Below are 60 German words for jobs and the office, from das Büro (office) and der Kollege (colleague) to die Gehaltserhöhung (pay rise). Learn these five first: der Job, der Chef (boss), der Termin (appointment), die Besprechung (meeting) and der Urlaub (holiday). Job titles take -in for women, and verbs such as kündigen need care.
- Words
- 60: nouns, verbs and phrases
- Variety
- Germany German
- Level
- A2–B1
- Read them in
- Contos stories (chapters 1–2 free)
60 German words for work
People are listed in the masculine form with der; add -in for a woman (die Kollegin, die Chefin). This is the same work pack the Contos web app uses for flashcard review.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Job | job |
| das Büro | office |
| die Besprechung | meeting |
| der Kollege | colleague |
| der Chef | boss |
| der Manager | manager |
| das Team | team |
| das Projekt | project |
| die Frist | deadline |
| die E-Mail | |
| der Bericht | report |
| der Vertrag | contract |
| der Kunde | client |
| die Firma | company |
| das Gehalt | salary |
| das Vorstellungsgespräch | job interview |
| der Lebenslauf | CV |
| die Karriere | career |
| die Präsentation | presentation |
| der Zeitplan | schedule |
| die Aufgabe | task |
| der Computer | computer |
| der Drucker | printer |
| der Anruf | phone call |
| die Pause | break |
| die Mittagspause | lunch break |
| der Urlaub | holiday |
| der freie Tag | day off |
| die Überstunden | overtime |
| einstellen | to hire |
| sich bewerben | to apply for a job |
| verhandeln | to negotiate |
| unterschreiben | to sign |
| entlassen | to fire |
| das Budget | budget |
| der Preis | price |
| die Rechnung | invoice |
| der Gewinn | profit |
| der Verkauf | sale |
| der Kundenservice | customer service |
| der Termin | appointment |
| eine E-Mail schicken | to send an email |
| beschäftigt | busy |
| erfahren | experienced |
| professionell | professional |
| der Mitarbeiter | employee |
| der Arbeitgeber | employer |
| kündigen | to resign |
| die Beförderung | promotion |
| das Dokument | document |
| to print | |
| die Fähigkeit | skill |
| die Erfahrung | experience |
| die Abteilung | department |
| die Arbeitszeit | working hours |
| verdienen | to earn |
| die Geschäftsreise | business trip |
| der Arbeitsplatz | workplace |
| in Rente gehen | to retire |
| die Gehaltserhöhung | pay rise |
Kollege or Kollegin? Job titles for men and women
Almost every word for a person at work has a feminine form ending in -in, and its plural ends in -innen: der Mitarbeiter, die Mitarbeiterin, die Mitarbeiterinnen. Some add an umlaut: der Arzt → die Ärztin.
| Man | Woman | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Kollege | die Kollegin | colleague |
| der Chef | die Chefin | boss |
| der Kunde | die Kundin | client, customer |
| der Mitarbeiter | die Mitarbeiterin | employee |
| der Arbeitgeber | die Arbeitgeberin | employer |
| der Manager | die Managerin | manager |
Job adverts add (m/w/d) after the title, for männlich, weiblich, divers, to show the post is open to everyone. In writing you will also meet forms such as Mitarbeitende that avoid choosing a gender.
Als sie ihre Jacke aufhängte, sah Petra, ihre Kollegin, sie mit einem fragenden Blick an.Den Kunden, dem Kollegen: nouns that add -n
Der Kunde and der Kollege belong to a small group of masculine nouns that add -n in every case except the nominative: Ich rufe den Kunden an, Ich helfe dem Kollegen. Watch for it in stories:
Sie nimmt schnell ein Paket aus ihrem Rucksack—das falsche Paket—und gibt es dem Kunden.Applying, hiring, resigning: verbs with traps
The career verbs in this list come with fixed prepositions and a few double meanings.
- sich bewerben takes um for the job and bei for the company: Ich bewerbe mich um die Stelle bei einer Bank in Frankfurt. The application itself is die Bewerbung.
- einstellen (to hire) is separable: Die Firma stellt zwei neue Leute ein.
- kündigen works for both sides. An employee kündigt (resigns); an employer kündigt jemandem, with the dative, which means giving someone notice. Mir wurde gekündigt is "I was let go".
- entlassen is what an employer does: to dismiss or make redundant. It is never used for resigning.
- beschäftigt means busy, but also employed: Sie ist bei einer Versicherung beschäftigt. In conversation, busy is more often Ich habe viel zu tun.
- die Rechnung is an invoice here and the bill in a restaurant. die Beförderung is a promotion, but in the small print of a train or bus company it means transport.
No article before a job
When you say what you do, German leaves out the article: Ich bin Lehrerin, Er ist Ingenieur. Saying "ein Ingenieur" here is a common learner mistake. Ich arbeite als… (I work as…) follows the same rule.
Ich arbeite als Grafikdesignerin in Hamburg.
I work as a graphic designer in Hamburg.
Ich habe morgen um zehn einen Termin mit dem Chef.
I have a meeting with the boss tomorrow at ten.
Der Termin is any fixed appointment, from the dentist to a meeting.
Die Frist endet am Freitag.
The deadline is on Friday.
In many offices people simply say die Deadline.
Ich nehme nächste Woche Urlaub.
I'm taking holiday next week.
Du or Sie at work, and the words of the working day
Both are normal. Start-ups, tech firms and many young teams use du from the first day. Banks, law firms, the civil service and many older companies use Sie with Herr or Frau and the surname. If you are unsure, use Sie and wait for a colleague to offer du; the senior person usually offers it first.
A few words shape the German working day. Der Feierabend is the end of work for the day, and Schönen Feierabend! is how colleagues say goodbye in the evening. Around lunchtime, in many workplaces, people greet each other in the corridor with Mahlzeit! And das Homeoffice, a German coinage from English words, means working from home: Ich bin heute im Homeoffice.
Jonas kommt später von der Arbeit nach Hause.Read a German story set in an office, a bakery or a courier depot: tap any word to see what it means and add it to your flashcards.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
What does Feierabend mean?
The end of the working day, and the free time after it. Ich habe Feierabend means "I've finished work for today", and Schönen Feierabend! is a friendly goodbye to colleagues.
Is it kündigen or entlassen?
Kündigen is ending a job contract, and either side can do it: an employee resigns (ich kündige), an employer gives notice (die Firma kündigt mir). Entlassen is only what an employer does to an employee.
Do Germans use du or Sie at work?
It depends on the company. Many start-ups and young teams use du; banks, public offices and traditional firms often use Sie. When in doubt, start with Sie and switch when a colleague offers du.
How do you say "I work as a…" in German?
Ich arbeite als, followed by the job with no article: Ich arbeite als Krankenpfleger, Ich bin Ärztin. Use the -in form if you are a woman.