Sehr geehrter Herr
In German, "dear mr." is translated as Sehr geehrter Herr.
Sehr geehrter Herr [Last Name] is a common way to address a man formally in German. When using this greeting, you should typically include academic titles such as Dr. or Prof. before the last name, for example, Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Müller.
Which one should you use?
While Sehr geehrter Herr is used for men, the equivalent formal greeting for women is Sehr geehrte Frau.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Sehr geehrter Herr is a formal salutation. For a less formal approach used when you have an established, friendly relationship with the person, you can use Lieber Herr [Name].
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective geehrter takes the -er ending to agree with the masculine nominative noun Herr in this formal salutation. In German, the salutation is almost always followed by a comma. Note that the first word of the actual body of the letter begins with a lowercase letter unless it is a noun.
Did you know?
- The word sehr in Sehr geehrter Herr shares a root with the English word 'sorely', as both originally meant 'injured' or 'sore' before evolving to mean 'very'.
- While Sehr geehrter Herr is the standard for letters, in a formal spoken introduction, you would never use this phrase and would instead simply say Guten Tag, Herr [Name].
- If you are writing to a man who holds multiple degrees, such as a professor who is also a doctor, you should use both titles in the greeting: Sehr geehrter Herr Prof. Dr. [Name].
Examples in context
- Sehr geehrter Herr Müller,Dear Mr. Müller,
- Sehr geehrter Herr Direktor,Dear Mr. Director,
- Sehr geehrter Herr Schmidt, ich schreibe Ihnen wegen der Rechnung.Dear Mr. Schmidt, I am writing to you regarding the invoice.
Example conversation
Julian is asking Sarah for advice on a formal email.
- JulianWie fange ich diese E-Mail am besten an?How should I best start this email?
- SarahSchreib einfach: Sehr geehrter Herr Weber.Just write: Dear Mr. Weber.
- JulianIst das sehr geehrter Herr Weber zu förmlich?Is 'Dear Mr. Weber' too formal?
- SarahNein, das ist in Deutschland ganz normal.No, that is quite normal in Germany.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Herr, sehr, CC BY-SA 4.0.
