Email is where most business German actually happens. A well-written email in German follows conventions that feel stiff until you know them — and then they become automatic. These 50 german business email phrases cover the full arc of a work email: formal openings, body sentences for requests, replies and bad news, and sign-offs that land at exactly the right level of formality.
Each phrase comes with its natural English equivalent and a note on when it fits. The golden rule of german business email phrases: always match your opening to your closing. A Sehr geehrte opening pairs with Mit freundlichen Grüßen, while a casual Hallo pairs with Viele Grüße. Mix them and the email feels off. For more on striking the right tone, see our guide on how to write a business email in German.
Openings: German Business Email Phrases That Set the Right Tone
The opening sets the formality level for everything that follows. When in doubt, go one notch more formal than you think you need.
1. Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, — Dear Sir or Madam,
The default when you don’t know the recipient’s name. Formal and universally correct, though slightly impersonal. Example: „Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, ich interessiere mich für Ihr Angebot.”
2. Sehr geehrte Frau Schmidt, — Dear Ms. Schmidt,
The standard formal opening when you know the recipient’s name. Note the feminine adjective ending: geehrte for Frau, geehrter for Herr.
3. Sehr geehrter Herr Schmidt, — Dear Mr. Schmidt,
The masculine counterpart. Getting the -er vs -e ending right is a small detail that native speakers notice.
4. Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Schmidt, — Dear Dr. Schmidt,
Titles matter in Germany. If someone holds a doctorate, include it — dropping the Dr. can come across as careless.
5. Guten Tag Frau Schmidt, — Hello Ms. Schmidt,
Friendly but still professional — no Sehr geehrte stiffness. Ideal for ongoing correspondence with someone you already know. Note: no comma is needed in modern German business style, though many still use one.
6. Guten Morgen Herr Schmidt, — Good morning, Mr. Schmidt,
Same register as Guten Tag, just time-specific. Natural for morning emails to familiar contacts.
7. Guten Tag zusammen, — Hello everyone,
For group emails to colleagues you know. Warm, efficient, and very common in internal mail.
8. Hallo Frau Schmidt, — Hello Ms. Schmidt,
Informal-professional. Fine for colleagues and long-standing contacts, but not for first contact or official matters.
9. Liebe Frau Schmidt, — Dear Ms. Schmidt,
Semi-formal and warm — the email equivalent of a friendly handshake. Common between colleagues who work together regularly.
10. Lieber Herr Schmidt, — Dear Mr. Schmidt,
The masculine form. Use it once a working relationship is established; too familiar for cold outreach.
11. Ich hoffe, es geht Ihnen gut. — I hope you’re well.
The classic polite opener after the greeting line. Safe, standard, and expected in more formal exchanges.
12. Ich hoffe, Sie hatten ein schönes Wochenende. — I hope you had a nice weekend.
The Monday-morning standard. A small human touch before business begins.
13. Vielen Dank für Ihre schnelle Antwort. — Thank you for your quick reply.
Opens on a note of appreciation and subtly rewards fast responses. People remember this.
14. Entschuldigen Sie bitte die späte Antwort. — Please excuse the late reply.
Essential when a thread has gone cold. Germans value reliability, so acknowledging the delay matters more than the delay itself.
15. Hiermit bestätige ich den Erhalt Ihrer E-Mail. — I hereby confirm receipt of your email.
Formal and official — use it for contracts, applications, or anything where you need a paper trail.
Body Phrases: Requests, Replies, and Everything Between
The body is where work gets done. These phrases handle the most common moves: referring to previous contact, asking for things politely, attaching documents, and delivering news.
16. Vielen Dank für Ihre E-Mail. — Thank you for your email.
The all-purpose polite start to a reply. Simple, warm, correct.
17. Bezugnehmend auf Ihr Schreiben vom… — With reference to your letter of…
Very formal — the full bureaucratic register. Use for official correspondence, complaints, or legal matters. Example: „Bezugnehmend auf Ihr Schreiben vom 3. Oktober…”
18. Ich schreibe Ihnen bezüglich… — I’m writing to you regarding…
The standard formal way to state your topic. Direct and professional. Example: „Ich schreibe Ihnen bezüglich Ihrer Anfrage.”
19. Ich melde mich bezüglich… — I’m getting in touch regarding…
Slightly warmer than ich schreibe Ihnen — good for follow-ups and ongoing threads.
20. Wie telefonisch besprochen, … — As discussed by phone, …
Bridges the call and the email — creates the written record of what was agreed verbally. Extremely useful.
21. Wie bereits erwähnt, … — As already mentioned, …
For circling back to an earlier point. Use sparingly — repeated too often it can sound impatient.
22. Könnten Sie mir bitte… — Could you please…
The workhorse request phrase. Polite, clear, and appropriate in almost any professional context. Example: „Könnten Sie mir bitte die Unterlagen zusenden?”
23. Wären Sie so freundlich… — Would you be so kind…
A notch more formal and deferential — for big favors or writing upward. Example: „Wären Sie so freundlich, mir das zu bestätigen?”
24. Ich möchte Sie bitten, … — I would like to ask you to…
Direct but courteous. Good when the request needs to sound official rather than casual.
25. Könnten Sie mir das bitte bis Freitag zusenden? — Could you send that to me by Friday, please?
Attaches a deadline to the request — the bitte keeps it polite, the date keeps it real.
26. Darf ich Sie um einen Rückruf bitten? — May I ask you to call me back?
Polite and professional when email has reached its limits. Include your number in the signature.
27. Anbei finden Sie… — Please find attached…
The classic attachment phrase. Formal and standard. Example: „Anbei finden Sie den Vertrag zur Unterschrift.”
28. Im Anhang sende ich Ihnen… — Attached I’m sending you…
A slightly more modern alternative to anbei. Both are correct; pick one and stay consistent.
29. Im Folgenden finden Sie… — Below you will find…
For content pasted into the email body rather than attached — lists, summaries, key figures.
30. Bitte lassen Sie mich wissen, … — Please let me know…
The open-ended request for information or feedback. Example: „Bitte lassen Sie mich wissen, ob der Termin passt.”
31. Ich freue mich auf Ihre Rückmeldung. — I look forward to your reply.
The standard polite close to the body. Signals that a response is expected without applying pressure.
32. Für Rückfragen stehe ich gerne zur Verfügung. — I’m happy to answer any questions.
The professional availability statement. Standard in quotes, proposals, and official replies.
33. Bitte bestätigen Sie den Erhalt dieser E-Mail. — Please confirm receipt of this email.
For important messages where you need proof it landed. Direct and unambiguous.
34. Sobald ich mehr weiß, melde ich mich. — As soon as I know more, I’ll get in touch.
Buys time gracefully when you can’t answer yet. Much better than silence.
35. Leider muss ich Ihnen mitteilen, dass… — Unfortunately I have to inform you that…
The formal bad-news formula. Leider softens, the structure stays professional. Example: „Leider muss ich Ihnen mitteilen, dass sich die Lieferung verzögert.”
German Email Subject Lines That Get Opened
The subject line (die Betreffzeile) decides whether your email gets read today or next week. German business culture favors precise, informative subjects over clever ones. Good patterns: „Angebot Nr. 4521 – Ihre Anfrage vom 10.10.” (Quote no. 4521 – your inquiry of Oct 10), „Rückfrage: Liefertermin Projekt X” (Query: delivery date Project X), or „AW: Vertragsentwurf – bitte um Prüfung” (RE: draft contract – please review). Start replies with AW: (Antwort) and forwards with WG: (Weitergeleitet) — the German equivalents of RE: and FW:. Keep subjects under 50 characters where possible, put the key noun first, and never leave the subject blank: an email without a Betreff looks unfinished and may land in spam.
Closings and Sign-offs: Ending at the Right Register
Match the sign-off to your opening. Formal openings take formal closings; once you’re on Hallo terms, Viele Grüße is fine.
36. Mit freundlichen Grüßen — Kind regards
The default formal sign-off — often abbreviated MfG in internal mail, though writing it out is more polished.
37. Freundliche Grüße — Friendly regards
A touch warmer than Mit freundlichen Grüßen. Very common and safe in most business contexts.
38. Beste Grüße — Best regards
Professional with a friendly edge. Works for contacts you know reasonably well.
39. Mit besten Grüßen — With best regards
Slightly more formal than Beste Grüße. A good middle ground for external correspondence.
40. Hochachtungsvoll — Respectfully yours
Very formal and old-fashioned — reserved for official letters to authorities. In emails it can sound stiff, so use it deliberately.
41. Mit kollegialen Grüßen — With collegial regards
For colleagues specifically. Warm, professional, and clearly peer-to-peer.
42. Viele Grüße — Many regards / Best
The standard semi-informal sign-off. Pairs with Hallo and Guten Tag openings.
43. Herzliche Grüße — Warm regards
Friendly and personal — for people you know well. Too warm for first contact.
44. Liebe Grüße — Kind regards (informal)
Common among colleagues with a good relationship. Never use it upward to strangers.
45. Danke und viele Grüße — Thanks and best regards
Natural when someone has done you a favor. The thanks feel genuine because they’re specific to the exchange.
46. Schöne Grüße aus Berlin — Greetings from Berlin
Adds a personal touch with your location. Lovely for external contacts and a small relationship builder.
47. Ich wünsche Ihnen einen schönen Tag. — I wish you a nice day.
A warm sentence to place before your sign-off. Professional and human at once.
48. Ich wünsche Ihnen ein schönes Wochenende. — Have a nice weekend.
The Friday standard. Place it just before Viele Grüße and you’re done for the week.
49. Vielen Dank im Voraus. — Thank you in advance.
Use carefully — it thanks someone for something they haven’t done yet. Fine among colleagues; can sound presumptuous upward.
50. Bis bald und viele Grüße — See you soon, best regards
For contacts you’ll meet again shortly. Forward-looking and friendly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in German Work Emails
Even with the right phrases, a few classic errors give non-native writers away. First, don’t translate English sign-offs literally: „Mit freundlichen Grüßen” is correct, but „Mit besten Wünschen” (with best wishes) sounds like a greeting card, not a business email. Second, watch the Sie vs sie capitalization — the formal Sie (you) is always capitalized, and getting it wrong reads as sloppy. Our business German for beginners guide covers the formal/informal grammar behind it. Third, don’t overuse exclamation marks; one per email is plenty, and in formal German business writing, zero is perfectly fine. Fourth, avoid opening with „Ich hoffe, diese E-Mail findet Sie wohl” — it is a word-for-word translation of an English cliché that no German actually writes. Finally, remember that German emails tend to be more direct than their English counterparts: state your request clearly in the first paragraph rather than burying it after three paragraphs of pleasantries. Directness in German business email is politeness, not rudeness.
Key Takeaways
- These 50 german business email phrases give you a complete toolkit: formal openings, body sentences for every common move, and sign-offs matched to the right register.
- Match opening to closing (Sehr geehrte → Mit freundlichen Grüßen; Hallo → Viele Grüße), and default to formal with new contacts — the German business etiquette rules guide explains the tone expectations behind these choices.
- Keep the polite request formulas (Könnten Sie mir bitte…, Wären Sie so freundlich…) ready — they do most of the heavy lifting in work emails.
- Go deeper with our full guide on how to write a business email in German and the essential German business vocabulary list — together they cover everything a work inbox throws at you.