Abbreviations in German emails
Here is a short list of frequently encountered abbreviations.
| Abbreviation | German meaning | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bzgl. | bezüglich | regarding, concerning |
| bzw. | beziehungsweise | respectively |
| ca. | circa | approximately |
| d. h. | das heißt … | that means/in other words … |
| etc. | Et cetera/und so weiter | and so on |
| evtl. | eventuell | perhaps |
| f./ff. | folgende (Seite) | following (pages) |
| ggf. | gegebenenfalls | where appropriate |
| i. A. | im Auftrag | by proxy/on behalf of |
| Inkl. | Inklusive | including |
| lfd. | laufend z. B. laufender Monat | current (e.g. current month) |
| MfG | Mit freundichen Grüßen | With best regards |
| MwSt. | Mehrwertsteuer | value-added Tax |
| o. a. | oben angegeben | above mentioned |
| o. Ä. | oder Ähnliche(s) | or similar |
| s. o. | siehe oben | see above |
| s. u. | siehe unten | see below |
| u. a. | unter anderem, und andere | among others |
| usw. | Und so weiter | and so forth |
| z. B. | zum Beispiel | for example |
| zzgl. | zuzüglich | plus/In addition (tax, charges) |
Things to note:
- Abbreviations that are pronounced as a complete word are usually followed by a period/dot. Exapmle: ggf. for gegebenenfalls (exceptions: MfG, lg/LG, PLZ, CHF).
- Abbreviations that are pronounced as such have no period. Example: AG - where one says: "A-ge" in conversations, even if it means Aktiengesellschaft.
- Abbreviations consisting of multiple words that are spoken out are separated by a space character: e.g. one says "zum Beispiel", which corresponds to "z. B.".
References:
[1] Briefe, E-mails & Bewerbungen, S. Pöschl, PONS, 2021
[2] Deutsch üben E-Mails, Briefe & Co, L. Brill, M. Techmer, M. Görgen, Hueber Verlag, 2021