Names of occupations in German

Names of professions in German is one of the first topics I cover when tutoring my students. I find it very interesting because not only do we use it to describe ourselves and our family members, but we also use it to talk about our dreams and plans for the future. Many people, especially the younger ones, are eager to talk about what they would like to do in the future, and this allows us to engage in an interesting conversation. For adult learners, this topic is just as important. After all, when we meet new people, one of the first questions we most often get is Was machst du beruflich? (What do you do for a living?). In this article you will learn how to answer this question. Let’s get started!

List of occupations in German 

By knowing the names of professions in German, you can better communicate in a work environment, when traveling or when talking to German-speaking friends. I’ve prepared a list for you with sample sentences that you can use while learning to remember new vocabulary more easily.

Office work

This table can be useful for learners of German and those who plan to work in a German-speaking country or company. So learn the names of office-based jobs in German:

German	English
der Anwalt	the lawyer
Der Anwalt vertritt seinen Klienten vor Gericht.	The lawyer represents his client in court.
der Architekt	the architect
Der Architekt plant ein neues Gebäude.	The architect is planning a new building.
der Journalist	the journalist
Der Journalist schreibt einen Artikel über das Ereignis.	The journalist writes an article about the event.
der Informatiker	the IT specialist
Der Informatiker entwickelt Softwareprogramme.	The IT specialist develops computer programs.
der Buchhalter	the accountant
Der Buchhalter führt die Finanzbuchhaltung.	The accountant keeps the financial accounts.
der Notar	the notary
Der Notar beglaubigt wichtige Dokumente.	The notary certifies important documents.
der Politiker	the politician
Der Politiker spricht über die neuen Gesetze.	The politician speaks of new regulations.
der Jurist	the attorney
Der Jurist vertritt die Rechte seiner Mandanten.	The attorney represents the rights of his clients.
der Unternehmer	the entrepreneur
Der Unternehmer leitet sein eigenes Geschäft.	The entrepreneur runs his own company.
der Handelsvertreter	the sales representative
Der Handelsvertreter verkauft Produkte an Kunden.	The sales representative sells products to customers.
der Richter	the judge
Der Richter spricht Recht im Gerichtssaal.	The judge dispenses justice in the courtroom.
der Übersetzer	the translator
Der Übersetzer übersetzt Texte in verschiedene Sprachen.	The translator translates texts into various languages.
der Beamte	the official
Der Beamte arbeitet für die Regierung.	The government official works for the government.

Services and manual labor

The following table lists the names of service and manual labor occupations in German. These professions are an extremely important part of the economy, covering a wide range of fields. Often these are the ones we come into contact with on a daily basis, so it is worth paying special attention to them!

German	English
der Archäologe	the archeologist
Der Archäologe sucht nach antiken Artefakten.	The archaeologist searches for ancient artifacts.
der Barkeeper	the bartender
Der Barkeeper mixt köstliche Cocktails.	The bartender prepares delicious cocktails.
der Basketballspieler	the basketball player
Der Basketballspieler trainiert hart für das Spiel.	The basketball player is training hard for the match.
der Briefträger	the mailman
Der Briefträger bringt jeden Morgen die Post.	The mailman delivers the mail every morning.
der Friseur	the hairdresser
Der Friseur schneidet meine Haare.	The hairdresser cuts my hair.
der Kassierer	the cashier
Der Kassierer zählt das Geld am Ende des Tages.	The cashier counts the money at the end of the day.
der Fahrer	the driver
Der Fahrer bringt uns sicher ans Ziel.	The driver brings us safely to our destination.
der Koch	the cook
Der Koch bereitet leckeres Essen zu.	The cook prepares delicious food.
der Mechaniker	the mechanic
Der Mechaniker repariert das Auto.	A mechanic is repairing a car.
der Lehrer	the teacher
Der Lehrer unterrichtet die Schüler im Klassenzimmer.	The teacher teaches the students in the classroom.
die Babysitterin	the nanny
Die Babysitterin passt auf die Kinder auf.	The nanny takes care of the children.
der Gärtner	the gardener
Der Gärtner pflegt den Garten.	The gardener tends the garden.
der Bäcker	the baker
Der Bäcker backt frisches Brot.	The baker bakes fresh bread.
der Pilot	the pilot
Der Pilot fliegt das Flugzeug sicher zum Ziel.	The pilot safely flies the plane to its destination.
der Polizist	the police officer
Der Polizist sorgt für die Sicherheit in der Stadt.	The police officer keeps the city safe.
der Bauer	the farmer
Der Bauer kümmert sich um die Tiere auf dem Hof.	The farmer takes care of the animals on the farm.
die Putzfrau	the cleaning lady
Die Putzfrau reinigt die Büros.	The cleaning lady cleans offices.
der Verkäufer	the salesperson
Der Verkäufer berät die Kunden im Geschäft.	The salesperson advises customers in the store.
der Tischler	the carpenter
Der Tischler stellt maßgefertigte Möbel her.	The carpenter makes custom furniture.
der Schuhmacher	the cobbler
Der Schuhmacher repariert meine Schuhe.	The cobbler fixes my shoes.
der Feuerwehrmann	the firefighter
Der Feuerwehrmann löscht Brände.	The firefighter puts out fires.

Medical professions

In the table below are the names of healthcare professions. I have chosen the ones we most often hear about on a daily basis. Learn the names of healthcare professions in German:

German	English
der Apotheker	the pharmacist
Der Apotheker gibt mir meine Medikamente.	The pharmacist hands me my medications.
der Arzt	the doctor
Der Arzt untersucht die Patienten im Krankenhaus.	The doctor examines patients in the hospital.
die Krankenschwester	the nurse
Die Krankenschwester kümmert sich um die Patienten im Krankenhaus.	The nurse takes care of patients in the hospital.
der Psychologe	the psychologist
Der Psychologe hilft Menschen mit ihren Problemen.	The psychologist helps people solve their problems.
der Tierarzt	the veterinarian
Der Tierarzt kümmert sich um kranke Tiere.	The veterinarian takes care of sick animals.
der Zahnarzt	the dentist
Der Zahnarzt untersucht meine Zähne regelmäßig.	The dentist regularly examines my teeth.

Creative professions

In the table below are the names of occupations in the creative industries that reflect the diversity and richness of artistic and creative fields. The creative sectors cover a range of occupations, from artists and designers to film producers and screenwriters.

German	English
der Schauspieler / die Schauspielerin	the actor / actress
Der Schauspieler spielt heute Abend im Theater.	The actor is playing in the theater tonight.
der Künstler	the artist
Der Künstler malt ein wunderschönes Bild.	The artist paints a beautiful picture.
der Fotograf	the photographer
Der Fotograf macht Fotos von der Hochzeit.	The photographer takes pictures of the wedding.
der Maler	the painter
Der Maler verschönert die Wände mit Kunstwerken.	The painter beautifies the walls with works of art.
der Musiker	the musician
Der Musiker spielt wundervolle Musik.	The musician plays wonderful music.
der Sänger	the singer
Der Sänger singt auf der Bühne.	The singer sings on stage.
der Schriftsteller	the writer
Der Schriftsteller schreibt spannende Geschichten.	The writer writes interesting stories.
der Designer	the designer
Der Designer gestaltet kreative Designs.	The designer creates creative designs.
der Regisseur	the director
Der Regisseur ist für den gesamten Film verantwortlich.	The director is responsible for the entire film.
der Tänzer	the dancer
Der Tänzer tanzt auf der Bühne.	The dancer dances on stage.

Creating the feminine form of the names of professions

In German each profession has a masculine and feminine form, e.g.: der Tänzer (the male dancer) and die Tänzerin (the female dancer). Creating the feminine form is very simple, although it may be a bit more difficult for an English student since very few professions in English have a female form. In German, in most cases, all you need to do is use the article die and add the ending -in. To learn more about the articles, take a look at this link. See below for more examples:

German	English
der Polizist, die Polizistin	policeman, policewoman
der Lehrer, die Lehrerin	male teacher, female teacher
der Verkäufer, die Verkäuferin	salesman, saleswoman
der Jurist, die Juristin	male lawyer, female lawyer
der Schriftsteller, die Schriftstellerin	male writer, female writer

As is often the case, there are some exceptions. To create some feminine names of professions you must also use an umlaut (known as an inflection). See these examples:

German	English
der Anwalt, die Anwältin	male attorney, female attorney
der Arzt, die Ärztin	doctor, female doctor
der Koch, die Köchin	cook, female cook

How do you ask what someone does for a living?

Below you will find a complete list of phrases you can use to ask someone where they work and examples of how to answer such a question. Note that occupations are given without an article:

German	English
der Beruf	profession
Was bist du von Beruf?	What is your profession?
Was machst du beruflich?	What do you do for a living?
Was machen Sie beruflich?	What do you do for a living, sir/madam?
Wo arbeitest du?	Where do you work?
Ich arbeite als Anwalt.	I am a lawyer.
Ich arbeite in der IT-Branche.	I work in the IT industry.
Ich bin Fotograf von Beruf.	I am a photographer by profession.
Beruflich arbeite ich als Journalist.	Professionally, I work as a journalist.
Arbeitest du jetzt als Friseurin?	Are you currently working as a hairdresser?
Nein, ich bin Köchin.	No, I’m a cook.

I deliberately included whole sentences in the table above, because in real-life situations this is how you will use language. Remember that language is not just a collection of single words. Learning single words without context can lead to misunderstandings. That’s why learning whole sentences is so important. This method of learning will help you better prepare for real conversations and understand how native speakers talk.

It helps you to know how questions, answers or expressions of opinion are constructed in the language. Most importantly, learning this way prepares you to use the language effectively in everyday situations, such as traveling, working or socializing. Learning in whole sentences is an effective approach to gain a deeper understanding and mastery of the language. It gives you the opportunity to learn in the context of actual language use, which is key to achieving fluency, breaking the language barrier and communicating effectively in a new language.

Employment status

When we talk about the names of professions in German, we can’t leave out key terms related to employment status. Occupational status and the type of work we do are an important part of our daily lives. In the table below, you’ll find vocabulary for different forms of employment and different career paths, such as self-employment or internship.

German	English
der Arbeitgeber	the employer
Mein Arbeitgeber ist sehr nett.	My employer is very nice.
der Chef	the boss
Der Chef hat heute eine wichtige Besprechung.	The boss has an important meeting today.
der Arbeiter/ der Arbeitnehmer	worker/employee
Wir suchen einen erfahrenen Arbeitnehmer.	We are looking for an experienced employee.
die Vollzeitarbeit	full-time job
Vollzeitarbeit liegt mir nicht.	A full-time job does not suit me.
die Teilzeit(arbeit)	part-time job
Seit ich in Teilzeit arbeite, habe ich viel mehr Zeit für mich.	Since I started working part-time I have a lot more time for myself.
der Praktikant	the intern
Ich bin ein Praktikant.	I am an intern.
sich selbstständig machen	start your own business / self-employment
Mein Freund möchte sich selbstständig machen und ein eigenes Unternehmen gründen.	My friend wants to become independent and start his own company.
arbeitslos	unemployed
Ich bin seit September arbeitslos.	I have been unemployed since September.
die Probezeit	trial period
In meinem neuen Job habe ich drei Monate Probezeit.	I have a three-month trial period in my new job.

Useful vocabulary related to work

At the very end, I’ve prepared a list for you with words you should know in order to comfortably participate in job interviews.

German	English
das Geld	the money
Dieses Jahr habe ich viel Geld gespart.	This year I raised a lot of money.
die Vergütung	the salary
Die Vergütung für diese Arbeit ist sehr fair.	The salary for this work is very fair.
das Büro	the office
Ich verbringe jeden Tag acht Stunden im Büro.	I spend eight hours in the office every day.
die Fernarbeit	remote work
Viele Unternehmen ermöglichen Fernarbeit für ihre Arbeitnehmer.	Many companies allow their employees to work remotely.
der Arbeitsvertrag	employment contract
Bevor du anfängst zu arbeiten, musst du den Arbeitsvertrag unterschreiben.	You must sign an employment contract before starting work.
der Arbeitsplatz	workplace
Mein Arbeitsplatz ist in einem modernen Büro.	My workplace is located in a modern office building.
die Arbeitszeit	the working time
Die Arbeitszeit beträgt acht Stunden pro Tag.	The working time is eight hours per day.
die Ausbildung	education
Welche Ausbildung haben Sie?	What kind of education do you have, sir/madam?
der Mindestlohn	minimum wage
Der Mindestlohn in Deutschland beträgt 9,60 € pro Stunde.	The minimum wage in Germany is €9.60 per hour.
die Position	the position
sich bewerben um	apply for
Ich bewerbe mich um eine leitende Position.	I am applying for a higher position.
das Stellenangebot	job offer
Dieses Stellenangebot sieht sehr gut aus.	This job offer looks very good.

How to learn the names of professions and work-related vocabulary in German

What is the best way to remember a large number of new words? The Taalhammer team and I thought about this for a long time while creating our app. Based on our experiments, we came to the conclusion that regular repetition based on the Spaced Repetition method works best.

Students who used it were able to absorb more material with less effort. What’s more, what you learn using this method will be permanently stored in long-term memory. This is a breakthrough in language learning: it improves speaking fluency and helps overcome the language barrier. Whether you are a beginner or want to improve your skills, Taalhammer can be a valuable tool in learning German. See for yourself and master work-related vocabulary with our app!

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