The German word for process is der Prozess.
Prozess in German covers everything from legal trials to biological procedures to bureaucratic steps. It’s commonly used in business, law, science, and technology—and it’s especially handy in formal settings.

It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (get the free illustrated PDF here).

Gender and Pronunciation

It’s a masculine noun: der Prozess.
Want to master gender patterns? This video lesson shows you how.

Pronunciation:
Prozess is pronounced [pro-TSESS]

  • “pro” as in English
  • “TSESS” like “success” without the “suc”
    Two syllables: pro-TSESS

Example sentences

Der Prozess dauert schon Monate.

The trial has been going on for months.

Wir optimieren den Produktionsprozess.

We’re optimizing the production process.

Der Lernprozess ist individuell.

The learning process is individual.

How does this word come up in real conversations?

"Der Prozess war sehr anstrengend."

The process was very stressful.

"Hast du den Prozess verstanden?"

Did you understand the process?

"Der Prozess gegen den Angeklagten beginnt morgen."

The trial against the defendant starts tomorrow.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Tobi: Was ist der nächste Schritt im Prozess?
Nina: Erst anmelden, dann bekommst du eine E-Mail.
Tobi: Und dann?
Nina: Dann erklär ich dir den Rest.

Translation:
Tobi: What’s the next step in the process?
Nina: First register, then you’ll get an email.
Tobi: And after that?
Nina: Then I’ll explain the rest.

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Der Prozess ist komplex.

The process is complex.

Accusative:
Ich durchlaufe den Prozess.

I go through the process.

Dative:
Mit dem Prozess bin ich vertraut.

I’m familiar with the process.

Genitive:
Die Details des Prozesses sind geheim.

The details of the process are secret.

Other ways to say process in German

Besides Prozess, you might hear Ablauf (sequence), Verfahren (procedure), or Vorgang (operation), depending on the context. But Prozess is the most versatile word for process in German.

Word variations and tidbits

Prozess shows up in Gerichtsprozess (court case), Lernprozess (learning process), Optimierungsprozess (optimization process), Rechtsprozess (legal proceeding), and Entstehungsprozess (development process). Idioms include ein laufender Prozess (an ongoing process) and den Prozess beschleunigen (to speed up the process).

📘 Duden entry for Prozess
🎥 Want to streamline your German learning process? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 nouns—with grammar help, examples, and a downloadable PDF.

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About the Author Stephan

Stephan has been a professional language teacher since the early 2000s. He's been calling Berlin his home since 2006, when he started managing (and founding his own) language schools in addition to teaching German and English. He's the owner of Deutschable and loves writing about language, history, and game changers.

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