German Email & Letters Vocabulary
This set covers everything you need to write about mail, from der Brief you drop in the Briefkasten to the die E-Mail you send with schicken. One surprise for English speakers: die Post means both "mail" and "post office" in German, so "Ich gehe zur Post" means "I'm going to the post office," not "I'm going to the mail."
Learn these 24 words
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All 24 words
plural: die Absender
sender
Da ist ein Brief für dich ohne Absender. — There is a letter for you without a sender.
plural: die Anreden
form of address
Schreiben Sie auch eine Anrede und einen Gruß. — Write a form of address and a greeting too.
plural: die E-Mails
email
Ich habe Ihre E-Mail nicht bekommen. — I did not receive your email.
plural: die Empfänger
receiver
Auf dem Brief steht dein Name, also bist du der Empfänger. — Your name is on the letter, so you are the receiver.
plural: die Faxe
fax
Schicken Sie uns einfach ein Fax! — Just send us a fax!
plural: die Posten
mail, post office
Wo ist die Post, bitte? — Where is the post office, please?
plural: die Postleitzahlen
postal code
Wie ist Ihre Postleitzahl? — What is your postal code?
plural: die Prospekte
brochure
Bitte schicken Sie mir einen Prospekt von Ihrem Hotel. — Please send me a brochure of your hotel.
- schickenA1
to send
Bitte schicken Sie mir eine E-Mail. — Please send me an e-mail.
sign
Wo muss ich unterschreiben? — Where do I need to sign?
plural: die Unterschriften
signature
Hier fehlt noch Ihre Unterschrift. — Your signature is still missing here.
plural: die E-Mails
email
Ich schreibe Ihnen/dir eine E-Mail. — I write you an email.
plural: die Postkarten
postcard
Schreibst du mir eine Postkarte aus Kanada? — Will you write me a postcard from Canada?
plural: die Absenderinnen
female sender
Schicken Sie das Paket an die Absenderin zurück. — Send the package back to the sender.
plural: die Briefe
letter
Ich schreibe nicht gern Briefe. — I don't like writing letters.
plural: die Briefkästen
mailbox
Ist hier in der Nähe ein Briefkasten? — Is there a mailbox nearby?
plural: die Briefmarken
stamp
Briefmarken bekommen Sie am Schalter 7. — You can get stamps at counter 7.
plural: die Briefumschläge
envelope
Ich hätte gern 50 Briefumschläge und Briefmarken dazu. — I would like 50 envelopes and stamps too.
plural: die Einschreiben
registered mail
Ich habe den Brief als Einschreiben geschickt. — I sent the letter by registered mail.
plural: die Briefe
letter (sent via post)
Ich schreibe einen Brief an meine Großmutter. — I am writing a letter to my grandmother.
plural: die Briefmarken
(postage) stamp
Die Briefmarke kostet 85 Cent. — The postage stamp costs 85 cents.
plural: die E-Mails
email
Ich schreibe eine E-Mail an meine Kollegin. — I write an email to my colleague.
plural: die Empfänger
recipient
Der Empfänger des Briefes antwortet schnell. — The recipient of the letter responds quickly.
plural: die Episteln
epistle/letter
Er schrieb eine lange Epistel an seinen Freund. — He wrote a long epistle to his friend.
How to learn this set
Notice how many words here are compounds built on Brief: der Briefkasten (letter + box = mailbox), die Briefmarke (letter + mark = stamp), der Briefumschlag (letter + wrap-around = envelope). Once you know der Brief is masculine, you get a free pass on gender for all three compounds, since the last part of a German compound sets the gender and Kasten, Marke, and Umschlag all follow their own genders here anyway, so drill der Brief first and the family follows. Separately, pair up unterschreiben (to sign) with die Unterschrift (the signature) since they share the same root and one gives you the other for free. For der Absender/die Absenderin and der Empfänger, drill them as a pair since they're opposites on every envelope: who sent it, who receives it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is die Post masculine or feminine?
Die Post is feminine. It covers both "mail" (the letters themselves) and "the post office" as a place, so context tells you which meaning is meant.
What's the difference between der Brief and die Postkarte?
Der Brief is a letter that goes inside an envelope (der Briefumschlag), while die Postkarte is a postcard sent without one. Both need die Briefmarke to be mailed.
Why does E-Mail sometimes look like die E-Mail and sometimes das Email?
Die E-Mail (feminine) is the standard word for an email message. Das Email without the hyphen is a different word entirely, referring to enamel, so don't confuse the two spellings.
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