Hauptinhalt

E-Mail Ettiquette

For incoming students, German culture can be quite daunting at first. Germans have a tendency to highly value rules, especially when it comes to following the appropriate register in communication. Here, you can find out more about how to write a proper e-mail to any employee of the Philipps-University Marburg.

Webmail

First and foremost, always use your Philipps-University e-mail address when contacting anybody who works at the University. There are some people who will only respond to internal e-mails, and it helps to identify you better. You can log into the university's mail service using your username and password that has been issued to you by the HRZ.

Addressees

Make sure to do some research on who the correct addressee might be for your question. If you have general questions about your stay abroad, contact the international office, if you have questions about your learning agreement, contact your departmental coordinator, and if you have questions about a specific seminar, then contact the corresponding instructor (most prefer if you simply talk to them before or after class rather than writing them an e-mail). Please write your e-mail to only one person, if it is not the correct addressee, they will tell you who is or forward your message. Otherwise, we and you will get multiple questions and answers regarding the same subject which is not helpful at all.

Structure

It is expected that an e-mail follows a specific structure. Add a subject that is short and precise so that your addressee knows at a glance what the e-mail will be about. Then, start the e-mail by using the correct greeting and address-term (see below). Start another paragraph (preferably leaving an empty line) and start with the mail's content. In German correspondence, you don't need to include any small talk. It is preferred to introduce yourself briefly, then state your question or comment directly but politely and keep the mail short. End the e-mail with another new line which includes the correct greeting and another line with your full name (see below under signature).

Greetings and Address Terms

When writing an e-mail to someone you know the name of, start your e-mail with Dear X or if you prefer writing the mail in German Sehr geehrte(r) X. If you don't know the name of your addressee, you can start the e-mail with Dear Sir or Madam. In German, a simple Guten Tag suffices. Refrain from using informal greetings, such as Hello, Hi, Hallo, or, maybe even worse, no greeting at all.

When addressing someone that bears the title of a PhD or a professor, make sure to use that title. But, if your addressee does not have a certain title, don't add it. You can address someone with a PhD as Dr. Last Name and a professor with Prof. Last name. Do not use first names when addressing someone.

If your addressee does not bear an academic title, you can use Mr. (for men) or Ms. (for women). Never use the address terms Mrs. or Miss as they are considered outdated and impolite. If you write your mail in German, you can use Herr (for men) and Frau (for women). Never use the address term Fräulein.

Signature

End your e-mail by using a formal greeting, for example, Kind regards, Best regards, Regards. In German, the formal greeting is Mit freundlichen Grüßen. Then add your full name, first name, and then last name. Do not use any nicknames or shortened versions of your name, as this complicates the identification process. If it is relevant to your mail, you might want to include your immatriculation number as well.

Example

If you want to know whether you can participate in the course Literature by male instructor Prof. Paul Meyer an e-mail might look like this:

Subject: Registration Course Literature

Dear Prof. Meyer,

I am an exchange student at the English department. I am interested in your course Literature. Could you tell me whether I might participate?

Kind regards,

Max Mustermann (immatriculation number: 123456)