Business German: Emails, Meetings, and Professional Small Talk

Workplace German is a different register from everyday conversational German — more formal in writing, more structured in meetings, and governed by small-talk conventions that don't map directly onto English office culture. This is separate from immigration or visa paperwork (covered in our guide to working in Germany) — this is purely the language you need once you're already at your desk.

Writing professional emails

German business emails are more structured than their English equivalents, and skipping the structure reads as careless even if your grammar is perfect.

Element	Standard phrase	Notes
Salutation	Sehr geehrte Frau Müller, / Sehr geehrter Herr Schmidt,	Formal default. Hallo Frau Müller, is acceptable once you have an established working relationship.
Opening line	Vielen Dank für Ihre E-Mail vom ... / Ich schreibe Ihnen bezüglich ...	State the reference or purpose immediately — German business writing avoids small talk before the point.
Requesting something	Könnten Sie mir bitte ... zukommen lassen? / Ich wäre Ihnen dankbar, wenn Sie ...	Konjunktiv II (könnten, wäre) softens a request without sounding weak.
Closing	Mit freundlichen Grüßen	The universal formal sign-off — equivalent to "Best regards." Viele Grüße is a step more casual, for established contacts.

One structural habit worth copying: German emails often use a clear subject-line convention (Betreff: Terminanfrage — Projektbesprechung KW34) that states the topic and action needed, not just a vague label.

Meeting vocabulary and phrases

• die Tagesordnung — the agenda. Lassen Sie uns mit dem ersten Punkt der Tagesordnung beginnen. (Let's start with the first agenda item.)
• das Protokoll — the minutes. Wer übernimmt das Protokoll? (Who's taking the minutes?)
• Vorschlagen / einen Vorschlag machen — to propose. Ich schlage vor, dass wir das Budget noch einmal prüfen. (I propose we review the budget again.)
• zustimmen / ablehnen — to agree / to decline. Ich stimme dem grundsätzlich zu, habe aber eine Anmerkung. (I agree in principle, but I have a comment.)
• das Ergebnis festhalten — to record the outcome. Halten wir fest: Wir liefern bis Freitag. (Let's note down: we deliver by Friday.)
• die nächsten Schritte — next steps. Was sind die nächsten Schritte? (What are the next steps?)

A useful structural phrase for keeping a meeting on track: Um zum Punkt zurückzukommen ... (To get back to the point...) — German meeting culture values staying on the agreed agenda more strictly than many English-speaking offices.

Professional small talk: what actually gets said

German workplace small talk is shorter and less personal than in many English-speaking offices — weekend plans and family are common only once a relationship is established, and even then stay brief. Safe, common openers:

• Wie war Ihr Wochenende? (How was your weekend?) — fine with colleagues you know, answered briefly, not elaborated on.
• Wie läuft das Projekt? (How's the project going?) — a very common hallway or coffee-machine opener, more work-focused than personal.
• Schönes Wetter heute, oder? (Nice weather today, isn't it?) — genuinely common as a neutral opener, not a cliché to avoid.

Du vs. Sie at work: many companies (especially startups and tech) now default to du company-wide, but traditional firms, law offices, and anyone senior or external still expect Sie until explicitly invited to switch — usually with Wir können uns gerne duzen (We can use "du" with each other) from the more senior person. Never initiate the switch yourself with someone above you.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using du by default in emails to people you haven't met — always start formal and let the other side downgrade it.
• Burying the request at the end of a long email — German readers expect it stated early, then supported.
• Treating small talk as an extended warm-up — two or three exchanges is normal before moving to business, not ten minutes of chat.

Practice formal writing and workplace dialogues with feedback in our B1 and B2 courses, and check more workplace-language questions in our FAQ.