German for business trips
Your German colleagues in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin or Hamburg will happily switch to English in the meeting room. The rest of the trip is another matter: the platform announcement, the hotel reception, the waiter asking how you want to pay. A few German phrases get you through those moments and make a good impression at the table. Every phrase comes with a pronunciation guide for English speakers.
Pronunciation in six rules
German is spelt much more regularly than English. Once you know these six rules, you can read station signs, menus and name badges correctly.
w, v and z
w sounds like an English v: Wagen = "VAH-gen". v usually sounds like f: Vertrieb = "fer-TREEP". z is always ts: Zug = "tsook".
ch
After a, o, u and au it is the rough sound in Scottish loch: Bach, machen. After e, i, ä, ö, ü and consonants it is softer, close to the h in huge: ich, nicht. Never k, never ch as in church.
ei and ie
Say the second letter in English: ei rhymes with eye (mein, Zeit), ie sounds like ee (Sie, Bier). So Wein is wine and Wien is Vienna.
ü, ö and ä
For ü say ee with your lips rounded as for oo (München). ö is close to the vowel in British her (schön). ä is the e in bed or a long ay (März, nächste).
sch, sp and st
sch is sh. At the start of a word or word part, sp and st become shp and sht: sprechen, Straße, Frühstück. In the middle or at the end they sound as in English: Kosten.
Endings and capitals
b, d and g at the end of a word sound like p, t and k: Tag = "tahk". A final e is spoken, as uh: bitte = "BIT-tuh". All nouns start with a capital letter, which helps you spot them in a sentence: die Rechnung, the bill.
In the transcriptions the stressed syllable is in CAPITALS, syllables are joined with "-", words are separated by spaces and "·" separates sentences. kh is the ch sound (rough after a, o, u, soft after other vowels), ue is German ü, er is German ö or a final -er said without the r, ai rhymes with eye, ow as in cow, oo as in food, uh as the a in sofa. An s before a vowel sounds like z, so Sie is "zee".
Arriving and getting around
Most long-distance trains are Deutsche Bahn ICEs. The platform is the Gleis, and the display on the platform shows where each coach stops.
- Von welchem Gleis fährt der ICE nach München?fon VEL-khem GLAIS fairt dair ee-tsay-AY nakh MUEN-khenWhich platform does the ICE to Munich leave from?
- Hält dieser Zug am Flughafen?helt DEE-zer TSOOK am FLOOK-hah-fenDoes this train stop at the airport?
- Entschuldigung, ich glaube, das ist mein Platz. Ich habe reserviert.ent-SHOOL-di-goong ikh GLOW-buh das ist main PLATS · ikh HAH-buh re-zer-VEERTExcuse me, I think this is my seat. I have a reservation.
- Zur Messe, bitte. Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?tsoor MES-suh BIT-tuh · kan ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-lenTo the trade fair grounds, please. Can I pay by card? (in the taxi, ask before you set off)
- Ich verspäte mich leider um etwa zehn Minuten.ikh fer-SHPAY-tuh mikh LAI-der oom ET-vah TSAYN mi-NOO-tenI'm afraid I'm running about ten minutes late. (send it before the meeting starts, not after)
At the hotel
- Ich habe eine Reservierung auf den Namen Smith.ikh HAH-buh AI-nuh re-zer-VEE-roong owf dayn NAH-men SMITHI have a reservation under the name Smith.
- Können Sie die Rechnung bitte auf meine Firma ausstellen?KER-nen zee dee REKH-noong BIT-tuh owf MAI-nuh FEER-mah OWS-shtel-lenCould you make the invoice out to my company, please? (have the company name and address ready)
- Bis wann gibt es Frühstück?bis VAN gipt es FRUE-shtuekUntil what time is breakfast served?
In the meeting
German meetings start on time and get to the point quickly. Address people as Herr or Frau plus surname and use Sie, the formal you, until you are offered first names.
- Guten Tag, Frau Weber. Schön, Sie kennenzulernen.GOO-ten TAHK frow VAY-ber · shern zee KEN-nen-tsoo-lair-nenHello, Ms Weber. Nice to meet you. (with a short, firm handshake)
- Mein Name ist Anna Smith, ich leite den Vertrieb bei Smith Logistics.main NAH-muh ist AH-nah SMITH · ikh LAI-tuh dayn fer-TREEP bai SMITH lo-GIS-tiksMy name is Anna Smith, I head up sales at Smith Logistics.
- Mein Deutsch ist leider nicht sehr gut. Können wir Englisch sprechen?main DOYCH ist LAI-der nikht zair GOOT · KER-nen veer ENG-lish SHPREH-khenI'm afraid my German isn't very good. Could we speak English?
- Danke, dass Sie sich Zeit nehmen.DAN-kuh das zee zikh TSAIT NAY-menThank you for making the time.
- Sollen wir anfangen?ZOL-len veer AN-fang-enShall we get started?
- Habe ich Sie richtig verstanden: Sie möchten im März anfangen?HAH-buh ikh zee RIKH-tikh fer-SHTAN-den zee MERKH-ten im MAIRTS AN-fang-enHave I understood you correctly: you'd like to start in March?
- Das ist ein guter Punkt. Aber was ist mit den Kosten?das ist ain GOO-ter POONKT · AH-ber vas ist mit dayn KOS-tenThat's a good point. But what about the costs?
- Da bin ich anderer Meinung.dah bin ikh AN-de-rer MAI-noongI see it differently. (plain disagreement is normal in German meetings and not taken as rude)
- Das können wir so leider nicht machen.das KER-nen veer zoh LAI-der nikht MAKH-enI'm afraid we can't do it that way.
- Was sind die nächsten Schritte?vas zint dee NAYKH-sten SHRIT-tuhWhat are the next steps?
- Ich schicke Ihnen bis Freitag eine Zusammenfassung.ikh SHIK-kuh EE-nen bis FRAI-tahk AI-nuh tsoo-ZAM-men-fas-soongI'll send you a summary by Friday.
Small talk
Germans keep small talk shorter than the British. Travel, the city and work are safe topics, the weather less so.
- Wie war Ihre Anreise?vee vahr EE-ruh AN-rai-zuhHow was your journey?
- Sind Sie schon lange in der Firma?zint zee shohn LANG-uh in dair FEER-mahHave you been with the company long?
- Woher kommen Sie ursprünglich?vo-HAIR KOM-men zee OOR-shprueng-likhWhere are you from originally?
- Haben Sie schon Pläne fürs Wochenende?HAH-ben zee shohn PLAY-nuh fuers VOKH-en-en-duhAny plans for the weekend yet?
The business dinner
- Prost! / Zum Wohl!prohst · tsoom VOHLCheers! (look the other person in the eye as your glasses touch; Zum Wohl is usual with wine)
- Was können Sie mir empfehlen?vas KER-nen zee meer emp-FAY-lenWhat would you recommend?
- Wir möchten bitte zahlen.veer MERKH-ten BIT-tuh TSAH-lenWe'd like to pay, please. (you usually have to ask, the bill rarely comes by itself)
- Zusammen oder getrennt?tsoo-ZAM-men OH-der ge-TRENTTogether or separately? (the waiter asks this when you pay)
- Zusammen, bitte. Das geht auf mich.tsoo-ZAM-men BIT-tuh · das gayt owf MIKHTogether, please. This one's on me.
- Machen Sie 90. / Stimmt so.MAKH-en zee NOYN-tsikh · shtimt ZOHMake it 90. / Keep the change. (tip by saying the total you want to pay, about 5 to 10 percent more, instead of leaving money on the table)
Phone and video calls
- Guten Tag, hier ist Anna Smith von Smith Logistics.GOO-ten TAHK heer ist AH-nah SMITH fon SMITH lo-GIS-tiksHello, this is Anna Smith from Smith Logistics. (Germans often answer the phone with just their surname)
- Die Verbindung war kurz weg. Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?dee fer-BIN-doong vahr KOORTS VEK · KER-nen zee das BIT-tuh vee-der-HOH-lenThe connection dropped for a moment. Could you repeat that, please?
- Vielen Dank für das Gespräch.FEE-len DANK fuer das ge-SHPREKHThank you for the conversation. (a polite way to end a call)
Emergency number in Germany: 112 (police: 110). If you need a doctor out of hours and it is not an emergency: medical on-call service 116 117. Take your GHIC (or a valid EHIC) and travel insurance details with you.
Good to know
On time means on time
A meeting at 9:00 starts at 9:00. If you will be even a few minutes late, send a message beforehand. Deutsche Bahn is less reliable than your hosts, so plan a buffer for train connections.
Sie until you are offered du
Stick to Sie and Herr or Frau plus surname until someone suggests first names, usually with Wollen wir uns duzen? In English the same people may be happy with first names straight away.
Carry some cash
Cards work in hotels and most restaurants, but bakeries, small bars, kiosks and some taxis still prefer cash. Look for Nur Barzahlung (cash only) and keep 50 euros or so in your wallet.
Shops close on Sundays
On Sundays and public holidays almost all shops are shut. Stations and airports are the exception, so buy anything you need on Saturday or there.
A course for exactly your trip
A phrasebook can only guess what you're planning. In LingoTrip you tell it: negotiating with a supplier in Stuttgart, a trade fair in Hanover, onboarding at a Berlin office. LingoTrip builds a course around exactly those conversations, with audio, speech recognition and spaced review until you leave.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google PlayFAQ
Everyone in German business speaks English. Why bother?
In the meeting room they usually do, and the meeting itself can stay in English. But a greeting, a thank you and a few words at dinner in German are noticed and appreciated. And at the station, the hotel reception or the taxi rank you will often need German anyway.
Sie or du?
Use Sie with everyone you meet through work until they offer du. In start-ups and some Berlin offices people switch to du quickly, but let them make the first move. All phrases on this page use Sie.
How long does it take?
For greetings, introductions, a few meeting phrases, ordering and paying, two to three weeks of a few minutes a day are enough. You won't negotiate in German after that, but you will handle the typical moments of a business trip on your own.
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