Herr and Frau: How to Address People in German
Herr means “Mr” and Frau means “Ms” or “Mrs”, and both go with the surname: Herr Becker, Frau Weber. Every adult woman is Frau, whatever her marital status; Fräulein is outdated. The core Herr and Frau German rule: surname plus Sie, until someone offers you du.
Herr and Frau German usage at a glance
| Situation | What to say or write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking to a man | Herr + surname | Guten Tag, Herr Becker. |
| Speaking to a woman | Frau + surname | Guten Morgen, Frau Weber. |
| Formal email to a man | Sehr geehrter Herr + surname | Sehr geehrter Herr Becker, |
| Formal email to a woman | Sehr geehrte Frau + surname | Sehr geehrte Frau Weber, |
| Friendly but professional email | Liebe Frau / Lieber Herr + surname | Liebe Frau Weber, |
| Neutral modern email | Guten Tag, + Frau/Herr + surname | Guten Tag, Herr Becker, |
| Name known, gender unknown | Guten Tag, + first name + surname | Guten Tag, Alex Becker, |
| Unknown recipient | Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, | for a company, an office, an application |
| Someone with a doctorate | Frau Dr. / Herr Dr. + surname | Sehr geehrte Frau Dr. Weber, |
| A professor | Herr Professor / Frau Professorin + surname | Sehr geehrter Herr Professor Lang, |
| A group | Meine Damen und Herren / Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen | speeches, team emails |
What Herr and Frau mean
Herr has two meanings: the title “Mr” and the noun “gentleman” or, in older and religious language, “lord”. Frau also has two: the title “Ms/Mrs” and the noun “woman” or “wife” (meine Frau = my wife).
That double meaning explains a few everyday phrases:
- Die Frau dort drüben means “the woman over there”. In shops and restaurants, die Dame (the lady) sounds more polite: Was darf es für die Dame sein?
- Der Herr is the polite way to refer to a man: Der Herr hier war vor mir. (This gentleman was before me.)
- On toilet doors: Damen and Herren.
Herr changes its ending, Frau does not
This is the grammar point most learners miss. Herr takes an -n in the accusative, dative and genitive singular. Frau never changes.
| Case | Herr | Frau |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Herr Becker ist da. | Frau Weber ist da. |
| Accusative | Ich kenne Herrn Becker. | Ich kenne Frau Weber. |
| Dative | Ich spreche mit Herrn Becker. | Ich spreche mit Frau Weber. |
| Genitive | Herrn Beckers Büro | Frau Webers Büro |
On an envelope or in the address block of a letter, write Herrn Thomas Becker, because it means “to Mr Becker”. In the salutation itself it stays Sehr geehrter Herr Becker. The plural is Herren: meine Damen und Herren. If cases are still new to you, the overview is in German cases explained.
Sie vs du: the pair that comes with Herr and Frau
Herr and Frau go together with Sie. If you call someone Frau Weber, you say Sie to her: Frau Weber, haben Sie kurz Zeit? Mixing Frau Weber with du is unusual.
Who offers du? Traditionally the older person, the more senior person or, in private life, the woman. At work, it is usually the boss or the longer-serving colleague who says Wollen wir uns duzen? Ich bin Anna. Until that happens, stay with Sie and the surname.
Many companies, especially in IT, startups and some retail chains, use du and first names from day one. Hospitals, public offices, law firms and banks are usually more formal, at least with patients and customers. When you start a new job, listen to how colleagues talk to each other in the first days and copy that. More on this in German small talk at work.
Two in-between forms exist:
- First name with Sie (sometimes called the Hamburger Sie): Anna, können Sie mir die Unterlagen schicken? Common in some offices and with trainees.
- Surname with du (sometimes called the Münchner Du): Herr Huber, kannst du mal kommen? Rare and regional; you don’t need to use it.
Addressing people with titles
Doctors (Dr.)
A doctorate (Doktortitel) is commonly used in address in Germany and Austria:
- Written: Sehr geehrte Frau Dr. Weber, / Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Lang,
- Spoken: Frau Doktor Weber or, more often, simply Frau Weber in everyday office life.
- In hospitals and surgeries, patients often say Frau Doktor or Herr Doktor without the surname. That is polite and normal.
Only the title is used, not the subject: never Herr Dr. med. Lang in a salutation, though Dr. med. can appear in the address block.
Professors
In the salutation, use Herr Professor or Frau Professorin (also Frau Professor) + surname: Sehr geehrte Frau Professorin Schmidt,. In the address block, the full form is common: Frau Prof. Dr. Anna Schmidt. The Dr. is usually dropped in the salutation once Professor is there.
Nurses, carers and patients
For anyone working in care, this matters every day. Patients and residents are addressed as Frau or Herr + surname and Sie, even if they are very old or confused: Guten Morgen, Frau Schulz. Wie haben Sie geschlafen? Nicknames like Oma or first names without permission are considered disrespectful in German care settings. If a resident asks you to use the first name, that is their choice. Patient phrases are collected in patient language for nurses.
Choosing between Sie and du, Herr Doktor and Herr Lang, in real time is harder than it looks on paper. SipLingo lets you practise conversations by voice in situations like the doctor’s office and the workplace, with instant corrections of grammar and word order explained in your own language. Practise polite German by voice.
Writing letters and emails
German emails follow a few fixed rules:
- Comma after the salutation, lowercase after it (unless the next word is a noun or Sie):
Sehr geehrte Frau Weber,
vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht.
Match geehrte to the person: Sehr geehrte Frau, Sehr geehrter Herr. Two people: Sehr geehrte Frau Weber, sehr geehrter Herr Becker,.
Choose the level of formality:
| Salutation | Formality | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, | very formal | unknown recipient, applications, complaints |
| Sehr geehrte Frau Weber, | formal | first contact, authorities, landlords |
| Guten Tag, Frau Weber, | neutral | ongoing professional contact |
| Liebe Frau Weber, | warm, professional | people you know well but call Sie |
| Hallo Frau Weber, | relaxed | colleagues, quick internal messages |
| Hallo Anna, / Liebe Anna, | informal | colleagues you call du |
If you don’t know the gender, for example with a first name you don’t recognise, write the full name without Herr or Frau: Guten Tag, Alex Becker,. This form also works for people who don’t identify as men or women. Some also write gender-inclusive group forms like Liebe Kolleg*innen; how common this is depends on the employer and region, so copy what your organisation does. The full email structure is in formal email in German.
Old-fashioned forms and what they mean
| Form | Meaning | Today |
|---|---|---|
| Fräulein | Miss, used for unmarried women | outdated; can sound patronising |
| gnädige Frau | madam, literally “gracious lady” | very old-fashioned, sometimes ironic |
| Küss die Hand, gnädige Frau | “I kiss your hand, madam” | traditional Austrian courtesy, rare today |
| der gnädige Herr | the master of the house | historical, ironic |
| werte Frau / werter Herr | esteemed Ms/Mr | dated in letters; can sound cold |
| Herrschaften | ladies and gentlemen, folks | colloquial, a bit old-fashioned: Na, Herrschaften? |
| Hochachtungsvoll | yours faithfully | very dated sign-off; use Mit freundlichen Grüßen |
Is Fräulein still used?
Not for adult women. In January 1972, a circular from the West German Federal Ministry of the Interior allowed unmarried women to be addressed as Frau in official dealings if they wished, and since then Frau has become the standard for every adult woman. Today, calling a grown woman Fräulein sounds patronising, and calling a waitress Fräulein! is considered rude. You will still meet the word in old films, in jokes and in the phrase das Fräulein for a little girl, said by older people.
What does gnädige Frau mean?
It is a very formal, old-fashioned “madam”. You may hear it from elderly people or in very traditional service settings, sometimes half-jokingly. You never need to use it yourself.
Addressing groups
| Group | Spoken | Written |
|---|---|---|
| Audience, formal | Meine Damen und Herren | Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, |
| Colleagues | Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen | Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, |
| Team, informal | Hallo zusammen / Hallo alle zusammen | Hallo zusammen, / Hallo Team, |
| Guests | Liebe Gäste | Liebe Gäste, |
| Participants | Liebe Teilnehmende | Liebe Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer, |
Hallo zusammen and Hallo in die Runde are very common openers for internal team emails.
Austria and Switzerland
The Herr and Frau German basics above apply in Austria and Switzerland too, with differences in how titles are used.
Austria uses academic titles more often in address than Germany. In letters it is customary to include titles such as Mag. or Dr.: Sehr geehrte Frau Mag. Huber,. The doctorate in particular is often used in direct speech too: Grüß Gott, Frau Doktor. If someone’s email signature shows a title, use it in your reply. More in Austrian German differences.
Switzerland tends to be less title-focused in everyday speech, and the greeting is Grüezi, Frau Meier in Swiss German. In written Standard German, Swiss letters follow the same Sehr geehrte Frau … pattern. Workplace culture varies a lot by company, as everywhere.
Title customs checked in October 2026 against the Bundesarchiv page on the 1972 circular and Austrian career guidance from StepStone Austria; customs vary by workplace, so watch how colleagues address each other.
Common mistakes
- Herr Thomas or Frau Anna in formal situations. Use the surname: Herr Becker, Frau Weber.
- Ich spreche mit Herr Becker. Correct: mit Herrn Becker (dative).
- Sehr geehrte Herr Becker. Correct: Sehr geehrter Herr Becker.
- Fräulein for a woman in a café or office. Use Entschuldigung to get attention, or Frau + surname.
- Switching to du on your own. Wait until it is offered.
- Capital letter after the salutation comma: Sehr geehrte Frau Weber, Vielen Dank … Correct: vielen Dank.
Official sources
For the official details and the latest updates, see:
- IDS Mannheim (grammis): grammis: Frau Professor or Frau Professorin? – How titles and forms of address agree with Herr/Frau
Frequently asked questions
What do Herr and Frau mean?
Herr means “Mr” (and “gentleman”), Frau means “Ms” or “Mrs” (and “woman” or “wife”). Both are used with the surname: Herr Becker, Frau Weber.
Do Germans still say Herr?
Yes, every day. Herr + surname is the standard polite address for men at work, in offices, at the doctor’s and in all formal emails.
What does “gnädige Frau” mean?
It means “madam”, literally “gracious lady”. It is very old-fashioned and today mostly heard from elderly people or used ironically.
Is Fräulein still used in German (Sagt man noch Fräulein)?
Not for adult women. Since the 1970s, Frau has been the standard for all adult women, and Fräulein sounds outdated or patronising.
How do you address someone with a doctorate in German?
Use Frau Dr. or Herr Dr. + surname in writing: Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Lang,. In speech, Herr Doktor Lang, or Herr Doktor alone at the doctor’s office, is common.
Get the Herr, the Frau and the Sie right without thinking. SipLingo lets you practise real conversations by voice and corrects you instantly, in your own language.
