Briefeschreiben - Personal Letters
A Letter-Writing Guide for German
With English-German Personal Correspondence Phrasebook
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Letters Part 1 > Part 2 > Postal Vocab. > Sample Letters > E-Cards
Below you will find helpful guidelines and an English-German phrasebook for writing personal letters, email, and greeting cards in German. Also see our Sample Personal Letters and specialized Glossaries on a variety of topics. For business correspondence see our section on German Business Vocabulary.
Also see our Pen Pals category page.
| Personal Letter Writing auf Deutsch |
|
| English | Deutsch |
| 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 |
| MORE > Postal Phrasebook for envelopes and at the post office |
|
| Personal Letter Phrases NOTE: These phrases are only appropriate for personal correspondence, not in formal or business situations! |
|
| English | Deutsch |
| Salutations • Anreden | |
| 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, |
NEXT > Personal Letter Phrases 2
MORE > German Postal Vocabulary - English-German
Musterbriefe > Sample Personal Letters in German
Musterbriefe > Sample Business Letters in German
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