German Business VocabularyWord List & Pronunciation

vocabularybusiness
07.12.2023

If you're planning to do business in Germany or want to work in a German-speaking environment, it's essential to know some basic German business vocabulary.

In this post, we'll provide you with a few lists of useful German words related to business. We'll start off with some more common German business terms and then move into more specialized vocabulary related to finance & accounting, business communication & etiquette.

PS: We have a separate list on jobs in German, in case you are interested in learning professions in German.

German Business Vocabulary

Common Business Terms for Beginners

Here are some common business terms you may encounter in the German-speaking business world:

die Firma
company
das Unternehmen
enterprise
der Geschäftsführer
CEO (Managing Director)
der Mitarbeiter
employee
der Kunde
customer
der Lieferant
supplier
die Rechnung
invoice
der Vertrag
contract
die Verhandlung
negotiation
die Konferenz
conference
die Präsentation
presentation
die Strategie
strategy

Finance and Accounting Terms

Understanding financial and accounting terms is essential for any business. Here are some words related to finance and accounting in German:

die Buchhaltung
accounting
die Finanzen
finance
der Gewinn
profit
der Verlust
loss
die Steuer
tax
die Bilanz
balance sheet
der Umsatz
revenue
die Ausgaben
expenses
die Liquidität
liquidity
die Investition
investment
der Kredit
credit
die Währung
currency

Business Communication

Effective communication is crucial in the business world. Here are some words related to business communication in German:

die E-Mail
email
das Meeting
meeting
das Protokoll
minutes (of a meeting)
der Bericht
report
die Anfrage
inquiry
die Bestellung
order
die Zustimmung
approval
die Absage
rejection
die Zusammenarbeit
cooperation
die Deadline
deadline
der Kunde
customer
der Lieferant
supplier

Business Etiquette

Understanding business etiquette is essential when dealing with German partners or clients. Here are some words related to business etiquette in German:

der Handschlag
handshake
die Pünktlichkeit
punctuality
die Höflichkeit
politeness
die Geschäftsordnung
business protocol
die Visitenkarte
business card
der Smalltalk
small talk
das Dresscode
dress code
die Verlässlichkeit
reliability
der Respekt
respect
das Vertrauen
trust
die Verantwortung
responsibility
die Geschäftsbeziehung
business relationship

We hope these vocabulary lists were helpful to you and that you learned some new German business terms to apply in the real world.

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