How to Write Personal Letters in German

Below you will find helpful guidelines, an example, and an English-German phrasebook for writing personal letters, email, and greeting cards in German.

The Envelope • der Umschlag

Titles	Titel
Mr - Mrs/Ms - Miss These titles are usually not abbreviated in German. German uses Frau for both Mrs and Ms (any woman 18 or older).	Herrn - Frau - Fräulein Note the 'n' ending on Herrn, reflecting the understood phrase: an Herrn XYZ (to Mr. XYZ)
Address (female)	Die Anschrift (weiblich)
Mrs (Ms) Maria Schmidt Schillerstrasse 19 (19 Schiller St.) postal code & city (D=Germany, A=Austria, CH=Switz.)	Frau Maria Schmidt (Fräulein if under 18) Schillerstraße 18 D-23451 Kleindorf Germany (if writing from outside the country)
Address (male)	Die Anschrift (männlich)
Mr Karl Braun Mozartstrasse 35 (35 Mozart St.) postal code & city (A=Austria, D=Germany, CH=Switz.)	Herrn Karl Braun (Note the n!) Mozartstraße 35 A-3451 Schöndorf Austria (if writing from outside the country) Note: Straße* is often abbreviated Str. Other types of streets: Allee (avenue, boulevard), Gasse (lane), Weg (way, drive).
Return Address	Der Absender
Sarah Brown 253 Fall Lane Cactus City, NV 89101 USA (if mailed from abroad)	A German return address (preceded by the abbreviation Abs.) usually goes on the back of the envelope.

On the Envelope • auf dem Umschlag

Air Mail	Luftpost (Germany) - Flugpost (Austria)
c/o - in care of "John Smith c/o the Meiers"	bei or c/o "John Smith bei Meier" More often: "John Smith c/o Meier"
P.O. Box 12345	Postfach 12345
Registered Mail	Eingeschrieben
(postage) stamp	die Briefmarke

Personal Letter Phrases

NOTE: These phrases are only appropriate for personal correspondence, not in formal or business situations!

Salutations • Anreden

English	Deutsch
Dear Maria,	Liebe Maria, (female, e-ending)
Dear Hans,	Lieber Hans, (male, er-ending)
Dear Maria and Hans,	Liebe Maria, lieber Hans,
Dear Dad / Dear Mom,	Lieber Vati, / Liebe Mutti,
Dear Friends,	Liebe Freunde,
My Dearest Karl,	Mein liebster Karl,
My Dearest Maria,	Meine liebste Maria,

General Phrases

These phrases are only appropriate for personal correspondence, not in formal or business situations!

English	Deutsch
Thank you for your letter	Vielen Dank für deinen Brief
It was good to hear from you again	Ich habe mich gefreut, wieder von dir zu hören
I'm sorry that I haven't written for so long	Tut mir Leid, dass ich so lange nicht geschrieben habe
Please don't be mad at me for...	Sei mir bitte nicht böse, dass ich...

Closing Remarks

Give my regards/love to Maria and Hans	Ganz liebe Grüße an Maria und Hans
Tell them how much I miss them	Sag ihnen, wie sehr sie mir fehlen
Tell her/him how much I miss her/him	Sag ihr/ihm, wie sehr sie/er mir fehlt
Please write again soon!	Schreib mal wieder!
Let us hear from you now and then	Lasst ab und zu wieder von dir hören

Sample Personal Letters

The following sample personal letter is one in a series of examples of informal, personal correspondence (letters, email, cards) in German. For additional information, see the numbered comments in red on the right. You'll also find an English translation of the letter below the German sample.

Personal Letter 1

Cactus City, den 25. Nov. 2002¹

Liebe Maria,²
Über deinen³ letzten Brief haben wir uns sehr gefreut! Tut mir leid, dass ich schon lange nicht geantwortet habe, aber nun endlich bekommst du mal wieder ein Lebenszeichen von uns.

Wie du schon weißt, war Jim drei Wochen lang in Asien auf Geschäftsreise. Da musste ich hier zu Hause fast alles machen und kam nie dazu, dir zu schreiben. Aber mittlerweile läuft fast alles bei uns wieder "normal" and ich habe ein bisschen Zeit, um zur Feder zu greifen.

Am Mittwoch waren wir bei Barbara und Dan zum Abendessen. Sie lassen auch grüßen und hoffen dich wieder im Sommer in Berlin zu besuchen. Dan arbeitet immer noch bei...

Schöne Grüße, auch von Jim!

Deine Sarah [your signed first name]⁴

Annotations

1 City from which you are writing and the date; the den is optional
2 Liebe... Dear... For a male, you would write Lieber...
3 deinen your Under the new spelling rules, the familiar "you" forms are not capitalized, but many Germans still do so anyway.
4 A male would use Dein

English Translation - Personal Letter 1

Cactus City, the 25th of Nov. 2002

Dear Maria,
We were so glad to get your last letter! I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to reply, but now once again you're finally getting some indication that we're still alive.

As you already know, Jim was traveling in Asia on business for three weeks, so I had to do almost everything here at home, and never could find the time to write you. But in the meantime, almost everything here is running "normally" again, and I have a little time to set pen to paper.

On Wednesday we had dinner at Barbara and Dan's. They say hello and are hoping to visit you again in Berlin this summer. Dan is still working at...

Best wishes - from Jim, too!

Your Sarah

More Closing Phrases and Formulae

Alles Liebe - All my/our love, with love
Herzliche Grüße - Best wishes/Yours/Regards
Liebe Grüße und Küsse - Love and kisses
Viele liebe Grüße - Yours

At the Post Office - bei der Post

Going to the post office in Germany today is a far cry from the old days. No more special windows for each service and very limited opening hours. Today you go to the next clerk at any window for everything from banking to express mail. Some larger post offices and those at train stations are open late and on holidays! Here is a glossary (with phrasebook) to help you at the Post.

At the Post Office • Auf der Post

English	Deutsch
post office	die Post / das Postamt
German Postal Bank	die Postbank
German Postal Service	die Deutsche Post AG

At the Counter • Am Schalter

by air mail	mit / per Luftpost
customs form / declaration	die Zollerklärung
DHL	DHL
express mail	die Eilsendung / die Expressmail
How long does it take for a package to get to... ?	Wie lange braucht ein Packet nach... ?
general delivery	postlagernde Sendungen
mail	die Post
package, parcel	das Paket
postage stamp	die Briefmarke
I'd like five 90-cent stamps.	Ich möchte fünf Briefmarken zu 90 (neunzig) Cent.
postage	das Porto
post card(s)	die Postkarte(n)
registered (mail)	per Einschreiben
registered letter	der Einschreibebrief
self-sticking stamps	selbstklebende Marken
small package / parcel	das Päkchen
special delivery letter	der Eilbrief
special delivery mail	die Eilsendung
stamp(s)	die Briefmarke(n)
to stamp, put on a stamp	frankieren

Mail • Die Post

mailbox	der Briefkasten
mail carrier	der Postbote / die Postbotin
mailman, postman	der Postbote

On the Envelope • Auf dem Umschlag

English	Deutsch
Address unknown	unbekannt verzogen
Deceased	verstorben
Forward	nachsenden
From / Sender	Absender (der)
Moved (to)	verzogen (nach)
Moved out of the country / abroad	ins Ausland Verzogen
P.O. Box 21233	Postfach 21233
postal code - ZIP code	PLZ = Postleitzahl (die)
Postage paid (w/ digital code)	DV bezahlt
Postage paid (Port payé)	Freimachung (DV)
Printed matter	Drucksache (die)
Refused	verweigert
Undeliverable	unzustellbar
Unknown - No such person	unbekannt

Remarks Printed or Written on Envelope / Package

Deutsch	English
Bei Umzug Anschriftenbenachrichtigungskarte!	New address requested! ("If recipient has moved, send a change-of-address card!")
Bei Umzug mit neuer Anschrift zurück!	If recipient has moved, return to sender with new address!
Bitte an Absender zurück!	Please return to sender!
Bitte Freimachen!	Please use postage stamp! (pay postage)
Entgelt bezahlt	Postage paid
Maschinenfähig	Machine readable
Nicht nachsenden!	Do not forward!
Wenn unzustellbar, zurück!	If undeliverable, return to sender!

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Your Citation

Flippo, Hyde. "How to Write Personal Letters in German." ThoughtCo, Feb. 15, 2021, thoughtco.com/how-to-write-personal-letters-in-german-4071339. Flippo, Hyde. (2021, February 15). How to Write Personal Letters in German. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-write-personal-letters-in-german-4071339 Flippo, Hyde. "How to Write Personal Letters in German." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-write-personal-letters-in-german-4071339 (accessed March 23, 2023).