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Common abbreviations often encountered in German

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After this lesson you can recognise common German abbreviations, understand them and use them correctly in simple texts.

In German texts you will very often see abbreviations. They appear in emails, forms, chats, signs and books. In this lesson you learn some very common abbreviations and how to use them safely.

Important notes on abbreviations

  • Abkürzungen are not new words, but shortened spellings.
  • Normally an Abkürzung ends with a dot, except short forms like "Azubi" or "Uni".
  • In very formal texts you should use Abkürzungen more carefully and less often.

Common abbreviations in everyday German

AbkürzungFull formShort explanation of the meaningExampleTranslation of the example
z.B.zum Beispielan example is givenIch trinke gern Obstsaft, z.B. Apfelsaft.I like to drink fruit juice, for example apple juice.
d.h.das heißtclarification, rephrasingWir treffen uns um 18 Uhr, d.h. pünktlich.We meet at 6 p.m., that is, on time.
usw.und so weiterthe list continuesWir brauchen noch Brot, Käse, Wurst usw.We still need bread, cheese, sausage etc.
u.a.unter anderemnot all items are namedAuf der Party sind u.a. Nachbarn und Kollegen.Among others, neighbours and colleagues are at the party.
ca.circaabout, not exactIch komme ca. um 19 Uhr.I will come at about 7 p.m.
zzt.zurzeitat the moment, nowZzt. habe ich viel Arbeit.At the moment I have a lot of work.
inkl.inklusiveincluded in the price or offerDer Preis ist 20 Euro inkl. Frühstück.The price is 20 euros including breakfast.
zzgl.zuzüglichadded on topDie Kosten betragen 50 Euro zzgl. Versand.The costs are 50 euros plus shipping.
Nr.Nummernumber, positionDie Aufgabe ist auf Seite 5, Nr. 4.The exercise is on page 5, number 4.
Kap.Kapitelchapter in a bookLies Kap. 3 für weitere Informationen.Read chapter 3 for more information.
s.siehelook thereS. Tabelle 2 auf der nächsten Seite.See table 2 on the next page.
s.a.siehe auchadditional referenceFür mehr Informationen s.a. Kapitel 5.For more information see also chapter 5.
MwSt.Mehrwertsteuervalue added taxDer Preis ist inkl. MwSt.The price includes VAT.
AzubiAuszubildender / Auszubildendeperson in vocational trainingMein Bruder ist Azubi in einer Bank.My brother is a trainee in a bank.
UniUniversitätuniversityIch studiere an der Uni Freiburg.I study at the University of Freiburg.

Abkürzungen in formal and informal texts

  • Informal (chat, short emails): Abkürzungen like "z.B.", "u.a.", "ca." are very common.
  • Semi-formal (business emails): You will often see "z.B.", "Nr.", "zzgl.", "inkl.".
  • Formal (authorities, job applications, academic texts): Abkürzungen are used more sparingly. Technical Abkürzungen should be written out and explained when used the first time.

Learning tips

  • Make your own small list of Abkürzungen that you meet often.
  • When you find a new Abkürzung, first look for the full form and one example sentence.
  • Try to use some of the common Abkürzungen in your own texts consciously.

summaryEn: After this lesson you can recognise common German abbreviations, understand them and use them correctly in simple texts.