👥📛✅

How to Say ‘Everyone here uses first names.’ in German

Bei uns duzen sich alle.

bai oons DOO-tsen zich AH-leh

[bai oons DOO-tsen zich AH-leh]

💬 Usage Tip: duzen "to call someone du" is a verb made from the word du. Its opposite is siezen "to call someone Sie".

🇩🇪 In Germany: Many start-ups and creative companies are on du terms from day one, but traditional firms often aren't. Wait for someone to say this before you drop Sie.

Phrase Breakdown

Bei uns

bai oons

With us / here at our place

Means 'in our company' or 'in our group'. 'Bei' sounds like 'by'. 'uns' has a short 'u' as in 'put'.

Example

Bei uns ist es ruhig.

It's quiet here at our place.

Words in this phrase

Bei

[bai]

with (a company)

Used to say which company or institution you are with.

Example

Ich bin bei der AOK versichert.

I am insured with the AOK.

uns

[oons]

us; ourselves

A reflexive pronoun used when the action refers back to the people involved.

Example

Es ist schön, dass wir uns kennengelernt haben.

It is nice that we got to know each other.

duzen sich alle.

DOO-tsen zich AH-leh

everyone uses 'du' with each other.

'duzen' means to address someone informally with 'du'. Say it 'DOO-tsen', with 'z' as 'ts'.

Example

Wir duzen uns im Büro.

We use 'du' with each other at the office.

Words in this phrase

duzen

[DOO-tsen]

to address each other informally (with 'du')

Verb meaning to use the informal 'du' instead of formal 'Sie'.

Example

Wollen wir uns duzen?

Shall we use 'du' with each other?

sich

[zich]

themselves

Reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject.

Example

Er benimmt sich gut.

He behaves himself well.

alle

[AH-leh]

all

Plural form of 'all', meaning every one of a group.

Example

Alle Freunde kommen.

All the friends are coming.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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