So, you’ve mastered your Guten Tags and can order a bratwurst with flair.
But now you’re headed for the big leagues, the Büro.

Whether you're eyeing that Berlin startup role or trying to impress a Swiss client over Zoom, Business German isn’t just about sounding smart. It's about not sounding weird.

Welcome to the cheat sheet for workplace German that won’t make you panic when someone says, “Könnten Sie das bitte erläutern” in the middle of a Monday meeting.

Why Your Casual German Won’t Survive the Office Jungle

Here’s the tea. In the German-speaking world, the office is a sacred land of structure, precision, and unspoken rules.
What flies in an English-speaking startup, a GIF-filled email or a Slack message that starts with “yo”, might raise a few serious eyebrows here.

But fear not.
You don’t need a tie and a monocle.
You just need the right words and a little cultural decoding.

First Things First: The Golden Rule of “Sie” vs “du”

Call someone “du” in a formal setting, and you might as well have slapped their coffee out of their hand.
Always, and we mean always, start with Sie until someone tells you otherwise.

Think of it like the office version of “Don’t sit in the boss’s chair.”

The Business German Starter Pack (aka Your Professional Survival Kit)

Here are a few key phrases to keep in your briefcase (or mental notebook).

Greetings, That Say I’m Polite and Not a Threat

Guten Morgen,  Good morning, but with espresso vibes.
Guten Tag,  Good day. Classy. Timeless.
Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen. You don’t have to pronounce it fast, just say it like you mean it.

 Words You’ll Hear 47 Times a Day

That meeting, yes, it’s borrowed from English, but it sounds fancier.
Dear Kollege / die Kollegin ,  Your fellow caffeine-dependent survivor.
Die Präsentation,  What you pretend to work on when you’re really fixing the fonts.

Email Power Moves

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,  When you don’t know who you’re writing to but want to sound like a boss.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,  The German mic drop at the end of emails.
Im Anhang finden Sie,  For that file you swear was attached.

Don’t Just Speak German. Behave German.

Language gets you in the room, but behavior keeps you in the meeting.
Here’s the etiquette edition with all the subtle ninja moves.

1. Be the Human Alarm Clock
Five minutes early is the new on time.
Late to a meeting? You’ll be apologizing until Q4.

2. Dress Like Your Email Has No Typos
Neat, clean, simple.
You don’t need designer threads. Just don’t look like you lost a fight with your laundry.

3. Respect the Flowchart of Power
Know who signs what, and don’t skip levels.
German workplaces love order, and it shows.

4. Meetings Are Not Open Mic Nights
Stay on topic. Say what needs to be said.
Bonus points for bullet points.

How The Language Skool Turns You Into a Workplace Wizard

We don’t just teach you words.
We turn you into the kind of person who can:

• Navigate a client call in German without sweating.

• Write a polite-but-firm email that says “fix this” without saying “fix this.”

• Understand when your boss says, “Let’s discuss this,” it means, “Why wasn’t this done yesterday?”

Our Business German programs include:

• Industry-specific lingo for tech, finance, marketing, and beyond.

• Roleplays so realistic you’ll forget it’s a class.

• Insider etiquette tips that save you from awkward silences.
  
  

TLDR

If you're aiming for a German-speaking workplace, you don’t just need German.
You need Business German.

The kind that shakes hands firmly, answers emails politely, and still knows when it’s okay to crack a smile.

So, whether you're pitching to a Berlin boardroom or just trying not to freak out during your first Zoom call with Frau Schmitt, we’ve got you.

Join The Language Skool’s German Program.
Speak smart, work smarter, and impress the socks off your future German colleagues.