Formal Letter Openings (Anrede)

Why the Correct Anrede Matters in the Goethe Exam

The greeting of your formal German letter — the Anrede — is the first thing examiners read, and it immediately signals whether you understand the conventions of formal German correspondence. A correct Anrede sets the professional tone for the entire letter. An incorrect one — whether too casual, misspelled, or missing entirely — raises a red flag under the communicative design (kommunikative Gestaltung) scoring criterion and can lower your Schreiben score before the examiner even reads the body of your text.

In both the Goethe B1 and Goethe B2 exams, formal letter tasks appear regularly. Whether you are writing a complaint, a registration, a cancellation, or an application, the Anrede is mandatory and must be appropriate for the context.

Choosing the Right Formal Greeting

When the recipient's name is given in the task, always use the specific form:

Sehr geehrter Herr Müller, — for a male recipient. Note the -er ending on geehrter because Herr is masculine.

Sehr geehrte Frau Schmidt, — for a female recipient. Note the -e ending on geehrte because Frau is feminine.

Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Wagner, — when the recipient has an academic title, include it before the surname. In German formal correspondence, doctoral titles are always used in the Anrede when known.

When no name is provided in the task, use the general form:

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, — this is the default when you do not know the recipient's name. It is the equivalent of "Dear Sir or Madam" in English. In Goethe exam tasks, this is by far the most common opening because many prompts instruct you to write to an organization, a company, or a department rather than a specific person.

Semi-formal alternatives exist but should be used with caution in the exam:

Guten Tag Herr/Frau [Name], — this is appropriate in modern German business emails when you have an existing relationship with the person. It is slightly less formal than Sehr geehrte/r but still respectful. In the Goethe exam, this is generally acceptable for B2 tasks where the scenario implies prior contact (for example, writing back to someone who previously emailed you).

Liebe Frau [Name], or Lieber Herr [Name], — these are informal greetings reserved for personal correspondence with friends, family, or very close colleagues. Using Liebe/r in a formal letter task is a significant register error and will cost you points.

What Comes After the Greeting: Your First Sentence

In German formal letters, the sentence after the greeting always begins with a lowercase letter. This is a critical rule that many learners get wrong. After Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, the next line starts with a lowercase letter (unless the first word happens to be a noun or pronoun that requires capitalization).

Correct: Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, ← comma ich schreibe Ihnen, weil... ← lowercase "ich"

Incorrect: Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, Ich schreibe Ihnen, weil... ← wrong! (actually, "Ich" is always capitalized in German, so this specific example is correct — but for other words, the rule applies: hiermit möchte ich...)

The reason is that the comma after the Anrede means the sentence continues. The greeting and the first sentence are grammatically one unit, separated by a comma and a line break.

Your first sentence should clearly state the purpose of your letter. Strong opening sentences for common Goethe exam scenarios include:

For complaints: ich schreibe Ihnen, weil ich mich über [Problem] beschweren möchte. (I am writing to you because I would like to complain about [problem].)

For requests: hiermit möchte ich Sie um Informationen zu [Thema] bitten. (I hereby wish to ask you for information about [topic].)

For registrations: ich möchte mich für [Kurs/Veranstaltung] anmelden. (I would like to register for [course/event].)

For cancellations: hiermit kündige ich meinen Vertrag zum nächstmöglichen Termin. (I hereby cancel my contract at the earliest possible date.)

For applications: mit großem Interesse habe ich Ihre Stellenanzeige gelesen. (With great interest, I have read your job advertisement.) — This is a classic B2 opening.

Avoid vague openings like Ich schreibe Ihnen einen Brief (I am writing you a letter) — the examiner knows it is a letter. State your specific purpose immediately.

The Comma After the Anrede Is Mandatory

In German formal correspondence, the greeting always ends with a comma. This is non-negotiable and differs from some other languages where a colon or no punctuation is used. Writing Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren without a comma is a formatting error that examiners will note.

The comma rule applies to all forms of the Anrede:

• Sehr geehrter Herr Müller, ← comma
• Sehr geehrte Frau Schmidt, ← comma
• Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, ← comma
• Guten Tag Herr Weber, ← comma

Common Anrede Mistakes That Cost Exam Points

Using "Liebe/r" in formal letters is one of the most frequent register errors. If the task says "Write a formal letter," you must use Sehr geehrte/r or an equivalent formal greeting. Using Liebe Frau Müller in a formal complaint letter shows that you do not understand the difference between formal and informal register — a fundamental skill that the Goethe exam evaluates.

Misspelling "geehrte" happens surprisingly often under exam pressure. Common misspellings include gehrte, geherte, geerte, and geeehrte. Practice writing Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren until it becomes automatic muscle memory.

Forgetting the gender agreement is another frequent error. Herr is masculine, so you write Sehr geehrter Herr... (with -er ending). Frau is feminine, so you write Sehr geehrte Frau... (with -e ending). Writing Sehr geehrte Herr Müller (feminine ending with masculine Herr) is a clear grammar mistake.

Omitting the Anrede entirely happens when students are rushed. Some jump straight into the body of the letter without a greeting. This will always be penalized because a formal letter without a greeting is structurally incomplete.

Using English conventions such as Sehr geehrter Herr Müller: (with a colon instead of a comma) or starting the first sentence after the greeting with a capital letter (English style) are common transfer errors.

How to Handle Unknown Recipients in the Exam

Most Goethe exam tasks do not provide a specific recipient name. Instead, you might be told to write to a company, a school, a landlord, or an organization. In all these cases, Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, is the correct choice.

Occasionally, B2 tasks provide a contact person's name in the scenario. When this happens, always use the specific form (Sehr geehrter Herr... / Sehr geehrte Frau...) rather than the general Damen und Herren. Using the specific name shows that you have read the task carefully and are personalizing your letter — a subtle signal of communicative competence.

If the task provides only a department or function (for example, "Write to the customer service department"), still use Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, — you would not address a department by name.

Practice Formal Letter Openings on Deutsch Fox

On deutschfox.com, every formal letter practice task begins with the Anrede. The AI examiner checks your greeting for correct form, proper punctuation, gender agreement, and register appropriateness. If you make systematic Anrede errors, the error memory feature will flag this pattern and help you address it before your real Goethe exam. Practicing with a variety of formal letter scenarios — complaints, requests, registrations, and applications — ensures that the correct Anrede becomes second nature.