meine Damen und Herren
plural
The English phrase 'ladies and gentlemen' is translated into German as meine Damen und Herren. Wiktionary also lists Damen und Herren and Herrschaften.
Meaning: phrase used to address an audience of men and women (noun)
Ways to say it
| German | Note |
|---|---|
| meine Damen und Herren | plural |
| Damen und Herren | plural |
| Herrschaften | feminine, ironic, plural |
The phrase is used to address an audience composed of both men and women. Damen und Herren is a common formal way to say 'Ladies and Gentlemen', while meine Damen und Herren is the standard formal way to address an audience in German.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase meine Damen und Herren literally translates to 'my ladies and gentlemen'.
Which one should you use?
While Damen und Herren is standard, Herrschaften can be used ironically or mockingly to address a group, similar to saying 'distinguished guests' with a hint of sarcasm.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
meine Damen und Herren and Damen und Herren are both formal. In contrast, Herrschaften is a dated term and is considered ironic.
Did you know?
- The German word Damen is used in 'ladies and gentlemen' but also describes the female pieces in a game of chess.
- The word Dame entered the German language via Old French, which is why it sounds similar to 'dame' in English and French.
- If you address a crowd as Herrschaften, you are using a term that sounds like 'lordships' or 'highnesses', which is why it often carries a sarcastic, old-fashioned tone in modern speech.
Examples in context
- Meine Damen und Herren…Ladies and gentlemen…This sentence shows the phrase used as a way to begin an address.Tatoeba #11989156 by alabama, translation #2638466 by Joseph
- Willkommen, meine Damen und Herren!Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!This sentence demonstrates a welcoming greeting using the phrase.Tatoeba #2270738 by Vortarulo, translation #2834047 by Desparil
- Guten Abend, meine Damen und Herren!Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.This sentence shows how to use the phrase within a standard evening greeting.Tatoeba #1597904 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1597893 by fanty
- Damen und Herren, herzlich willkommen zu unserer Veranstaltung.Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to our event.
- Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, wir laden Sie herzlich zu unserer Konferenz ein.Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, we cordially invite you to our conference.
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura is starting a presentation at a conference.
- LauraGuten Tag, meine Damen und Herren!Good day, ladies and gentlemen!
- JulianGuten Tag, Frau Laura.Good day, Ms. Laura.
- LauraVielen Dank für Ihr Kommen, meine Damen und Herren.Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen.
- JulianWir freuen uns auf den Vortrag.We are looking forward to the presentation.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ladies and gentlemen” translations and entries Damen und Herren, Herrschaften, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
