How to Write an Email in German

As you learn German, you'll encounter numerous grammar rules, vocabulary terms, and sentence patterns. But have you figured out how to compose an email in German?

This is an extremely useful skill to have, yet it's frequently overlooked by German classes and other study materials.

This guide will show you how to construct a correct German email with the right level of formality, common salutations and closings, and some helpful words and phrases. You'll also see two example emails (one formal and one informal) to demonstrate how all the components work in practice.

5 Important Elements of a German Email

The sections below outline key guidelines and general advice for the five primary components of a German email.

These rules are also applicable to letters. You might assume that writing a letter in German is unnecessary today, but reconsider. Germany still depends on traditional mail for many official matters.

1. How to start an email in German

For a formal email

Formal emails (and letters) in German begin in a similarly formal way: Sehr geehrte (most esteemed/very dear) so-and-so. Remember to use the proper case endings for sehr geehrte (it is an adjective, after all).

So if you’re writing to Ms. or Mrs. Fischer, you would write Sehr geehrte Frau Fischer , but if you’re addressing your email to Mr. Brandt, you would write Sehr geehrter Herr Brandt.

Here are a few more examples:

• Sehr geehrter Herr Weber, (Esteemed Mr. Weber,)
• Sehr geehrte Frau Schmidt, (Esteemed Mrs. Schmidt,)
• Sehr geehrter Herr Professor Becker, (Esteemed Professor Schmitz,)
• Sehr geehrte Frau Doktor Meyer, (Esteemed Doctor Freud,)
• Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren (Dear Sir or Madam,)

For a slightly less formal greeting that would still be appropriate for most professional emails, you can use Guten Tag (Good day). For example:

• Guten Tag Herr Müller, (Good day Mr. Müller,)
• Guten Tag Frau Walter, (Good day Mrs. Walter,)

For an informal email

For an email outside of a formal business context, you can use the greeting Liebe , or “dear.” Just be sure to use the correct endings for this one as well, writing Liebe for a woman and Lieber for a man.

For example:

• Lieber Herr Wagner, (Dear Mr. Wagner,)
• Liebe Frau Bauer, (Dear Ms. Bauer,)
• Lieber Simon, (Dear Simon,)
• Liebe Michelle, (Dear Michelle,)

For very informal emails, you can say Hallo! (hello), which is basically the equivalent of opening your email with “Hi!” For example, you can say

• Hallo Emma und Paul! (Hi Emma and Paul!)
• Hallo Marie , (Hi Marie,)

What to avoid

The most common error you could make with the opening? The adjective endings! Ensure you get these correct.

There's little worse than starting off poorly with your new boss, coworker, or teacher by making a fundamental German error in the very first words of your email.

2. The body of a German email

For a formal email

The main thing to remember when writing the body is to maintain formality. Making the right impression is crucial, as Germany places a higher value on politeness and etiquette that may appear old-fashioned to an American.

This means avoiding any slang terms. Keep your message concise and direct, and double-check that all grammar and vocabulary are accurate.

For an informal email

You have much more freedom with emails when corresponding with friends. In an email to a German friend you've known for some time, or even a language partner you've met a few times, you can abandon the excessive formality and use slang, emoticons, and everything in between.

What to avoid

Here’s a small but significant difference between German emails and English emails. In German emails and letters, you do not capitalize the first sentence after the greeting. So where in English, you would write,

Dear Mrs. Jones,

I’m writing…

In German, you would write:

Sehr geehrte Frau Jones,

ich schreibe…

Capitalizing that first word will immediately identify you as a non-native speaker!

3. How to end an email in German

For a formal email

These are all perfectly acceptable sign-offs for formal emails. Just be sure to pay attention to those endings!

• Mit freundlichem Grüßen (with friendly regards)
• Mit besten Grüßen (best regards)
• Mit herzlichen Grüßen (with kind regards/best wishes)
• Ihr(e) (yours) — Ihr if you’re male and Ihre if you’re female

Here are a few more ways you can close your formal email:

• Ich bedanke mich bei Ihnen im Voraus. (I thank you in advance.)
• Vielen Dank für Ihre schnelle Antwort. (Thank you for your quick response.)
• Vielen Dank für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit. (Thank you for your attention.)
• Ich würde mich freuen, bald von Ihnen zu hören. (I look forward to hearing from you soon.)

For an informal email

Friends and family in Germany typically sign emails with Viele Grüße or Liebe Grüße (both meaning “pleasant regards” or “best wishes,” essentially). If you want to be very informal, you can sign off with VG or LG . I would suggest this for friends you have written to a few times.

Here are a few more informal email sign-offs you can use:

• Alles Liebe (All the best)
• mit Liebe (With love)
• Dein(e) (Yours)
• Bis bald (See you soon)

What to avoid

Germans do not use a comma after their closing, unlike in English. So instead of saying:

Best wishes, Kat

You would say:

VG Kat

4. Useful words and phrases

For a formal email

If you’re composing a business email, you must know the associated vocabulary. Some email and business terms include:

• Bcc—Empfänger hinzufügen (Bcc—add recipient)
• Cc—Empfänger hinzufügen (Cc—add recipient)
• Dateien anhängen (Attach files)
• Betreff (Subject line)

Some phrases that might be useful while writing are:

• Es tut mir leid, dass… (I’m sorry that…)
• Ich möchte mich bedanken (I would like to thank…)
• Sich freuen über… (to be happy about)

For an informal email

The words and phrases you’ll use in the body of an informal email naturally depend on your reason for writing. Perhaps you want to wish someone a happy birthday, invite them somewhere, or just check in. Here are some helpful phrases you can use:

• Wie geht’s? (How’s it going?)
• Ich würde dich genre einladen zum/zur… (I’d like to invite you to…)
• Ich hoffe dir geht es gut. (I hope you’re doing well.)
• Ich würde mich freuen wenn wir uns bald mal wieder treffen. (I’d love to get together soon.)
• Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! (Happy birthday!)

What to avoid

Be sure to double-check your vocabulary and endings before you send. I often use dict.cc to reverse-translate some of my phrases just to make sure they are correct!

5. Grammar and level of formality

For a formal email

The grammar of your email will largely depend on whether you choose to use Sie (you – formal) or du (you – informal) —more on this later. In a formal email, you’ll want to use Sie. This means all verbs should be conjugated with Sie and any commands should be written in the Sie form.

Remember that Sie form verbs look the same as infinitives. For example, “You write” is Sie schreiben.

For an informal email

For an informal email, you should generally use du. Again, this means that all verb conjugations and commands should be in the du form (verbs will typically end in -st.)

There are, of course, other important grammar rules to remember, such as using the correct German pronouns when referring to other people or things.

What to avoid

The most frequent grammar errors in German emails are the same as in German writing and speaking in general. These include confusing “die,” der” or “das,” selecting the wrong German case, and conjugating verbs incorrectly.

Proper Etiquette for Emails in German

Before we look at some examples of German emails, here are two key points to remember while writing your email.

Sie versus du

As noted earlier, choosing to address someone as Sie or du is a delicate matter of etiquette. You might think it's safe to always use Sie, but this can sometimes offend people if they don't consider themselves old enough to be addressed that way. Therefore, be sure to carefully consider which form to use.

Many people who work at tech start-ups or other very modern workplaces are more inclined to use du. But you don't want to switch to du too early. Generally, a good guideline is to call your friends du, and call your coworkers, employers, and anyone from your parents' generation Sie, unless they suggest otherwise.

You might make a Sie/du error, but that's alright. It's likely that the person you're emailing knows you're not a native German speaker and will be understanding. The key point is to use the formal Sie in a professional email.

First name vs. last name

Similar to Sie and du, you'll need to decide whether to address the person by their first name or by their title and last name. Germany is generally a more formal society than the United States, so be cautious before using someone's first name—unless they have already done so with you.

The best method to understand how to use forms of address and tricky etiquette rules is to see and hear them in context. Reading books and other texts in German can be very helpful and should enhance your overall writing ability.

If you learn more effectively from audio and visuals, German TV shows and videos will better help you adapt to cultural norms. You can also use a language learning platform like Lingflix.

Examples of Emails in German

Look at the following examples to see all five of these principles applied.

Sample formal email

Sehr geehrte Frau Schmidt,

ich möchte wissen, ob mein Brief angekommen ist. Haben Sie den Brief gesehen? Wenn nicht, bitte rufen Sie mich an.

Vielen Dank.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen Frau Jones

Here’s the translation:

Dear Frau Schmidt,

I would like to know whether my letter has arrived. Have you seen the letter? If not, please give me a call.

Thanks very much.

Best regards, Mrs. Jones

Sample informal email

Hallo Tom,

wie geht’s? Ich hoffe, dass alles bei dir gut geht. Es gibt dieses Wochenende eine Party. Hast du Pläne? Du solltest kommen, wenn nicht! Bis bald.

VG Hans

Here’s the translation:

Hi Tom,

How’s it going? I hope everything’s good with you. There’s a party this weekend. Do you have plans? If not, you should come! See you soon.

Best wishes, Hans

Now that you understand how to write an email in German, you can easily stay in touch using digital communication.

With some practice, you'll be sending German emails confidently and without difficulty!