Today's words · 🖥️ Office life
First day at a German office? Learn these 10 words
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On your first day in a German office, someone shouts ‘Der Drucker spinnt!’ — would you know what's going on?
Your first day at a German company: a colleague invites you to the Kantine for lunch and you just smile, unsure what that is. In the afternoon the printer breaks and everyone grumbles, while you try to look like you understand.
Today's ten words are ones you'll hear in the office every day. With them you can arrange lunch with colleagues, ask for help at the printer and say which department you work in. 💼
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
das Büro
[bew-ROH]office(Pl. die Büros)
📌 Ich bin bis 17 Uhr im Büro.
→ I'm in the office until 5 p.m.
💡 From French bureau 🏢 Put the stress at the end: bü-RO.
Bonus in the office = im Büro · to the office = ins Büro
der Kollege
[ko-LAY-guh]colleague(Pl. die Kollegen (f: die Kollegin))
📌 Mein Kollege hilft mir oft.
→ My colleague often helps me.
💡 Basically English colleague 👥 Don't forget to say the final e.
⚠ It's a weak noun, so it adds -n: Ich frage meinen Kollegen. A female colleague is die Kollegin.
der Chef
[SHEF]boss(Pl. die Chefs (f: die Chefin))
📌 Meine Chefin ist sehr nett.
→ My boss is very nice.
💡 Not a cook but the ‘head’ of the company 👔 From Latin caput (head).
⚠ A cook is der Koch / die Köchin. A female boss is die Chefin.
der Schreibtisch
[SHRIPE-tish]desk(Pl. die Schreibtische)
📌 Mein Schreibtisch steht direkt am Fenster.
→ My desk is right by the window.
💡 schreiben (to write) + Tisch (table) = writing table ✍️ German Lego again.
Bonus to sit at your desk = am Schreibtisch sitzen
der Drucker
[DROOK-er]printer(Pl. die Drucker)
📌 Der Drucker hat kein Papier mehr.
→ The printer has run out of paper.
💡 drucken (to print) + -er = printing machine 🖨️ Machines ending in -er are usually der.
Bonus Very common: Der Drucker spinnt! = The printer's playing up again!
ausdrucken
[OWS-drook-en]to print (out)(druckt aus – hat ausgedruckt)
📌 Ich drucke dir das Ticket schnell aus.
→ I'll quickly print the ticket out for you.
💡 aus (out) + drucken (print) = print out 📄 Exactly like English.
⚠ Separable: Ich drucke das aus. With umlaut, ausdrücken means ‘to express’ — a totally different verb!
die Pause
[POW-zuh]break, pause(Pl. die Pausen)
📌 Lass uns eine Pause machen.
→ Let's take a break.
💡 English pause, but say the final e: POW-zuh ☕
Bonus Let's take a break = Lass uns eine Pause machen. · lunch break = die Mittagspause
die Kantine
[kan-TEE-nuh]canteen, staff restaurant(Pl. die Kantinen)
📌 Mittags essen wir in der Kantine.
→ At lunchtime we eat in the canteen.
💡 Same root as English canteen 🍛 Where the office eats lunch.
Bonus A university canteen is die Mensa.
die Abteilung
[AP-tile-oong]department(Pl. die Abteilungen)
📌 In welcher Abteilung arbeiten Sie?
→ Which department do you work in?
💡 ab + Teil (part) + -ung = one part of the company 🧩 -ung means die!
Bonus HR department = die Personalabteilung
der Kopierer
[ko-PEER-er]photocopier(Pl. die Kopierer)
📌 Der Kopierer hat schon wieder kein Papier.
→ The copier is out of paper again.
💡 kopieren (to copy) + -er = copying machine 📠 Same pattern as Drucker.
Bonus The verb: Kannst du das bitte kopieren?
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Around lunchtime in many German offices you'll hear people greet each other in the corridor with ‘Mahlzeit!’ — roughly ‘enjoy your meal’. How common it is depends a lot on the company and the region.
Whether colleagues use du or Sie also varies. Most start-ups use du from day one, while more traditional companies often start with Sie. If you're unsure, wait until the other person offers du.
When you leave, say ‘Schönen Feierabend!’ Feierabend is your free time after work, and people in Germany take it seriously. 🌇
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You'd like a colleague to print a file for you. Fill the gap: ‘Kannst du mir das bitte ___?’
- ① ausdrucken
- ② ausdrücken
- ③ ausmachen
Show the answer
① ausdrucken
ausdrucken means to print out; ausdrücken means to express and ausmachen means to switch off.
Introduce yourself out loud with one sentence: ‘Ich arbeite in der … Abteilung.’ And today too: Schönen Feierabend! 💼
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 📊 Meetings & reports