Business German for Expats Working in Berlin

The standup in your Mitte office runs in English. Then it ends, and the two people by the coffee machine switch to German. One of them says the Abstimmung (alignment meeting) with the client got verschoben (moved). The other asks who is zuständig (responsible) for the follow up. Both of them look at you. You nod, because the words sound almost familiar, and you walk away not knowing the meeting you were supposed to lead is now tomorrow at nine.

Three weeks later you wake up with a fever. Your contract says something about an Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, a word so long you assume it can wait. It cannot. HR in Berlin is polite, but the rules on sick notes are strict, and “I didn’t understand the German” does not count as a reason.

English gets you hired in Berlin. German keeps the job running smoothly: the contract, the sick day, the side conversation where the real decision gets made. This post covers the workplace German that actually comes up, and the phrases that make your colleagues stop switching to English for you.

Why This Language Gap Matters

Many Berlin startups in Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and Mitte run their meetings in English. That makes it easy to think German is optional. It is optional right up until it is not. Your Arbeitsvertrag (employment contract) is often in German, or bilingual with the German version legally binding. Your payslip, your health insurance letters and your tax ID mail all arrive in German. If you misread a Kündigungsfrist (notice period) or miss a sick note deadline, the cost is real: a gap in sick pay, a missed window to give notice, a written warning in your file.

There is also a quieter cost. The decision about who leads the next project often happens in German, in a Slack thread or at lunch. If you are the person who always needs the English version, you get left out of the loop. Nobody does it on purpose. It just happens. A few dozen words change that.

The Core Vocabulary

These are the terms that appear in your contract, your inbox and your meetings. For each one, the phonetic is a rough guide.

Der Arbeitsvertrag [AR-bites-fer-trahk]: the employment contract. Use it when you ask HR a question about your terms. Textbook German teaches “der Vertrag” alone, which is fine, but HR will say the full word.

Die Probezeit [PRO-buh-tsite]: the probation period. It is commonly six months. During it, either side can usually end the job with two weeks notice. Check your own contract. Classroom German rarely teaches this word, and it is the one that matters most in your first half year.

Die Kündigungsfrist [KOON-dee-goongs-frist]: the notice period. Students often only learn “kündigen” as “to cancel” a gym membership. At work it means quitting or being let go.

Die Krankmeldung [KRANK-mel-doong]: the act of calling in sick. You do this first thing in the morning, before your start time.

Die AU [ah-OO]: short for Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, the doctor’s note that says you cannot work. Nobody says the long word out loud. They say “die AU” or “der gelbe Schein” [GEL-buh shine], the yellow slip, even though most doctors now send it electronically. If you only know “das Attest,” people will understand you, but you will sound like a textbook.

Der Urlaubsantrag [OOR-lowbs-an-trahk]: the vacation request. Textbooks teach “Urlaub” as vacation. At work you do not just take Urlaub, you submit an Antrag (request) for it.

Die Besprechung [buh-SHPREH-khoong]: the meeting. Berlin offices often just say “das Meeting.” Both are fine. Use Besprechung in more formal companies.

Der Termin [ter-MEEN]: an appointment or scheduled slot. Not a “term.” This word covers client calls, doctor visits and Bürgeramt slots.

Zuständig [TSOO-shten-dikh]: responsible for, in charge of. “Wer ist dafür zuständig?” means “Who owns this?” It is the most useful question in any German office.

Die Frist [frist]: the deadline. English speakers often reach for “die Deadline,” which Berlin startups also use, but official letters always say Frist.

Der Feierabend [FY-er-ah-bent]: the end of the workday, and the free time after it. “Schönen Feierabend” [SHUR-nen FY-er-ah-bent] is how colleagues say goodbye at 6 p.m. A student would say “Tschüss” and leave. That works, but Feierabend shows you get the culture.

Die Gehaltsabrechnung [guh-HALTS-ap-rekh-noong]: the payslip. You will want this word when something on it looks wrong.

Der Betriebsrat [buh-TREEPS-raht]: the works council, an elected employee body found in many larger German companies. If you have a problem with management, this is who you talk to.

The five verbs you will use most

Abstimmen [AP-shtim-en]: to align or coordinate. “Lass uns das kurz abstimmen” means “Let’s sync on this quickly.” Textbooks teach it only as “to vote.”

Verschieben [fer-SHEE-ben]: to move or postpone. “Können wir den Termin verschieben?” means “Can we move the appointment?”

Bescheid geben [buh-SHITE GAY-ben]: to let someone know. “Gib mir Bescheid” is “Let me know.” Students usually say “Sag mir,” which sounds abrupt.

Zusagen / absagen [TSOO-zah-gen / AP-zah-gen]: to accept / to cancel or decline. You zusagen an invitation, you absagen a meeting.

Sich krankmelden [zikh KRANK-mel-den]: to call in sick. “Ich muss mich heute krankmelden” is the sentence you send to your manager.

The Conversations You Actually Have

1. Calling in sick

The rule that trips up expats: you tell your employer you are sick right away, on day one. If you are off for more than three calendar days, you need a doctor’s note by the next working day, and some employers ask for it from day one. Your contract says which.

You (message to manager): Guten Morgen, ich bin leider krank und muss mich heute krankmelden. Die AU kommt vom Arzt. [GOO-ten MOR-gen, ikh bin LY-der krank oont moos mikh HOY-tuh KRANK-mel-den. dee ah-OO komt fom artst] Good morning, unfortunately I am sick and need to call in sick today. The doctor will send the sick note.

Manager: Gute Besserung. Gib Bescheid, wie lange es dauert. [GOO-tuh BES-er-oong. gip buh-SHITE, vee LANG-uh es DOW-ert] Get well soon. Let me know how long it will take.

A textbook student would write “Ich bin krank, ich komme nicht.” That is clear, but it skips the key word Krankmeldung and sounds like you might not know the process.

2. Moving a meeting

You: Können wir die Besprechung auf morgen verschieben? Mir fehlt noch eine Info vom Kunden. [KUR-nen veer dee buh-SHPREH-khoong owf MOR-gen fer-SHEE-ben? meer faylt nokh EYE-nuh IN-fo fom KOON-den] Can we move the meeting to tomorrow? I’m still missing some information from the client.

Colleague: Klar, passt. Ich schick eine neue Einladung. [klar, past. ikh shik EYE-nuh NOY-uh INE-lah-doong] Sure, works. I’ll send a new invite.

Classroom German teaches “Ist es möglich, das Treffen zu ändern?” It is grammatically correct and sounds like a letter from 1985. “Treffen” also reads more like meeting a friend than a work meeting.

3. Finding out who owns a problem

You: Wer ist dafür zuständig? Ich will das nur kurz abstimmen. [vair ist dah-FOOR TSOO-shten-dikh? ikh vill das noor koorts AP-shtim-en] Who owns this? I just want to sync quickly.

Colleague: Das macht Jana aus dem Produktteam. Schreib ihr am besten direkt. [das makht YAH-nah ows dem pro-DUKT-teem. shripe eer am BES-ten dee-REKT] Jana from the product team handles that. Best to message her directly.

4. Asking HR about your contract

You: Ich habe eine Frage zu meinem Arbeitsvertrag. Wie lang ist die Kündigungsfrist nach der Probezeit? [ikh HAH-buh EYE-nuh FRAH-guh tsoo MY-nem AR-bites-fer-trahk. vee lang ist dee KOON-dee-goongs-frist nakh der PRO-buh-tsite] I have a question about my contract. How long is the notice period after probation?

Notice the “Ich habe eine Frage zu…” opener. It is calm and neutral. English speakers often start with “Ich will wissen…” (I want to know), which reads as demanding.

Cultural Tone and Register

German has two words for “you”: Sie [zee], the formal one, and du [doo], the casual one. In most Berlin startups, especially in Kreuzberg, Neukölln and Friedrichshain, everyone uses du from the first day, including the CEO. That surprises people who learned that Sie is the safe default.

The safe rule is still this: start with Sie in any setting that is not a startup. That means banks, the Bürgeramt, older Mittelstand companies, law firms, clients you have not met and anyone in a suit in a Mitte boardroom. Wait for the other person to offer du. The usual offer sounds like “Wollen wir uns duzen?” [VOL-en veer oonts DOO-tsen], “Shall we use du?” The senior person or the older person normally makes the offer. If a client writes “Hallo Herr Smith” and you reply “Hallo Thomas,” you skipped a step.

Berlin also has a reputation for directness, called the Berliner Schnauze (Berlin snout), a blunt, dry, sometimes grumpy way of talking. A colleague who says “Das ist Quatsch” (that’s nonsense) about your idea is not being hostile. They are being efficient. You will also hear Berlinerisch sounds creep into casual office talk: “ick” for ich, “wat” for was, “jut” for gut. Understand them. Do not copy them in an email to a client. For more on those, see the complete Berlin German slang guide.

Written German is more formal than spoken German, even at a startup. An email to a new contact opens with “Sehr geehrte Frau Becker” [zair guh-AIR-tuh frow BEK-er] and closes with “Mit freundlichen Grüßen” [mit FROYNT-likh-en GROO-sen]. Once you know someone, “Hallo Anna” and “Viele Grüße” or “VG” are normal.

The Mistakes That Cost You

“Eventuell” does not mean eventually. It means possibly. If your manager says “Wir machen das eventuell,” they mean “We might do it,” not “We will do it later.” Expats plan around a promise that was never made.

“Aktuell” does not mean actually. It means current or currently. “Der aktuelle Stand” is the current status. If you want to say “actually,” use “eigentlich” [EYE-gent-likh].

“Bekommen” does not mean become. It means to get or receive. “Ich bekomme ein Steak” means “I’m getting a steak.” “Ich bekomme Teamleiter” sounds like you are receiving a team lead as a gift. The word for become is “werden.”

“Ich will” sounds too blunt in a request. It is grammatically fine, but “Ich will einen Termin” lands like “I want an appointment, now.” Use “Ich hätte gerne…” [ikh HET-uh GER-nuh] or “Könnten Sie…?” [KURN-ten zee] for anything you are asking of someone.

“Konsequent” does not mean as a consequence. It means consistent or firm. Telling a client you will be “konsequent” sounds like a promise to hold the line, not a statement about results.

Each of these sounds fine in an English speaker’s head. In a Berlin office, they cause small misunderstandings that add up: a missed promise, a slightly rude email, a confused client.

Where to Start

In week one, learn the sick day script and the five verbs. Abstimmen, verschieben, Bescheid geben, zusagen, absagen and sich krankmelden cover most of the German that happens around the meetings. Then read your Arbeitsvertrag with the vocabulary list open next to it, so you know your Probezeit and Kündigungsfrist before you need them. If you are still deciding how much German your role really needs, how much German you need to live in Berlin breaks it down by level, and how to stop Berliners switching to English covers the moment a colleague hears your accent and changes language.

The words in this post only help if you can say them clearly in the moment, with a colleague waiting. That is where StreetTongue fits. The Berlin German page has the city phrases with scored pronunciation feedback, and you can build a custom scenario for the exact sick call or HR question you are nervous about. If your first day is a few weeks away, Max gives you unlimited pronunciation checks and unlimited AI conversations to rehearse “Ich muss mich heute krankmelden” until it comes out without thinking. Max is $24.99/month or $159.99/year, and you can cancel once you feel settled. If your job might later move you to Munich, the Munich German page covers how Bavarian offices sound different. See all plans on the pricing page.