen?Shall we use du with each other?

   neutral The usual way to offer du. In many start-ups everyone uses du from the first day.

5. Könnten wir den Termin auf Donnerstag verschieben?Could we move the appointment to Thursday?

   polite

6. Ich bin heute ab 14 Uhr im Homeoffice erreichbar.Today I can be reached from 2 p.m., working from home.

   neutral

7. Ich melde mich morgen bei Ihnen.I will get back to you tomorrow.

   polite

8. Sehr geehrte Frau Schneider,Dear Ms Schneider,

   formal After the comma the e-mail continues on a new line in lower case.

9. Mit freundlichen GrüßenKind regards

   formal No comma after the closing, unlike in English.

10. Mahlzeit!Enjoy your lunch! (said to colleagues)

    casual A greeting between colleagues around lunchtime, common in offices and factories, especially in the south. Some find it old-fashioned; you can simply answer with the same word.

What matters here

• At work you start with Sie and the surname: Frau Schneider, Herr Yilmaz. Switching to du is offered, usually by the more senior person — never assumed.
• A German e-mail has a fixed frame: Sehr geehrte Frau …, or Hallo Frau …,, then the text starting in lower case, then Mit freundlichen Grüßen or Viele Grüße with no comma after it.
• German directness is not rudeness: Das funktioniert so nicht. is a factual remark in a meeting, not an attack.

Try it yourself

Read the meaning, say the sentence aloud in German, then open it to compare.

1. Good morning, I have an interview with Ms Schneider at ten.

   Guten Tag, ich habe um zehn Uhr ein Vorstellungsgespräch bei Frau Schneider.

2. Could you tell me how the induction period works?

   Könnten Sie mir bitte sagen, wie die Einarbeitung abläuft?

3. Could we move the appointment to Thursday?

   Könnten wir den Termin auf Donnerstag verschieben?

4. I will get back to you tomorrow.

   Ich melde mich morgen bei Ihnen.

More fields

Every sentence on this page was written for EveryLingua. There are no quotations from films, series, books or songs here, and no titles or names of artists — the page shows how people talk in this field, not what somebody once said.