A law of April 2007 provided that Germans would retire later. The standard retirement age was to rise from 65 to 67, step by step from 2012 to 2029. The law contains a table, year of birth by year of birth. Someone born in 1947 reaches the standard retirement age at 65 years and one month. Someone born in 1958 reaches it at 66. Someone born in 1963 reaches it at 66 years and ten months. Everyone born in 1964 or later retires at 67. Each person could look up their date years in advance.
Concerns in Writing
The standard German terms for construction contracts, the VOB/B, set out what a contractor must do with a doubt. If he has concerns about the planned method, the materials supplied or another firm’s work, he must tell the client unverzüglich – möglichst schon vor Beginn der Arbeiten – schriftlich: without delay, if possible before work begins, and in writing (§ 4(3)). This document is the Bedenkenanzeige. A contractor whose work is obstructed must also report it in writing without delay (§ 6(1)). If he does not, he can claim the obstruction later only if the client clearly knew about it anyway. The contractor must also prove that he gave notice.
Four Everyday Duties to Report
Four everyday rules use the same word, unverzüglich, without culpable delay.
An employee who is sick must tell the employer unverzüglich that he cannot work and how long he expects to be away. If the illness lasts more than three calendar days, he must present a doctor’s certificate on the next working day at the latest (§ 5 EntgFG).
A tenant who finds a defect in the apartment must report it to the landlord unverzüglich. A tenant who does not report it must pay for the damage that follows (§ 536c BGB).
An employee who notices an immediate, serious danger to safety and health, or a defect in a protective system, must report it unverzüglich to the employer or the responsible supervisor (§ 16 ArbSchG).
A student who misses an exam because of illness must hand in a withdrawal and a medical certificate unverzüglich. At the University of Duisburg-Essen, a withdrawal within three days of the missed exam, not counting Sundays and holidays, usually still counts as unverzüglich. If the reason is not accepted, the exam is graded nicht ausreichend (5,0), a fail.
Canceling an Appointment
Sobald du weißt, dass du einen Termin nicht wahrnehmen kannst, sage den Termin ab. (As soon as you know you cannot keep an appointment, cancel it.) This is a rule in a guide on canceling appointments, published by Utopia.de in January 2025. The guide adds: Kurzfristig absagen ist besser als nicht absagen. (Canceling at short notice is better than not canceling.) A doctor’s appointment should be canceled at least 24 hours ahead.
Words for Keeping a Promise
Versprochen ist versprochen — a promise is a promise.
Zu seinem Wort stehen — to stand by one’s word.
Verbindlich zusagen — to accept in a binding way. Said of a person, unverbindlich means noncommittal, and it is not praise.
Bescheid sagen — to let someone know. Sag rechtzeitig Bescheid — let me know in good time.
Absagen — to cancel. An appointment is canceled, not simply missed.
Eine Vorwarnung geben — to give advance warning.
Hält, was es verspricht — it keeps what it promises, a standard phrase of praise for a product.
The Airport Opening That Was Called Off
Berlin’s new airport, BER, was due to open on 3 June 2012. On 8 May 2012, four weeks before that date, the opening was called off because of problems with the fire protection system. Terminal 1 finally opened on 31 October 2020.
Files examined by the Berlin parliament’s inquiry show that it had been clear inside the airport company since the end of 2011 at the latest that the date was in danger. In March 2012, McKinsey wrote to the management that a delay of almost four months ist bis zur Inbetriebnahme nicht aufzuholen, could not be made up before opening. According to an internal email, the managing director Manfred Körtgen wanted the word äußerst, extremely, removed from the critical paths in a controlling report. Körtgen later told the committee that he did not remember giving that instruction. A member of the supervisory board later said: Auf jeden Fall wurden wir falsch informiert. (In any case, we were given false information.)
The vocabulary of the boundary
Dienst ist Dienst und Schnaps ist Schnaps — duty is duty and schnapps is schnapps. Two things, not to be mixed.
Nach Feierabend — after the working day, used as a time of day in its own right.
Urlaubsanspruch — holiday claim. Not an allowance or an entitlement in the soft sense. A claim, in the legal meaning, enforceable.
Abschalten — to switch off. What a German is expected to do at the end of the day, and the metaphor is electrical.
The company shutdown
Betriebsferien. Many German companies close entirely for a fixed period, commonly in summer or between Christmas and New Year, with the works council agreeing the dates. Nobody is covering. Nobody is on call. The building is shut.
The shop closing law
German shop opening hours were governed by federal law from 1956, and Sunday closing remains the rule across the country. Shops are shut. Not quiet — shut. A Sunday in a German town is a different kind of day, enforced by statute.
Celebration evening
Celebration-evening. The German word for the end of the working day, and there is no English equivalent because English has no word for the thing.
Ich mache Feierabend — I am making Feierabend — is a complete sentence and a complete explanation. The day’s work is over, and what follows is not called leisure or free time. It is called a celebration.