On this page
German job vocabulary helps you introduce yourself, discuss your work and understand job adverts. This guide covers common occupations, their grammatical forms and useful interview language.
You start by asking, “Was machen Sie beruflich?” or “Was sind Sie von Beruf?” This means “what do you do for a living?” or “What’s your job?”
You will find occupation words, noun-declension patterns, job-search vocabulary and interview questions with suggestions for practicing an answer.
German Career-Related Vocabulary
Whether work is a comfortable small-talk topic depends on the person and setting. You can ask politely and let the other person decide how much to share.
Many occupation words have a masculine and a feminine form, often with -in for the latter: der Lehrer, die Lehrerin. Other terms use nominalized adjective endings or neutral alternatives. Learn the form with its article and plural rather than assuming all jobs follow one rule.
Some masculine nouns ending in -er have identical singular and plural forms: der Lehrer, die Lehrer. This does not apply to every job word. Feminine -in forms generally take plural -innen, and some stems also change their vowel.
Examples:
- der Gärtner (m) – gardener
- die Gärtner (pl) – gardeners
The feminine form is die Gärtnerin; its plural is die Gärtnerinnen.
- der Lehrer (m) – teacher
- die Lehrer (pl) – teachers
- die Lehrerin (f), die Lehrerinnen
- der Designer – designer
- die Designer (pl) – designers
- die Designerin (f), die Designerinnen
We mentioned adding umlauts earlier. For example: der Koch (m) – cook, die Köche (pl) – cooks, and die Köchin (f) – female cook. The rule is the same even where there are different words for the male and female in English.
Examples:
- der Schauspieler (m) – actor
- die Schauspieler (pl) – actors
- die Schauspielerin – actress
- die Schauspielerinnen – actresses
Here are some more professions in the artistic realm. While freelancers transcend boundaries, they are included in this category.
- Artist: Künstler, Künstlerin
- Writer: Schriftsteller, Schriftstellerin
- Author: Autor, Autorin
- Musician: Musiker, Musikerin
- Freelancer: der Freiberufler, die Freiberuflerin
- Ghostwriter: der Ghostwriter, die Ghostwriterin
Professional and technical occupations
Here are several common occupation names. These examples introduce vocabulary rather than ranking careers by income or prestige.
Der Zahnarzt, die Zahnärztin mean dentist; der Arzt, die Ärztin mean doctor. The masculine plurals are die Zahnärzte, die Ärzte; the feminine plurals are die Zahnärztinnen, die Ärztinnen.
Der Anwalt
Der Rechtsanwalt, die Rechtsanwältin mean lawyer; shorter forms are der Anwalt, die Anwältin. The plurals are die Anwälte, die Anwältinnen.
Der Architekt
Architects (der Architekt, die Architektin, (pl) Architekten) design the buildings and structures people work and live in. They plan the way space is used. A skilled architect can not only design a visually appealing building, but make sure it is strong and stable.
Architects cooperate with other professions, such as engineers, to develop buildings and spaces.
Der Ingenieur
Der Ingenieur, die Ingenieurin mean engineer. Fields include civil, mechanical and industrial engineering; training and responsibilities depend on the specialization.
Der Informatiker
Der Informatiker, die Informatikerin mean computer scientist or computing/IT specialist, depending on the role.
Related words include die Informatik — computer science, die Softwareentwicklung — software development, and die Informationstechnologie (IT) — information technology.
Weak nouns and nominalized adjectives
Many masculine occupation nouns follow N-Deklination: the singular gets -n or -en outside nominative. For example: der Student, den Studenten, dem Studenten, des Studenten. The feminine Studentin follows a different pattern.
Other examples include der Dirigent — conductor, der Drogist — drugstore retailer/specialist (not pharmacist), der Pilot — pilot, der Fotograf — photographer, der Dozent — lecturer (not necessarily an associate professor), der Polizist — police officer, der Journalist — journalist, and der Präsident — president. Their feminine forms are Dirigentin, Drogistin, Pilotin, Fotografin, Dozentin, Polizistin, Journalistin and Präsidentin.
Professor is not a weak singular noun: der Professor, den Professor, dem Professor, des Professors, but plural die Professoren. The feminine is die Professorin.
Angestellte, Vorgesetzte and Selbstständige are nominalized adjectives and retain adjective endings. Compare der Angestellte / ein Angestellter — employee, die Angestellte / eine Angestellte, and accusative den Angestellten / einen Angestellten. Without an article, masculine nominative is Angestellter, not Angestellte.
Der Vorgesetzte / ein Vorgesetzter means supervisor; feminine is die Vorgesetzte / eine Vorgesetzte. Der Selbstständige / ein Selbstständiger means a self-employed person; feminine is die Selbstständige / eine Selbstständige. Self-employment describes work status, not a particular occupation.
Der Beamte / ein Beamter — civil servant — also varies with the article. Its feminine form is die Beamtin. Learn these patterns separately from ordinary weak nouns.
Other Exceptions
Like in English, the German words for businessman and businesswoman are different: Geschäftsmann and Geschäftsfrau. Unlike English, Kaufmann is a male merchant and Kauffrau a female one.
Die Krankenschwester is a traditional term for a female nurse. Der Krankenpfleger, die Krankenpflegerin are also used. Modern training titles include der Pflegefachmann, die Pflegefachfrau; neutral die Pflegefachkraft means a qualified nursing professional. A pharmacist is der Apotheker / die Apothekerin, not Drogist.
Service occupations
Useful names include der Kassierer / die Kassiererin — cashier, der Friseur / die Friseurin — hairdresser, der Kellner / die Kellnerin — waiter/server, der Koch / die Köchin — cook, and der Rezeptionist / die Rezeptionistin — receptionist.
Miscellaneous Job Words in German
Here is a list of vocabulary for the other common occupations, which weren’t included in the other sections:
| M | F | |
|---|---|---|
| farmer | Landwirt | Landwirtin |
| custodian | Hausmeister | Hausmeisterin |
| judge | Richter | Richterin |
| flight attendant | Flugbegleiter | Flugbegleiterin |
| mechanic | Automechaniker | Automechanikerin |
| librarian | Bibliothekar | Bibliothekarin |
| pensioner | Rentner | Rentnerin |
| nurse | Krankenpfleger | Krankenpflegerin |
| priest | Priester | Priesterin |
| politician | Politiker | Politikerin |
| salesperson | Verkäufer | Verkäuferin |
| taxi driver | Taxifahrer | Taxifahrerin |
| secretary | Sekretär | Sekretärin |
| worker | Arbeiter | Arbeiterin |
| TV reporter | Fernsehreporter | Fernsehreporterin |
| translator | Übersetzer | Übersetzerin |
When stating an occupation with sein and no descriptive modifier, German usually omits the indefinite article: Ich bin Kellner. Ich bin Übersetzerin. With an adjective, an article can be needed: Sie ist eine erfahrene Ärztin. — She is an experienced doctor. Articles are also normal in other contexts: Der Kellner kommt. — The waiter is coming.
Useful Job and Occupation-Related German Vocabulary
Talking about work often involves asking certain specific questions and answering them. To help you understand what someone is asking and know how to respond, we’ve compiled a list of common inquiries and sample answers.
| Q: What do you do for a living? A: I have a small business. |
F: Was machen Sie beruflich? A: Ich besitze einen kleinen Betrieb. |
| Q: What’s your occupation? A: I’m in finance. A: I work at a bank. A: I work at a library. |
F: Was machen Sie beruflich? A: Ich bin in der Finanzbranche. A: Ich arbeite bei einer Bank. A: Ich arbeite in einer Bibliothek. |
| Q: Where does he work? A: At Mercedes-Benz. |
F: Wo arbeitet er? A: Bei Mercedes-Benz. |
| Q: At which company does he work? A: He works for an IT company. |
F: Bei welcher Firma arbeitet er? A: Er arbeitet bei einer IT-Firma. |
| Q: Where does a nurse work? A: In a hospital. |
F: Wo arbeitet eine Krankenschwester? A: Im Krankenhaus. |
| Q: Is she self-employed? A: She’s self-employed. |
F: Ist sie selbstständig? A: Sie ist selbstständig. |
“Wo arbeitest du?” means “Where do you work?” You can say one of these things:
| at the office | im Büro |
| at home | zu Hause |
| in a hospital | in einem/im Krankenhaus/Spital |
| in a garage, auto repair shop | in einer/in der Autowerkstatt |
| at Deutsche Bank | bei der Deutschen Bank |
| with a big/small company | bei einer großen/kleinen Firma |
Applying for a Job
| English | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| An enterprise, a company, a firm | das Unternehmen, der Betrieb, die Firma |
| job application, application documents | die Bewerbung, die Bewerbungsunterlagen |
| employment office, labor bureau | die Agentur für Arbeit (employment agency; colloquially: Arbeitsamt) |
| Employer, employee | der Arbeitgeber, der Arbeitnehmer |
| interview | das Vorstellungsgespräch |
| Resume, CV | der Lebenslauf |
| I’m applying for a position. | Ich bewerbe mich um eine Stelle. |
| To apply | sich bewerben |
Common Interview Questions
These are useful interview questions to practice. Prepare truthful examples relevant to the role, rather than memorizing a single answer as suitable for every employer.
Erzählen Sie etwas über sich selbst. – Tell us something about yourself.
Give a concise professional introduction: relevant experience, skills and why the role interests you. You can summarize a point from your CV and explain why it matters for this job.
For example: Ich habe drei Jahre Erfahrung im Kundenservice. — I have three years of experience in customer service.
Choose details appropriate to the interview. A hobby may be relevant if it demonstrates a useful skill; it is not automatically forbidden.
Warum sollten wir Sie einstellen? – Why should we hire you?
Support a relevant strength with an example: Ich arbeite sorgfältig und habe Erfahrung mit … — I work carefully and have experience with …
Was ist Ihre größte Stärke/Schwäche? – What is your greatest strength/weakness? Be honest in both cases.
Warum wollen Sie bei uns arbeiten? – Why do you want to work for us?
Again, honesty is the best policy. Mention good things you’ve heard about the company and how you see your role within it.
Wie gehen Sie mit Erfolg/Misserfolg um? — How do you handle success/failure? Describe how you assess a result and learn from it.
Wie gut arbeiten Sie mit anderen zusammen? – How well do you work with others?
Give an example of cooperation, such as how you shared responsibilities or resolved a problem with colleagues.
Können Sie unter Druck arbeiten? – Can you work under pressure? Again, give an example of a time when you were able to work well under pressure, perhaps at a previous job.
Wie stellen Sie sich die Arbeit bei uns vor? – What do you imagine working for us would be like?
Describe a plausible workday based on the vacancy. A related prompt is Beschreiben Sie einen typischen Arbeitstag / eine typische Arbeitswoche. — Describe a typical working day / working week.
Was sind Ihre Gehaltsvorstellungen? — What are your salary expectations? Lohnvorstellungen is also possible; Gehalt is a common term for salaried pay.
Research the role and clarify whether the figure means gross annual or monthly pay. Brutto means before deductions; netto means after deductions.
Nehmen Sie Arbeit auch mit nach Hause? — Do you also take work home with you?
This question may concern work habits or expectations. It does not automatically mean unpaid overtime. Ask explicitly about hours and arrangements: Wie werden Überstunden geregelt? — How is overtime handled?
Researching pay and working conditions
Pay depends on the occupation, experience, employer, region and working hours. One city or state cannot be labeled universally best for every worker from a dated salary ranking.
The Federal Employment Agency’s Entgeltatlas provides salary information by occupation and location. Check the reporting year and definition: a median is not the same as an arithmetic average, and gross pay is not take-home pay.
Why Study in Germany?
Many German public degree programs charge no general tuition, but studying is not automatically free. Semester contributions, living costs and possible program/institution/state-specific tuition still apply. The DAAD guide to study costs explains the distinctions.
English-taught programs are available, but admissions and language requirements depend on the particular program. Check the university’s current requirements; an English-taught course does not guarantee that German will be unnecessary for daily life or employment.
Graduating does not guarantee a job. Career prospects depend on skills, occupation, language ability and the employer. Research the specific course and career path rather than relying on an undated unemployment percentage.
We hope this article has been helpful. Please leave your feedback in the comments section!
Practice
Complete: Ich bin ___. (teacher, female) / Ich spreche mit dem ___. (Student) / Er ist ein ___. (Angestellte) / Ich bewerbe mich ___ eine Stelle.
Check the answers
Lehrerin, Studenten, Angestellter, um.
