The Word for Colleague in German Can Be Misleading

Whether you’re talking about the person at the next desk, someone in your study group, or even a friendly rival at a conference, learning how to say colleague in German gives you the language to navigate professional and social spaces with confidence.

The word is Kollege - pronounced /kɔˈleːɡə/: stress the second syllable, hold the e steadily, and pronounce g as in “go,” followed by a weak unstressed vowel. It’s instantly recognizable and widely used in both formal and informal contexts.

Kollege is masculine, so it’s der Kollege. The plural is die Kollegen. Kollege is a weak masculine noun: in the singular, use den Kollegen, dem Kollegen and des Kollegen. There’s also the feminine form, die Kollegin (plural: Kolleginnen). For a fast track to getting gender right in context, check out my gender video lesson.

It’s no surprise that Kollege is one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German - after all, we’re always working with, talking to, or talking about the people around us.

Examples in all four cases:

Nominative:Der Kollege ist sehr hilfsbereit.The colleague is very helpful.

Accusative:Ich habe den Kollegen gestern getroffen.I met the colleague yesterday.

Dative:Ich arbeite oft mit dem Kollegen zusammen.I often work together with the colleague.

Genitive:Die Meinung des Kollegen ist wichtig.The colleague’s opinion is important.

Real-World Tips for Learners

Kollege and Kollegin are used broadly in German - not just in formal workplaces, but also among students, volunteers, and even casually among acquaintances. It’s often used as a warm, respectful term, even when the relationship isn’t strictly professional. And here’s the misleading part: in casual speech, der Kollege can even mean a random guy you don’t know at all - Was will der Kollege da drüben? (What does that guy over there want?)