German for work: the phrases you need in your first months

The business German phrases you need in your first months at work are fewer than you fear. You need to introduce yourself and say what you do, choose between du and Sie, ask colleagues for help, write a short email, say something in a meeting, call in sick and make small talk at the coffee machine. None of this needs perfect grammar. It needs the fixed phrases Germans use themselves, said clearly and politely. This guide collects them, with a deeper guide for each situation.

#Du or Sie: how should you address colleagues?

Many German offices now use du among colleagues, especially in tech companies, start-ups and young teams. Banks, public administration, law firms, hospitals and anything involving clients more often stay with Sie. On your first day, simply follow what the others do. If a colleague writes to you with Hallo Frau Okafor and Sie, answer with Sie. If the team introduces itself with first names and du, join in.

When you are unsure, start with Sie. Nobody is offended by it, and switching to du later is easy, while going back is awkward. The full picture is in du or Sie.

#What do you say on your first day?

On day one you will introduce yourself many times, often standing in a doorway. Keep it short: your name, your role and one fact about you.

You will also hear a set of words in your first week that no textbook prepares you for. These are the ones worth saving straight away.

#How do you ask for help without sounding rude?

Questions in Konjunktiv II (könntest, könnten) and the little words kurz and mal make a request sound friendly. A bare imperative sounds like an order, even with a smile.

Asking questions in your first months is expected. Nobody thinks less of a new colleague who asks; they do think less of one who guesses and gets it wrong. There is a whole guide to polite requests in German, from bitte to Wäre es möglich, ...?.

#Which phrases do you need for work emails?

German emails have a fixed frame. The greeting and the sign-off tell the reader how formal you want to be, so choose them with care.

Use Sehr geehrte or Sehr geehrter for first contact and anything official, Hallo with the surname for colleagues you call Sie, and Hallo with the first name for colleagues you call du. Viele Grüße is the everyday sign-off, Mit freundlichen Grüßen the formal one. All the greetings, sign-offs and a sample email are in writing emails in German.

#How do you speak up in a meeting?

In a German meeting, a short phrase to get the floor gives you a second to collect your thoughts. Checking that you understood is normal and sounds professional, not weak.

The last sentence is worth its weight in gold: it is how you take on a task at the end of a meeting. More phrases for getting a word in, giving your view and video calls are in speaking up in German meetings.

#What do you say when you are ill or running late?

If you are ill, tell your employer as early as possible, usually before your working day starts, and say roughly how long you expect to be away. You do not have to say what is wrong with you. If you are ill for more than three calendar days, you usually need a doctor's certificate, die Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, and many employers ask for one sooner, so check your contract.

There is a full guide with a sample email in calling in sick in Germany.

#What about small talk with colleagues?

Office small talk in Germany is short and friendly: the weekend, holidays, the weather, the train that did not come. Around lunchtime you may hear Mahlzeit! as a greeting in the corridor, and at the end of the day everybody wishes everybody a good Feierabend.

#How does Linota help with German for work?

Linota has an office among its seven everyday places: walk through it in 3D, tap a colleague, the printer or the meeting room, and see what you might think, say, ask and hear there, then save the words you want. Before a meeting or an appointment, Prepare a situation gives you what to say, what to ask and what to expect. And when you write a short email in German, writing feedback points out your mistakes and explains them, so the next one goes out with more confidence.

#The short version

• Follow your team on du or Sie, and start with Sie when in doubt.
• Introduce yourself with your name, your role and Ich bin für ... zuständig.
• Ask with Könntest du or Könnten Sie plus kurz, never with a bare imperative.
• Open emails with Hallo or Sehr geehrte, close with Viele Grüße or Mit freundlichen Grüßen.
• In meetings, Darf ich kurz etwas ergänzen? gets you the floor and Ich kümmere mich darum gets things done.
• Tell your employer early when you are ill.

For the conversations between the work, read small talk in German at work.

This post teaches the German for the situation. It is not legal, tax, medical or financial advice, and rules change: for your own case, ask the office, your employer, a doctor or a qualified adviser.