How to Write a Letter in German Format and Language

Aside from official documentation or for those few older relatives who may not have internet access, most people these days depend on e-mail for written communication. Taking this into consideration, the following information may be used for either traditional letters, postcards or e-mail. The most important aspect of letter-writing in German is to determine whether it will be a formal or casual letter. In German, there are far more stipulations when writing a formal letter. Not adhering to these formalities, you risk sounding rude and impertinent. So please keep the following in mind when writing a letter. Opening Greeting   These standard formal greetings can be used for business correspondence or with anyone with whom you would normally address as Sie. Formal Sehr geehrter Herr†¦.,Sehr geehrte Frau...,Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, If you are writing to someone with a professional title such as a doctor or a lawyer, then include it in the opening greeting: Sehr geehrte Frau Rechtsanwà ¤ltin NeubauerSehr geehrter Herr Doktor Schmidt Casual Lieber†¦., (This is the equivalent to dear and used only for close male relatives or friends.Liebe†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦., (Same thing as above, except used for females.) Unlike English, the word that follows your greeting begins with a small letter. Liebe Maria,ich bin so froh†¦ Note The more modern way is to end the greeting in a comma, however, you may come across the old-fashioned pre-computer/e-mail way of putting an exclamation point at the end of the greeting: Liebe Maria! Personal Pronouns It is extremely important to choose the appropriate personal pronoun. By not doing so, you may sound impolite. For a formal letter, you will address the person as Sie, with the obligatory capital S at all times (other forms are Ihr and Ihnen). Otherwise, for a close friend or relative, you will address them as du.​ Note If you by chance peruse books on letter-writing published before 2005, you will notice that du, dir and ​dich are capitalized as well. Thats the former rule prior to die neue Rechtschreibungsreform  when all personal pronouns used for addressing someone in a letter were capitalized. Letter Body These sentences may be helpful as you compose your letter:   Ich weiß, dass ich schon lange nicht geschrieben habe†¦I know that I havent written in a long time... Ich war so beschà ¤ftigt in letzter Zeit,... I was so busy lately... Vielen Dank fà ¼r deinen Brief. Ich habe mich sehr darà ¼ber gefreut.Thank you very much for your letter. I was very happy to receive it. Ich hoffe, dass Sie einen herrlichen Sommer verbracht haben. Ich hoffe, dass du einen herrlichen Sommer verbrachst hast. I hope youve had a wonderful summer. Ich hoffe, dass du dich besser fà ¼hlst. Ich hoffe, dass Sie sich besser fà ¼hlen. I hope you are feeling better. Mein Freund hat mir deine/Ihre E-mail Adresse gegeben. My friend gave me your e-mail address. Ich wà ¼rde gerne wissen... I would like to know... Es freut mich sehr zu hà ¶ren, dass ...Im glad to hear that... Vielen Dank fà ¼r deine/Ihre schnelle Rà ¼ckantwort. Thank you very much for your quick response. Concluding the Letter Unlike in English, there is no comma after a concluding expression in German. Gruß Helga As in English, your name can be preceded by a possessive adjective: GrußDein Uwe You can use: Dein(e) - if you are close to this person. Deine if you are femaleIhr(e) - if you have a formal relationship with the person. Ihre if you are female. Some other concluding expressions include:   Casual Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸e aus ...(city where youre from)Viele Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸eLiebe Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸eViele Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸e und Kà ¼sseAlles LiebeCiau (more for E-mail, postcards)Machs gut (E-mail, postcards) Formal Mit besten Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸enMit herzlichen Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸enFreundliche Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸eMit freundlichem Gruß Tip Avoid writing Hochachtungsvoll or any form thereof—it sounds very old-fashioned and stilted. E-mail Lingo Some people love it;  others despise it. Either way, e-mail jargon is here to stay and helpful to know. Here are a few of the most common German ones. mfg - Mit freundlichen Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸envg - Viele Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸eld - Lieb Dichlg - Liebe Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸egn8 - Gute Nachthdl - Hab dich lieb On the Envelope All names, whether it be people or a business should be addressed in the accusative. Thats because you are either writing it An (to)†¦. someone or it is simply implied. An Frau/Herr†¦Frau/Herrn†¦An die Firma (company)...