How to Write a Letter in German: 69-Word Key Vocabulary with Example Sentences
Do you know how to write a letter in German? No? It’s high time you learn how to craft one!
Learning how to write a letter in German is valuable for a lot of reasons: it’s good if you want to apply for a scholarship, or you’re applying for a job in Germany. Because, believe it or not, Germans still send tons of letters and emails.
They even send faxes!
First, let’s check this video brought to you by Easy German, where they share some key vocabulary for writing letters and emails:
In this blog post, you’ll find key vocabulary related to writing a letter in German, and we’ll also give you examples on how to structure a formal and an informal letter!
1. Key German words for writing a German letter
If you want to write the perfect letter in German, you first have to familiarize yourself the most important words and phrases in German for writing an email or an official letter.
You have to know how you say the sender and the recipient, you have to know what are the most popular greetings in German, and it’s also good to know how you can say goodbye when you’re concluding the letter.
But everything in its own time!
| German Word | English Translation |
|---|---|
| die Anrede | salutation/greeting |
| die Betreffzeile | subject line |
| der Brief | letter |
| die E-Mail | |
| der Absender | sender |
| der Empfänger | recipient |
| die Anrede | salutation |
| die Begrüßung | greeting |
| der Briefkopf | letterhead |
| der Schluss | closing/ending |
| die Unterschrift | signature |
| die Adresse | address |
| der Betreff | subject |
| die Anlage | attachment |
| der Anhang | attachment |
| die Grußformel | complimentary close |
| der Postscriptum (P.S.) | postscript (P.S.) |
| die Nachricht | message |
| die Formalität | formality |
| die Höflichkeitsform | polite form |
2. How to write a formal letter in German
You have to keep in mind, that the German culture is different than the US, UK or even the Spanish culture. They follow strict rules, they love structure and they are straightforward, most of the time.
Formatting a formal letter in German also follows a structure.
Begin with your address at the top left corner, and below it, add the recipient’s address. (Leave a space between the two addresses).
Next, include the date on the right-hand side, aligning it with the recipient’s address. Below the date, write the subject line (Betreff) to clearly state the purpose of the letter.
After this, it’s all about writing the actual body of the letter. And you can use the chunks mentioned in this article to construct it (more on this a bit later!).
To summarize, here’s how you can write a formal letter in German:
- Your address at the top left
- Recipient’s address below yours
- Date on the right-hand side
- Subject line (Betreff) – in bold, if possible
- Formal salutation (Sehr geehrte/r or Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren)
- Professional body paragraphs
- Complimentary closing (Mit freundlichen Grüßen)
- Handwritten signature (for physical letters) and typed name
- Mention of attachments (Anlagen or Anhang)
3. Writing an informal letter in German
Writing an informal letter in German is a bit more relaxed in nature. Still, it has some degree of organization.
Start with your address at the top left corner, followed by the date on the right-hand side. Unlike formal letters, you do not need to include the recipient’s address.
The biggest difference compared to a formal letter is the language you use. You can use German slangs, a casual salutation, and keep in mind, that you’re probably messaging some of your friends or acquaintances.
Here’s how you structure an informal German letter:
- Your address at the top left
- Date on the right-hand side
- Casual salutation (Lieber/Liebe [Name], Hallo)
- Conversational and personal body paragraphs
- Friendly closing (Liebe Grüße, Viele Grüße, Bis bald)
- Your name
3. How to start your letter in German
You want the perfect letter, right? Then you need the perfect German greetings. We grouped them by the level of formality.
Formal German greetings used in letters
| German Greeting | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Sehr geehrter Herr [Last Name], | Dear Mr. [Last Name], |
| Sehr geehrte Frau [Last Name], | Dear Ms./Mrs. [Last Name], |
| Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, | Dear Sir or Madam, / To whom it may concern, |
| Sehr geehrter Herr Doktor [Last Name], | Dear Dr. [Last Name] (male), |
| Sehr geehrte Frau Doktor [Last Name], | Dear Dr. [Last Name] (female), |
| Sehr geehrter Herr Professor [Last Name], | Dear Professor [Last Name] (male), |
| Sehr geehrte Frau Professor [Last Name], | Dear Professor [Last Name] (female), |
Informal greetings in German used in letters
| German Greeting | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Lieber [First Name], | Dear [First Name] (male), |
| Liebe [First Name], | Dear [First Name] (female), |
| Hallo [First Name], | Hello [First Name], |
| Hi [First Name], | Hi [First Name], |
| Hey [First Name], | Hey [First Name], |
| Liebe [First Name 1] und [First Name 2], | Dear [First Name 1] and [First Name 2], |
| Hallo zusammen, | Hello everyone, |
4. Learn how to write the body of the letter
After the salutations, it’s time to actually write the most important and longest part of the email or physical letter: the body!
Let’s break it down again by categorizing these common German phrases on the level of formality.
Common formal German phrases
| German Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Ich hoffe, es geht Ihnen gut. | I hope you are well. |
| Vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht. | Thank you for your message. |
| Mit Bezug auf… | With reference to… |
| Ich möchte Sie darauf hinweisen, dass… | I would like to point out that… |
| Für weitere Informationen stehe ich Ihnen gerne zur Verfügung. | I am available for further information. |
| Ich freue mich auf Ihre Antwort. | I look forward to your reply. |
The most popular informal phrases in German letters
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich hoffe, es geht dir gut. | I hope you are well. |
| Vielen Dank für deinen Brief. | Thank you for your letter. |
| Es war schön, von dir zu hören. | It was nice to hear from you. |
| Wie geht es dir? | How are you? |
| Ich habe mich sehr gefreut, von dir zu hören. | I was very happy to hear from you. |
| Lass uns bald wieder treffen. | Let’s meet again soon. |
| Bitte richte [Name] meine besten Grüße aus. | Please give my best regards to [Name]. |
| Ich vermisse dich. | I miss you. |
5. How to end your letter in German
We showed how you have to address an official letter, how you can greet someone, how you should format the body of it, and you also have to know the proper ways to end it.
So, we’ve captured the essence of closing remarks in German!
Formal closing remarks in German
| German Closing Remark | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Mit freundlichen Grüßen | Sincerely / With kind regards |
| Mit besten Grüßen | Best regards |
| Mit herzlichen Grüßen | With kind regards |
| Mit freundlichem Gruß | Sincerely |
| Hochachtungsvoll | Respectfully |
| Freundliche Grüße | Kind regards |
| Mit verbindlichen Grüßen | With best regards |
| Mit den besten Wünschen | With best wishes |
| In Erwartung Ihrer Antwort verbleibe ich | I remain in anticipation of your reply |
| Mit Dank im Voraus | Thanking you in advance |
Informal German closing remarks
| German Closing Remark | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Liebe Grüße | Best regards |
| Viele Grüße | Many regards |
| Herzliche Grüße | Warm regards |
| Bis bald | See you soon |
| Dein(e) [Name] | Your [Name] |
| Tschüss | Bye |
| Alles Liebe | Lots of love |
| Mach’s gut | Take care |
| Bis dann | Until then |
| Pass auf dich auf | Take care of yourself |
6. Practice writing a letter in German with Practice Worksheets
You can practice writing letters in German with flashcards. One great flashcards app is Quizlet, or, alternatively, you can check out DuoCards – we made a DuoCards review article to help you decide, too!
And if you want to practice more, now’s your chance! Sign up now, and get access to our Full Practice Worksheet Library:
7. Learn how to write a letter in German with Conversation Based Chunking
That’s not all!
You can learn all of these phrases in German with the help of Conversation Based Chunking, but it’s even better to use it in real-life examples. If you sign up now, we’ll give you templates on how to write a letter in German: both formally and informally!
Plus, we have an essential German chunking list, you can check the best resources to learn German, and even get access to our Full Practice Worksheet Library. And, all of this is for FREE.
All we want in exchange is for you to sign up to our newsletter, and you’ll get more information on this.
