Capital Letters In German: 8 German Capitalization Rules With Examples
German is a strange language when it comes to German capitalization rules. In this blog post, we’ll share 8 rules regarding this German grammar topic, and we aim to make it simpler for you.
Sprich mal Deutsch already made a video about German capitalization rules you can check here:
And now, let’s explore everything with more German examples.
1. Capital letters in German at the beginning of a sentence
When it comes to starting a sentence in German, you always want to make sure you’re using a capital letter.
It’s a pretty straightforward rule, and it’s similar to what you’d do in English.
So, when you’re writing a formal letter, a casual email, or just taking some notes, remember to start each sentence with capital letters in German.
It’s a basic rule, but it’s important to follow just like in most other languages.
Let’s see a few examples!
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Am Anfang eines Satzes verwende ich immer einen Großbuchstaben. | I always use a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence. |
| Heute ist ein schöner Tag. | Today is a beautiful day. |
| Gestern bin ich ins Kino gegangen. | Yesterday, I went to the movies. |
| Morgen werde ich meinen Freund treffen. | Tomorrow, I will meet my friend. |
| Kannst du mir bitte helfen? | Can you please help me? |
2. German nouns are capitalized
In German, all nouns are capitalized, which is different from English.
This might take some getting used to, but it’s a hard and fast rule. This is one of the most important German capitalization rules you’ll encounter, and you have to know this!
Whether you’re talking about a person, place, thing, or idea, if it’s a noun, it needs to be capitalized!
This rule applies to all nouns, regardless of where they appear in the sentence.
It’s a unique feature of the German language, and it can actually help you identify nouns more easily when reading. (Why don’t all languages use this?!)
Look at these examples for capitalized nouns in German:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Der Hund ist schwarz. | The dog is black. |
| Ich trinke gerne Kaffee. | I like to drink coffee. |
| Die Sonne scheint heute. | The sun is shining today. |
| Das Haus ist groß. | The house is big. |
| Die Liebe ist wichtig im Leben. | Love is important in life. |
3. Capitalise proper nouns in German
Just like in English, proper nouns in German are also always capitalized.
This includes names of people, places, organizations, and brands.
So, if you’re writing about your friend Klaus, the city of Berlin, or the company Siemens, make sure to give them the capital letter treatment.
Check these German words – some of them are well-known German brands:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Mein bester Freund heißt Klaus. | My best friend’s name is Klaus. |
| Berlin ist die Hauptstadt von Deutschland. | Berlin is the capital of Germany. |
| Ich arbeite bei Siemens. | I work at Siemens. |
| Wir fahren nächsten Monat nach Frankreich. | We’re going to France next month. |
| Johann Wolfgang von Goethe war ein berühmter deutscher Dichter. | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a famous German poet. |
4. Capitalized in German: formal Sie and declensions
When you’re addressing someone formally in German, you use the pronoun Sie.
This is similar to the formal “you” in English, but in German, it’s always capitalized.
The same goes for its declensions, like Ihnen and Ihr.
It’s a sign of respect and formality, so don’t forget to capitalize these words when you’re using them.
Using the formal Sie is common in business settings, with people you don’t know well, or with those who are older than you.
Look out for Sie, Ihnen and Ihre here:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Wie geht es Ihnen heute? | How are you today? (formal) |
| Könnte ich bitte mit Ihnen sprechen? | Could I please speak with you? (formal) |
| Ich danke Ihnen für Ihre Hilfe. | I thank you for your help. (formal) |
| Haben Sie schon zu Mittag gegessen? | Have you already had lunch? (formal) |
| Ihr Vortrag war sehr interessant. | Your presentation was very interesting. (formal) |
5. Learn German capitalization for titles and headings
Like in most other languages, titles and headings are capitalized.
Depending on what you’re reading, you can see different German capitalization rules.
For example, in a newspaper headline, you might see all the words capitalized, while in a book title, you might see only the first word and any proper nouns capitalized.
Whenever you’re on the giving end of written German, it’s important to be consistent and follow the appropriate style guide for your writing.
Some titles and headings in German:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| “Die Verwandlung” von Franz Kafka | “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka |
| “Der Spiegel” Artikel: “Klimawandel bedroht Arktis“ | “Der Spiegel” Article: “Climate Change Threatens Arctic” |
| Kapitel 1: Einleitung | Chapter 1: Introduction |
| Goethes “Faust“ | Goethe’s “Faust” |
| “Zeit für Veränderung“, sagte Bundeskanzlerin Merkel. | “Time for Change,” said Chancellor Merkel. |
6. Capitalisation of days of the week, months, and German holidays
Days of the week, months, and German holidays are capitalized when used as nouns.
This is similar to English, where we capitalize these words when they’re used as proper nouns.
However, when these words are used as adjectives, they are not capitalized in German!
Look!
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Mein Lieblingstag ist Freitag. | My favorite day is Friday. |
| Im August fahre ich in den Urlaub. | In August, I’m going on vacation. |
| Weihnachten ist mein Lieblingsfeiertag. | Christmas is my favorite holiday. |
| Die Konferenz findet nächsten Montag statt. | The conference takes place next Monday. |
| Der Geburtstag meiner Mutter ist im März. | My mother’s birthday is in March. |
7. Rules of German adjectives used as nouns
In German, when an adjective is used as a noun, it is capitalized.
This is another German grammar rule. When an adjective is used as a noun, it usually refers to a person or a group of people with a specific characteristic:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Der Alte ging langsam die Straße entlang. | The old man walked slowly down the street. |
| Die Schöne zog alle Blicke auf sich. | The beautiful woman attracted everyone’s attention. |
| Das Gute siegt immer über das Böse. | Good always triumphs over evil. |
| Die Reichen sollten den Armen helfen. | The rich should help the poor. |
| Der Kleine spielte fröhlich im Park. | The little boy played happily in the park. |
8. Capitalized abbreviation words in German
Abbreviations in German are also capitalized when used as nouns. Most of the time, they refer to organizations, countries, or other proper nouns in German.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Die EU hat viele Mitgliedsländer. | The EU has many member countries. |
| Er kommt aus den USA. | He comes from the USA. |
| Die UNO setzt sich für den Weltfrieden ein. | The UN advocates for world peace. |
| Das DRK hilft Menschen in Not. | The GRC (German Red Cross) helps people in need. |
| Die NATO ist ein Militärbündnis. | NATO is a military alliance. |
Learn German capitalization rules with Conversation Based Chunking
Now, there are different ways you can learn the German capitalization rules.
First, you can remember all of them one by one. There’s not many, so you can definitely manage. Or, you learn naturally with Conversation Based Chunking.
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