21 December 2025
How do you say Assignment, Order, or Mission in German?
Whether it’s a delivery to make, a contract to fulfill, or a secret mission from headquarters - Germans call it an Auftrag. It’s a word that carries purpose, responsibility, and sometimes a ticking clock.
The noun Auftrag means assignment, order, commission, or mission, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll find it in emails, invoices, military language, and job descriptions.
It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Auftrag.
Pronunciation
Auftrag is pronounced approximately [OWF-trahk], with long a and final k.
- auf has the vowel of “cow,” followed by f,
- The “trag” sounds like “trahk” - a long a, and the final g is pronounced k,
- Stress is on the first syllable: AUF-trag.
It sounds commanding and official - fitting for tasks with weight behind them.
Example sentences:
- Ich habe den Auftrag gestern abgeschlossen.I completed the assignment yesterday.
- Im Auftrag der Firma übernehme ich das Projekt.On behalf of the company, I’m taking over the project.
Nuance and usage tips
Auftrag comes from auftragen (to assign, commission). It’s used in several core senses:
- Work or service assignments
- Arbeitsauftrag - work order
- Kundenauftrag - customer order
- Projektauftrag - project brief
- Official or delegated tasks
- Im Auftrag handeln - to act on behalf of someone
- Er bekam den Auftrag, das Dokument zu übergeben. - He was tasked with delivering the document.
- Business or sales orders
- Bestellung / Auftrag - order (e.g., purchase order)
- Auftragsnummer - order number
einen Auftrag erteilen - to place an order, award a contract
- Military or secret missions
- Geheimer Auftrag - secret mission
- Spezialauftrag - special assignment
Related words:
- Freizeit - leisure time (contrasted with work, not an antonym of Auftrag)
- Verweigerung - refusal; Rücktritt - withdrawal or resignation (possible responses to tasks, not antonyms of Auftrag)
Grammatical case examples:
- Nominative:Der Auftrag kam per E-Mail.The assignment came via email.
- Accusative:Ich habe den Auftrag angenommen.I accepted the assignment.
- Dative:Mit dem Auftrag war er überfordert.He was overwhelmed by the assignment.
- Genitive:Wegen des Auftrags konnte sie nicht teilnehmen.Because of the assignment, she couldn’t participate.
Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des
Word variations and language tidbits
Variation Station:
- beauftragen - to commission / assign
- Auftragsarbeit - commissioned work
- Auftraggeber(in) - client / person who assigns the task
- Auftragsmord - contract killing (yes, the dark side of the word!)
- im Auftrag von… - on behalf of…
Fun usage note:You’ll often see Im Auftrag in formal emails or on business letters, meaning “on behalf of” - especially when a secretary or assistant signs something for their boss.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
i. A. Maria Schuster (i. A. = im Auftrag)
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Auftrag
🎥 Learn Auftrag and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:Watch the 1000 German Nouns video course
Alternate translations note:For mission in a religious or high-stakes context, Mission might be used. Aufgabe means task, duty or exercise and can also be assigned by someone else. But for anything that involves being given a task or commission from someone else - whether it’s a painter, a delivery person, or a spy - Auftrag is the word.Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Auftritt means? How about Augenblick? Find out!
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