German work emails: 3 polite templates with translations

A work email does not need impressive vocabulary. It needs to make the next step easy to understand. If you are asking to move a meeting, your reader should quickly see which meeting you mean and what time you are proposing.

The three templates below are original language-learning examples. Names, dates and situations are invented. Each German line has an English translation so you can check the meaning before adapting it. They are everyday messages, not legal notices or official exam model answers.

Should you use Sie or du in a work email?

For a new formal contact, Sie is a sensible starting point. If your team has agreed to use du, follow that relationship. A friendly first-name greeting does not always tell you the pronoun on its own; look at how the person addresses you or ask when unsure.

These are useful choices, not rules for every workplace. A team may prefer a neutral Guten Tag or use less formal greetings with established clients. Keep the tone appropriate to the relationship and avoid changing from Sie to du halfway through the message.

Template 1: how do you reschedule a meeting?

Give an alternative rather than only saying you are unavailable. If participants are in different time zones, name the intended zone explicitly. You do not need a long personal explanation unless the context calls for one. After agreement, update the calendar invitation so the email and calendar tell the same story.

Template 2: how do you request a document?

A useful request names the document, the deadline and the reason. Replace Donnerstag with a full date when there is any chance of confusion. If you need the file by a specific hour, include that too. For a formal version, change könntest du to könnten Sie and gib mir to geben Sie mir.

Template 3: how do you follow up politely?

There is no universal number of days to wait before following up. Consider the agreed response time, urgency and working days. If a deadline is close, mention it plainly rather than using several exclamation marks. For an established email thread, replying in the same thread can help the recipient find the earlier context.

What should you check before sending?

• Is the recipient’s name correct, including Frau or Herr if used?
• Does the subject identify the action or meeting?
• Have I used Sie/Ihr or du/dein consistently?
• Are all dates and times correct, and is the deadline clear?
• Have I actually attached or linked the document I mention?
• Can the reader tell what response I need?

For exam preparation, follow the task’s own requirements rather than treating these templates as complete answers. Goethe B2 writing includes a formal message in a professional context. In everyday work, practise by rewriting one template for a real situation, then ask a teacher to check tone and meaning. For spoken situations, see our first-month German phrases.