A

Angestellter - Employee, i.e. someone on a permanent contract as opposed to a freelancer

Anmeldebestätigung - The document that shows you have registered with the police. Essential for any procedure that requires proof of address.

Anmeldung - The process of registering your address with the police. Also used for other kinds of registration e.g. for a language course. See How to get a residence permit in Germany.

Anwalt - Lawyer.

Arbeitsamt - Employment office or job centre.

Arbeitserlaubnis - Work permit. See Getting a work permit in Germany.

Arzt/Ärztin - Doctor.

Aufenthaltserlaubnis - Residence permit. See How to get a residence permit in Germany.

Ausbildung - Training or education. Essential for many jobs in Germany.

Ausländerbehörde - Authority that deals with foreigners. Where you get your residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis). See How to get a residence permit in Germany.

Ausweis - Identity card (ID). Essential for any bureaucracy and in many other situations. Expats from countries which do not have national identity cards need to use their passport for this.

B

Bankleitzahl (BLZ) - Bank code. Usually has eight digits e.g. 100 500 00 for Berliner Sparkasse. Necessary when making a bank transfer (Überweisung). See Opening a bank account.

Beamter - Civil servant or public official.

Besichtigungstermin - An appointment to view a flat or other property.

Betriebskosten - (When renting e.g. an apartment) Another word for Nebenkosten i.e. extra costs you have to pay for water, cleaning etc.

Betriebsrat - Works council. Obligatory in German companies over a certain size. Can be very powerful in terms of hiring and firing.

Bewerbung - Application e.g. for a job.

Botschaft - Embassy.

Bürgeramt - A kind of public administrative office. Generally the place where you register with the police (Anmeldung), get a driver's licence, get an income tax card (Lohnsteuerkarte), etc.

D

Dauerauftrag - Standing order (banking).

E

EC-Karte - Debit card, similar to e.g. a British Switch card. A common means of payment in German shops.

Einkommensteuer - Income tax.

Einwohnermeldeamt - The office where you register with the police (Anmeldung).

F

Fahrkarte or Fahrschein - Travel ticket.

Finanzamt - Tax office.

Formular (document) - Form.

Fragenbogen - Questionnaire.

Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung - Literally 'freedom of movement certificate.' Issued to EU citizens to prove they have the right to live in Germany. Has replaced residence permits for EU citizens. Is usually issued automatically when you register with the police. See How to get a residence permit in Germany.

Frist - Period in which something has to be done, time limit, or deadline e.g. Kündigungsfrist.

Führerschein - Driver's licence.

G

Gebühr - Fee.

Gelbe Seiten - A-Z Listings.

Geldautomat - Cash machine or ATM.

Girokonto - Current account.

Grüne Punkt - A recycling symbol (literally 'green dot') commonly found on e.g. plastic and metal packaging. Packaging with the Grüne Punkt needs to go into the Grüne Punkt recycling bin.

H

Haftplichtversicherung - Personal liability insurance.

Hausmeister - Concierge or caretaker.

Hausverwaltung - A company that manages rented properties. Generally deals with rental contracts, rent payments, problems with the property etc.

K

Kaltmiete - Net basic rent without utilities and other costs. See also Warmmiete.

Kasse - Checkout in a supermarket or cashier's office in e.g. a Bürgeramt.

Kaution - Deposit e.g. for a flat.

Kirchensteuer - Church tax.

Konto - Account e.g. bank account.

Kontoauszug - Bank statement.

Krankenhaus - Hospital.

Krankenkasse - A statutory health insurance provider. Employees are generally insured with Krankenkassen, while freelancers may have to find private health insurance instead.

Kündigungsfrist - Period of notice on e.g. a flat, job, or insurance policy.

Künstlersozialkasse - A Krankenkasse which provides insurance for artists, translators, journalists etc.

L

Lebenslauf - CV or résumé.

Lebenspartnerschaft - Civil union i.e. gay marriage. Also know colloquially as Homo-Ehe.

Lohnsteuerkarte - Income tax card. Necessary if you are an employee.

M

Makler - Agent or broker for e.g. real estate.

Mehrwegflasche - A deposit bottle which needs to be returned to a shop.

Mehrwertsteuer (MwSt) - Value-added tax (VAT).

Meldestelle - The place where you register with the police (Anmeldung). Often in a Rathaus or Bürgeramt.

mieten - To rent e.g. a flat or a car.

Mietvertrag - Rental contract.

Mitwohnzentrale - An agency which lets flats (sometimes furnished) for a limited period.

N

Nebenkosten (renting) - Utility and other costs for e.g. cleaning the building. The Kaltmiete plus the Nebenkosten equals the Warmmiete.

Notar - Notary.

O

Öffnungszeiten - Opening hours.

P

Pfand - Deposit on e.g. bottles and cans. Sometimes also on glasses in bars.

Postleitzahl - Post or zip code. Goes before the name of the town or city in an address e.g. 10247 Berlin.

Probestunde - Test lesson eg. at a language school.

Provision - A (non-refundable) fee which sometimes has to be paid simply to rent a flat, not to be confused with the Kaution (deposit) which is repaid. Similar to key money.

Q

Quittung - Receipt.

R

Rathaus - Town hall or city hall. Often home to the Meldestelle.

Rechnung - Bill.

Rente - Pension.

S

S-Bahn - Stadtschnellbahn, Schnellbahn, or Stadtbahn. A kind of metropolitan light rail system similar to the U-Bahn but usually above ground.

Selbstbedienung (SB) - Self-service e.g. a self-service terminal in a bank.

selbstständig (also spelt selbständig) - Self-employed or freelance.

Solidaritätszuschlag - A kind of tax which goes towards rebuilding the states of former East Germany. It currently comprises 5.5 percent of your income tax or company tax payments.

Sozialamt - The office which deals with social security.

Sozialhilfe - Social security.

Sprachenaustausch - Language exchange. Colloquially known as a Tandem.

Sprachenschule - Language school.

Sprechstunden - Consulting hours or office hours, e.g. for a doctor or university professor.

Standesamt - Registry office.

Steuerberater - Tax advisor.

Steuernummer - Tax number. You apply for this at your local tax office (Finanzamt).

T

Tandem - A language exchange, where you swap e.g. English conversation practice for German conversation practice. Also known as a Sprachenaustausch (language exchange).

Termin - Appointment.

U

U-Bahn - Underground or subway.

Überweisung - Bank transfer. The usual way to pay e.g. bills in Germany. See Opening a bank account.

unbefristete Aufenthaltserlaubnis - Unlimited residence permit. The Holy Grail of many expats.

Unterlage - Document (often official). Often used in the plural e.g. "Wir schicken Ihnen die Unterlagen."

V

Verein - Club or association. Often used for sports clubs.

Vereinbarung - Agreement or arrangement.

Versicherung - Insurance.

Vertrag - Contract e.g. Mietvertrag (rental contact).

W

Warmmiete (renting) - Gross rent including Nebenkosten such as water and rubbish collection. The 'real' rent for a property, in the sense that this is what you pay the Hausverwaltung.

Wohngeld - Housing benefit.

Wohngemeinschaft (WG) - Shared flat.

Wohnung - Flat or apartment.

Z

Zahnarzt/Zahnärztin - Dentist.

Zeugnis (employment) - A reference from a former employer. Zeugnisse generally form part of a job application (Bewerbung). By law a German reference has to be positive, which has led to the development of a coded language for negative remarks.