Yes. The evidence suggests that the language of a B2B conversation matters more in Germany than in the Netherlands, the Nordic countries or Luxembourg. Most German professionals understand English. Fewer use it at a level where a detailed sales conversation feels easy, and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce says plainly that Germans prefer to speak German. A native speaker removes work from the buyer’s side of the call, and in Germany that work is more visible than elsewhere.
English gets you into the room in much of Europe. In Germany it often gets you a polite first call and then silence. Eurostat puts German self-reported skills in the best foreign language at the EU average, well below the Netherlands and the Nordic countries, and trade bodies advise German materials and German speech. Use English where the buyer chooses it. Offer German first everywhere else.
This article is for companies outside Germany that want German customers and are deciding who should speak to them. It looks at what the data says, what the chambers of commerce advise, what a native speaker changes in practice, and when English is enough.
What does the data say about English in Germany?
The best public figures come from the Eurostat Adult Education Survey 2022. It asked adults aged 25 to 64 to rate their best foreign language. The answers are self-reported, and proficiency is assessed only in a person’s strongest foreign language. Among those who know at least one foreign language, the shares at each level look like this.
| Country | Proficient | Good | Basic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 28.0% | 35.2% | 35.9% |
| Netherlands | 38.7% | 45.0% | 15.6% |
| Sweden | 51.0% | 24.8% | 23.0% |
| Denmark | 48.5% | 31.9% | 17.3% |
| Luxembourg | 68.8% | 19.6% | 10.2% |
| EU average | 27.6% | 31.4% | 40.5% |
Germany sits at the EU average. It is not a weak country for foreign languages: 87.7% of adults know at least one. But the share at the top level is more than ten points below the Netherlands and far below the Nordic countries. The belief that “everyone in Europe speaks English” is built mostly on those countries.
Read these numbers with care. They cover the whole adult population, not buyers. The foreign language is not always English. And the answers are opinions about one’s own skills. Business buyers, especially in technical roles, may do better. The numbers still show the starting point: you cannot assume that the German person on the other end is as comfortable in English as a Dutch or Swedish one would be.
The wording of the levels matters too. Eurostat defines the middle level, “good”, as being able to “understand the essentials of clear language and produce simple text”. A sales conversation is rarely clear language. It contains product terms, internal abbreviations, conditions and half-finished sentences. That is the kind of speech where a “good” speaker starts to work hard.
What do trade bodies advise when selling to Germany?
The Dutch Chamber of Commerce KVK writes that many Germans understand English but prefer to speak German, and advises you to have a German-language website, manuals and brochures. The same page notes that Germans rarely make important decisions suddenly and want them supported with data.
The Dutch government agency RVO (page in Dutch) goes further. It says that the working language in business is often German and not English, particularly in traditional small and medium-sized companies, and that speaking German is appreciated. It adds that Germans are perfectionists and are therefore sometimes reluctant to speak English. It also advises you to bring thorough documents, such as technical specifications, in German.
Two points follow from this. First, the preference is stated by neutral institutions that exist to help companies do business abroad, not by agencies with something to sell. Second, the reluctance is about perfectionism. A German buyer who answers your English call in careful, short sentences may understand you perfectly and still not feel able to discuss details. That can look like lack of interest when it is not.
Why does language matter more in sales than in other work?
This section is our own reading, based on the sources above and on how first conversations tend to run. It is a judgement, not a statistic.
- The buyer has to repeat your message. The person you reach is rarely the only one who decides. They must explain you to colleagues. A message in German that they can forward is easier to pass on than a call they have to summarise from memory in their own words. We describe the roles in our article on the German buying centre.
- Precision is a trust signal. A buyer who is asked to decide with data wants exact terms. A second language makes people vague, and vague sounds unprepared.
- The first 30 seconds are short. The opening of a cold call has to carry who you are, why you call and why now. In a second language the listener spends part of that time decoding. We cover what the opening should contain in what a German buyer expects in the first conversation.
- Timelines are long. Every misunderstanding adds delay to a process that is already slow, as shown in how long German B2B sales cycles really take.
What does a native speaker change in practice?
A native German speaker does not only translate your pitch. Several things change.
- Register. The form of address, the use of titles and the level of formality come naturally and are right the first time. We explain more in why your English pitch loses strength in Germany.
- Listening. Phrases such as “we will look at it internally” or “send us something in writing” mean different things depending on tone. A native speaker hears the difference and chooses the next step.
- Objections. The buyer can raise a concern in their own words and get an answer in the same register.
- Follow-up. The written summary after the call arrives in German, in a form the contact can forward without changes.
A native speaker is not a guarantee. A weak pitch in perfect German still fails, and a clear pitch in good English can still win a meeting. What the native speaker changes is how much of the buyer’s attention is left for your offer.
When is English enough in Germany?
English is often enough in some situations. The buyer works for an international group where English is the corporate language. The product is for developers or IT staff who work in English daily. The buyer wrote to you first, in English. You already have a relationship. In these cases insisting on German can feel stiff.
A simple test works in most other cases. Open in German and offer English as soon as the buyer prefers it. The costs are very different. A buyer who is offered German and wants English will switch within a sentence. A buyer who is offered only English will not tell you that German would have been easier. They will simply be less open. If you are unsure, our page on the German market shows how we approach this.
What should you do if your team does not speak German?
- Decide who speaks to whom. Match the language of the first conversation to the buyer, not to your internal team. Technical follow-ups can happen later, in English, once the buyer has chosen.
- Prepare a short German summary. One page that a contact can forward. Keep it factual and specific.
- Track results by language. If you run both English and German conversations, record which language was used and what the outcome was. After a few dozen conversations you will see the pattern for your product.
- Agree the handover. The person who opens the conversation in German should pass on the contact, notes from the call and the agreed next step in a form your own team can use.
This is the work we do. Our conversations are held by native speakers: German, Dutch and British English. The UK team are native British English speakers born in London. For companies without a German-speaking team, native German speakers hold the first conversations and book qualified appointments, and your team receives a structured handover. The pages on appointment setting, lead qualification and entering Germany without a local team describe how it works. You can see how we think about terms such as the gatekeeper in the glossary.
FAQ: native speakers in German B2B sales
Do German business people speak English?
Many understand it, and a good share speak it well. Eurostat puts 28.0% of German adults at the top level in their best foreign language, and most of the rest at good or basic. Understanding is not the same as feeling at ease in a detailed conversation, and trade bodies report that Germans often prefer German.
Is a fluent non-native German speaker enough?
For writing and for planned meetings, often yes. A cold call is harder, because it depends on tone, speed and register. A fluent speaker can still do it well. The question is whether the buyer notices effort. If they do, part of their attention goes to the language instead of your offer.
Should my website and materials be in German?
Yes, at least the pages and documents that a buyer might forward. KVK advises a German-language website, manuals and brochures, and RVO advises technical specifications in German. A short German summary for each offer is a good start, and it is the document your contact is most likely to pass on inside the company.
Does language matter for email as well as calls?
Yes, but less. A buyer can take time to read an email in English, use a translation tool or ask a colleague. A call leaves no such room. If your first contact is written, German still signals preparation. If it is spoken, the effect is stronger.