The German letter and email conventions the Schreiben section tests: du vs Sie, the right greetings and closings, structure, and reusable templates for A2 to B2.
A large share of German writing tasks are letters or emails, and the fastest way to lose marks is to get the register wrong: writing to an official as if to a friend, or the reverse. German draws a sharp line between formal and informal correspondence, from the pronoun down to the sign-off. Learn the two templates and the conventions that separate them, and a whole category of writing tasks becomes routine. This guide covers formal vs informal German letters for the Schreiben section, roughly A2 to B2.
The one decision that sets everything: du or Sie
Before you write a word, decide the relationship. Writing to a friend, a family member, or someone your age in a casual context uses the informal du. Writing to an official, a company, a landlord, a teacher, or anyone you do not know uses the formal Sie (always capitalised in letters). Everything else, the greeting, the tone, the closing, follows from that choice, so make it first and keep it consistent to the end. Mixing du and Sie in one letter is one of the most common and most penalised errors.
The register also shapes your verb forms and possessives. Informal writing uses du, dein/deine, and the du verb ending (hast, kannst, schreibst). Formal writing uses Sie, Ihr/Ihre, and the Sie verb form (haben, können, schreiben). Pick a lane and stay in it.
Greetings and closings
| Informal | Formal | |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting | Liebe Anna, / Lieber Tom, / Hallo Anna, | Sehr geehrte Frau Müller, / Sehr geehrter Herr Klein, / Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, |
| Opening line | vielen Dank für deine Nachricht. | vielen Dank für Ihre E-Mail. |
| Closing | Liebe Grüße / Viele Grüße / Bis bald | Mit freundlichen Grüßen |
Note the German convention: after the greeting comma, the next line starts with a lowercase letter (unless it is a noun or Sie/Ihr). Small detail, easy mark. The closing takes no comma, and your name goes on the next line.
Structure that works for both
Whatever the register, a letter that scores follows a clear shape:
- Greeting matched to the register.
- Opening line that states why you are writing (thanks for the message, I am writing about...).
- Body that covers every guide point (Leitpunkt) the task gave, one short paragraph per point.
- Closing line (I look forward to your reply, write back soon).
- Sign-off matched to the register, then your name.
Examiners tick off the guide points, so cover all of them. A polished letter that skips a point still loses marks. Read the prompt, underline each Leitpunkt, and give each one its own sentence or short paragraph.
Template 1: informal email (a friend)
Liebe Sarah,
vielen Dank für deine Nachricht! Schön, von dir zu hören.
[Point 1: answer or news.] [Point 2: a question back or a suggestion.] [Point 3: arrange something.]
Ich freue mich, bald von dir zu hören.
Liebe Grüße
[Name]
Worked example: an informal invitation
Suppose the task asks you to invite a friend to your birthday, say when it is, and suggest what to bring.
Liebe Sarah,
ich hoffe, es geht dir gut! Ich feiere nächsten Samstag meinen Geburtstag und würde mich sehr freuen, wenn du kommst. Wir fangen um 19 Uhr bei mir zu Hause an. Kannst du vielleicht einen Salat mitbringen? Sag mir bitte bis Mittwoch Bescheid, ob es klappt.
Bis bald und liebe Grüße
Lena
Notice the warm tone, the du forms throughout, and the direct question. That is exactly what an A2 or B1 informal task rewards.
Template 2: formal or semi-formal email (a request or complaint)
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
ich schreibe Ihnen, weil [reason].
[Point 1: the situation.] [Point 2: what you request or expect.] [Point 3: a question or a deadline.]
Über eine baldige Rückmeldung würde ich mich freuen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
[Name]
Worked example A: a formal request
Say the task asks you to write to a language school to ask about a course, its price, and its start date.
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
ich interessiere mich für Ihren Deutschkurs auf dem Niveau B1. Könnten Sie mir bitte mitteilen, wie viel der Kurs kostet und wann er beginnt? Außerdem möchte ich wissen, ob am Wochenende Unterricht stattfindet. Über eine baldige Antwort würde ich mich sehr freuen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Ana Costa
Worked example B: a formal complaint
Now the task asks you to complain to an online shop about a damaged product and say what you want done.
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
am 3. Mai habe ich bei Ihnen eine Kaffeemaschine bestellt. Leider muss ich Ihnen mitteilen, dass das Gerät beschädigt bei mir angekommen ist. Ich bitte Sie daher, mir einen Ersatz zu schicken oder den Kaufpreis zu erstatten. Bitte teilen Sie mir bis Ende der Woche mit, wie Sie vorgehen möchten.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Ana Costa
A complaint stays polite. You state the facts, name the problem, and request a clear outcome, all with Sie. This is the register that B1 and B2 tasks lean on most.
Phrase bank worth memorising
Group your phrases by function. In the exam you slot them in fast, so learn a couple from each row cold.
Openings
- Formal: Ich schreibe Ihnen, weil... / Ich wende mich an Sie, weil... / Mit großem Interesse habe ich...
- Informal: Wie geht es dir? / Danke für deine E-Mail. / Schön, von dir zu hören.
Requests
- Formal: Könnten Sie mir bitte... / Ich möchte Sie bitten, ... / Ich wäre Ihnen dankbar, wenn Sie...
- Informal: Kannst du mir sagen, ...? / Wär es okay, wenn...? / Hast du Lust, ...?
Complaints
- Formal: Leider muss ich Ihnen mitteilen, dass... / Ich bin damit nicht einverstanden, weil... / Ich erwarte, dass Sie...
- Informal: Ich ärgere mich ein bisschen, weil... / Schade, dass...
Closings
- Formal: Über eine baldige Rückmeldung würde ich mich freuen. / Vielen Dank im Voraus. Sign-off: Mit freundlichen Grüßen.
- Informal: Ich freue mich, bald von dir zu hören. / Melde dich mal! Sign-off: Liebe Grüße / Viele Grüße / Bis bald.
Common register mistakes
These are the slips that cost marks even when the German is otherwise correct:
- Mixing du and Sie. Starting with Sehr geehrte... and then writing kannst du breaks the register instantly. Decide once, then scan your draft for stray pronouns.
- Forgetting to capitalise Sie and Ihr. In a letter the polite forms are always capitalised. Lowercase sie reads as "she" or "they".
- Capitalising the first body word. After the greeting comma, the line begins lowercase unless the word is a noun.
- Using "Hallo" in a formal task. It is too casual for an official or a company.
- Adding a comma after the sign-off. German writes Mit freundlichen Grüßen with no comma before the name.
- Being too blunt in a complaint. Drop Ich will for Ich möchte or Ich bitte Sie. Politeness is part of the formal register.
How this fits the exam
Register matters more as you climb. At A2 the two Schreiben tasks are short, a message of roughly 20 to 30 words and an email of about 30 to 40 words, and are usually informal or lightly semi-formal. From B1 upward at least one task is clearly formal: the B1 writing part includes a formal message, and the B2 Schreiben asks for a longer Mitteilung alongside a forum post. So you cannot rely on the informal template alone. Practise both under time, and always check the register against who the task says you are writing to. For a level-by-level breakdown of tasks, word counts, and scoring, see our Schreiben section guide. If you are targeting a specific certificate, the Goethe B1 exam guide and Goethe B2 exam guide show where these letter tasks sit in each exam. To see graded model letters at your level, the SagaDeutsch Sample Writing library shows what a passing response looks like.
Frequently asked questions
Use "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren," for a formal letter when you have no specific name. Once you know the name, switch to "Sehr geehrte Frau [Name]," or "Sehr geehrter Herr [Name],".
"Hallo [Name]," is fine for informal and some semi-formal messages, such as a note to a colleague you know. It is not right for a formal letter to an official or a company.
For exam emails, a greeting and sign-off are enough. Follow any format the task specifies, and do not spend your limited words on a full postal header.
Use Sie (capitalised) for anyone you do not address by first name: officials, companies, strangers. When in doubt in an exam task, formal is the safer choice.
Better not. For anything toward the formal end, close with Mit freundlichen Grüßen. Save Liebe Grüße for people you address with du.
State the facts plainly, name the problem with Leider..., then make one clear request with Ich bitte Sie, ... and, if useful, a deadline. Polite verbs like möchte and the würde forms keep the tone right without weakening your point.
