50 German-English Cognates for the Modern Workplace

Starting a job in Germany — or working with German colleagues? The office is one of the most cognate-rich environments in the language. International business runs on shared vocabulary, and German absorbed it eagerly: Team, Meeting, Job, Marketing, Budget, Deadline. These 50 german cognates workplace business words give you the vocabulary of the modern German office, each with its correct article and an honest note where the etymology needs a closer look.

Several items carry a ⚠ mark — workplace words that look like English but took a different path (Arbeit, Beruf, Gehalt, Vertrag, Chef). They are all in the Honest Corner below, because in professional settings, precision matters. For the full method, see our complete German-English cognates guide.

Businesspeople brainstorming in a meeting

The Office and the People (1–10)

# German English Note
1 das Büro the office Both from French bureau
2 der Job the job
3 die Arbeit the work ⚠ Not a true cognate of “work” (Arbeit ← OHG “toil”) — learn it fresh
4 der Beruf the profession ⚠ Not a true cognate of “profession” (Beruf ← berufen, “to call”) — learn it fresh
5 die Karriere the career
6 der Kollege the colleague Both from Latin collega — die Kollegin is the female form
7 der Chef the boss ⚠ Partial false friend: same French root as “chief,” but der Chef only means “boss” — never “chief”
8 die Firma the company Cognate with “firm”
9 die Abteilung the department From teilen — cognate with “deal” (to divide up)
10 die Leitung the management From leiten — cognate with “lead”

Money, Pay, and Contracts (11–20)

# German English Note
11 das Gehalt the salary ⚠ Not a true cognate of “salary” — learn it fresh
12 der Lohn the wage Related to English “loan” (both about what is owed)
13 die Steuer the tax Same root as English “steer” — taxes steer behavior
14 die Bank the bank zur Bank gehen — to go to the bank
15 das Konto the account Both from Latin computare (to count)
16 der Vertrag the contract ⚠ Not a true cognate (Vertrag ← vertragen; tragen ~ “drag”) — learn it fresh
17 die Rente the pension Cognate with “rent” (both from French rente)
18 die Kasse the cash register Cognate with “cash” (both from Italian cassa)
19 die Kosten the costs Both from Latin constare — always plural in German
20 das Budget the budget das Budget einhalten — to stay within budget
Five colleagues having a conversation in an office

Projects and Results (21–28)

# German English Note
21 das Projekt the project am Projekt arbeiten — to work on the project
22 das Team the team
23 das Marketing the marketing
24 der Gewinn the profit From gewinnen — cognate with “win”
25 der Vorschlag the suggestion From schlagen — cognate with “slay” (a “fore-strike” of an idea)
26 der Auftrag the order, commission From tragen — cognate with “drag”
27 die Bestellung the order From stellen — related to “stall” (to place)
28 das Angebot the offer From bieten — cognate with “bid”

Meetings and Communication (29–38)

# German English Note
29 die Besprechung the meeting ⚠ Not a true cognate of “meeting” — from sprechen, cognate with “speak”
30 die Präsentation the presentation eine Präsentation halten — to give a presentation
31 der Bericht the report ⚠ Not a true cognate of “report” — learn it fresh
32 die E-Mail the email
33 der Kalender the calendar
34 der Termin the appointment Cognate with “term” (a fixed point)
35 das Meeting the meeting The English loanword — both are used
36 der Workshop the workshop
37 das Brainstorming the brainstorming
38 die Agenda the agenda auf der Agenda stehen — to be on the agenda
Group of people having a discussion at work

Time Off, Equipment, and Daily Life (39–50)

# German English Note
39 die Pause the break Cognate with “pause” — Mittagspause is lunch break
40 der Urlaub the vacation ⚠ Not a true cognate of “vacation” (Urlaub ← erlauben, permission) — learn it fresh
41 die Probezeit the probation “Proof-time” — Probe (proof/test) + Zeit (time)
42 die Überstunden the overtime “Over-hours” — über = over (cognate); Stunde is not from “hour”
43 der Feierabend quitting time “Celebration-evening” — Abend = evening (cognate)
44 die Kantine the canteen
45 der Kopierer the copier From kopieren ← Latin — same root as “copy”
46 der Beamer the projector ⚠ Pseudo-anglicism: from English “beam,” but no English speaker says “beamer” for projector
47 die Deadline the deadline
48 das Protokoll the minutes (of a meeting) Cognate with “protocol”
49 die Buchhaltung the accounting “Book-holding” — Buch (book) + halten (to hold), both cognates
50 die Rechnung the invoice, bill From rechnen — cognate with “reckon” (to calculate)

The Honest Corner: 8 Workplace Words That Need a Closer Look

Professional settings punish imprecision, so here are the eight ⚠ items in full:

  • die Arbeit — Looks like it should pair with “work,” but Arbeit comes from Old High German arbeit (toil, hardship) while “work” comes from Old English weorc. Same concept, different roots. Just learn it.
  • der Beruf — From berufen (to call, appoint): a Beruf is literally a “calling.” English “profession” comes from Latin professio. The “calling” framing is actually a lovely memory hook.
  • das Gehalt — Etymologically “that which is owed/held.” No English cognate. Pair it with der Lohn (wage — related to “loan”) and learn both as a set.
  • der Vertrag — From vertragen (to bear, tolerate, get along): a contract is what parties “bear together.” The tragen/”drag” root is the hook.
  • die Besprechung — From besprechen (to discuss), built on sprechen (to speak — cognate with “speak”). A meeting is a “be-speaking.” Once you see it, you cannot unsee it.
  • der Bericht — No clean English cognate; learn it fresh. Do not let it near English “report” in your mind.
  • der Urlaub — From erlauben (to permit): vacation as “leave/permission.” A beautiful word once you know the story.
  • der Chef — The one the task warns about explicitly: same French root as English “chief,” but in German it only means “boss.” Calling your manager der Chef is correct; expecting Chef to mean “chief” anywhere else is the trap. This is a partial false friend — use it, but use it knowingly.

None of these are reasons to avoid the words — they are all essential. They are reasons to learn them deliberately, which is exactly what our true cognates vs false friends guide teaches.

Why the German Office Speaks So Much English

Walk into a Berlin startup and you will hear sentences like “Wir müssen das noch final abchecken” — half German, half English. This “Denglish” is not laziness; it is efficiency. International business coined its vocabulary in English (Meeting, Deadline, Update, Call, Feedback, Workshop), and German offices adopted the terms rather than translating them. For learners, this is pure gift: the language of your workday transfers almost intact. The technology cognates list covers the digital half of office vocabulary. The native words on this list (Arbeit, Beruf, Besprechung, Feierabend) are the ones worth studying deliberately — everything else you largely already know.

Bonus: 10 More Business Words

  • die Filiale (branch) — cognate with “filial.”
  • die Zentrale (headquarters) — cognate with “central.”
  • das Homeoffice (home office) — direct loan.
  • die Mittagspause (lunch break) — “midday-pause.”
  • die Sitzung (session), die Konferenz (conference) — the formal meeting pair.
  • die Messe (trade fair) — same Latin root as “mass” (missa).
  • der Stand (stand/booth) — cognate with “stand.”
  • die Visitenkarte (business card) — “visit-card.”
  • der Versand (shipping) — from senden, cognate with “send.”
  • die Börse (stock exchange) — cognate with “bourse.”

Sounding Professional: German Cognates Workplace Business Phrases

  • Ich habe einen Termin um zehn. — I have an appointment at ten.
  • Können wir das Meeting verschieben? — Can we move the meeting?
  • Ich schicke dir den Bericht per E-Mail. — I’ll send you the report by email.
  • Das Projekt läuft gut. — The project is going well.
  • Wann ist die Besprechung? — When is the meeting?
  • Ich bin im Urlaub. — I’m on vacation.
  • Feierabend! — Quitting time! (The happiest word in German office life.)

Seven phrases, one workday. For the travel half of professional life — airports, hotels, client dinners — see our travel cognates.

Man presenting a pie chart on a flipchart to colleagues

Key Takeaways

  • These 50 german cognates workplace business words cover the office, people, money, projects, meetings, and daily working life — with correct articles throughout.
  • Business international vocabulary transfers directly: Team, Meeting, Job, Marketing, Budget, Deadline, Workshop, Brainstorming.
  • Eight flagged items (Arbeit, Beruf, Gehalt, Vertrag, Besprechung, Bericht, Urlaub, Chef) are not true cognates or are partial false friends — learned deliberately in the Honest Corner, not guessed.
  • German compounds decode from cognate parts: Buchhaltung (book-holding), Mittagspause (midday-pause), Feierabend (celebration-evening), Probezeit (proof-time).
  • Seven office phrases turn the list into usable professional German from day one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workplace words should I learn before my first day?
Büro, Kollege, Chef, Meeting, Termin, E-Mail, Pause, Feierabend — the eight words of German office survival. Add die Kantine (canteen) before lunch.

Is “der Chef” safe to use for my boss?
Yes — der Chef / die Chefin is the standard, neutral word for one’s boss. The caution is only about the English twin: never translate Chef as “chief” outside the boss meaning.

What is “Feierabend” exactly?
The moment work ends for the day — “celebration-evening.” Germans cherish it: Feierabend machen (to call it a day) and the Feierabendbier (after-work beer) are cultural institutions. It is untranslatable in one English word, which is why it is worth learning.

Do Germans use English business jargon?
Heavily: Meeting, Deadline, Workshop, Brainstorming, Update, Call, Feedback are everyday office words. You will often hear “Denglish” sentences mixing both — Wir müssen das noch final abchecken. Following along is easier than it sounds.

What is the difference between “der Termin” and “die Verabredung”?
der Termin is the scheduled appointment (business, doctor, official); die Verabredung is the social arrangement (meeting friends). At work, it is always Termin.

Top view of people writing on papers at a table
Businesspeople brainstorming in a conference room
Two businesswomen discussing and taking notes in a modern office
Group of coworkers discussing business strategy

Keep these 50 german cognates workplace business words — minus the flagged Honest Corner items — on your desk, and your first German workday starts with a head start.