How to Say "I'd Like to Send This Letter" in German and Understand Postage
Learn to mail a letter at a German post office: say you'd like to send it, ask about postage, and understand standard, compact and international rates.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
Mailing a letter in a German-speaking country means knowing two things: how to say you want to send it, and how to ask what it costs. The key verb is senden, but in everyday speech Germans usually say schicken. The polite request formula Ich möchte ... (I would like ...) works in almost any service situation and is safer than the blunt Ich will (I want). This lesson gives you the exact phrases for handing a letter across the counter, asking about postage, and choosing the right rate for a standard, compact or international letter.
By the end, you can…
- say politely that I would like to send a letter
- ask how much postage a letter needs and name standard, compact and international rates
- understand and answer simple follow-up questions at a post office counter
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ich möchte diesen Brief senden.
I'd like to send this letter.
ikh MERKH-tuh DEE-zen breef ZEN-duhn
The core sentence. Ich möchte is the standard polite request; Brief means letter, and diesen Brief points to the letter you are holding.
Was kostet das Porto für einen Standardbrief?
What is the postage for a standard letter?
vas KOS-tut das POR-toh fewr EYE-nen SHTAN-dart-breef
Porto means postage. Standardbrief is the ordinary domestic letter up to 20 grams; use it when you just need the normal rate.
Wie viel Porto brauche ich für diesen Brief?
How much postage do I need for this letter?
vee feel POR-toh BROW-khuh ikh fewr DEE-zen breef
A flexible question when you are not sure which category your letter falls into. Brauchen here means to need.
Ich möchte diesen Brief als Einschreiben senden.
I'd like to send this letter by registered mail.
ikh MERKH-tuh DEE-zen breef als EYE-n-shry-ben ZEN-duhn
Einschreiben is registered mail, useful when the letter is important and you want proof of delivery.
Bitte geben Sie mir Briefmarken für fünf Euro.
Please give me five euros' worth of stamps.
BIT-tuh GAY-ben zee meer BREEF-mar-ken fewr fewnf OY-roh
Briefmarken are stamps. Buying stamps by value is common when you already know the rate.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern Ich möchte + [noun] + [verb in infinitive] lets you make polite requests without complex word order. Examples: Ich möchte diesen Brief senden (I'd like to send this letter), Ich möchte eine Briefmarke kaufen (I'd like to buy a stamp), Ich möchte das als Einschreiben schicken (I'd like to send that by registered mail). The infinitive goes at the end of the sentence. If you simply want to state a fact, use Ich sende or Ich schicke, but in a service situation möchte sounds friendlier.
When to use it
Use Ich möchte ... when you approach the counter and state your request. Use Was kostet ...? or Wie viel Porto ...? when you need the price. At a German post office you may be asked Standardbrief oder Kompaktbrief? (standard or compact letter?) or national oder international? (domestic or international?). Answer with a short phrase: Standardbrief, bitte or Nur national, bitte. In Austria the post office is often called die Post, and in Switzerland die Post too, but Swiss rates and product names differ, so ask directly.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Guten Tag, ich möchte diesen Brief senden.
Hello, I'd like to send this letter.GOO-ten tahk, ikh MERKH-tuh DEE-zen breef ZEN-duhnIst das ein Standardbrief oder ein Kompaktbrief?
Is that a standard letter or a compact letter?ist das eyen SHTAN-dart-breef OH-der eyen kom-PAKT-breefIch glaube, ein Standardbrief. Was kostet das Porto?
I think a standard letter. What is the postage?ikh GLOW-buh, eyen SHTAN-dart-breef. vas KOS-tut das POR-tohEin Standardbrief kostet 0,85 Euro. Möchten Sie Briefmarken kaufen?
A standard letter costs 0.85 euros. Would you like to buy stamps?eyen SHTAN-dart-breef KOS-tut NOOL komma AKH-tsikh-fewnf OY-roh. MERKH-ten zee BREEF-mar-ken KOW-fenA little context goes a long way
In Germany, postage rates change periodically, so treat 0,85 Euro as an example rather than a fixed fact and check the current price at the counter or on the Deutsche Post website. Standardbrief and Kompaktbrief are official German categories with weight and size limits; Austria and Switzerland use their own names and prices. At the counter, a short Bitte and Danke is normal, and staff usually address you with Sie.
One thing to watch for
Ich will diesen Brief senden.
Try this instead: Ich will is grammatically correct but sounds blunt or demanding in a service situation. Use Ich möchte diesen Brief senden or, more casually, Ich würde diesen Brief gerne senden. Reserve ich will for strong intentions or when talking about yourself, not for polite requests to staff.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you politely say you would like to send this letter?
Show a sample answer
Ich möchte diesen Brief senden.
This uses the polite möchte form with the infinitive senden at the end. Ich würde diesen Brief gerne senden is also correct and slightly softer.
2You are not sure which rate applies. What question do you ask?
Show a sample answer
Wie viel Porto brauche ich für diesen Brief?
This asks how much postage is needed for your letter. Was kostet das Porto für einen Standardbrief? is also valid if you already believe it is a standard letter.
3The clerk asks: Standardbrief oder Kompaktbrief? Give a short answer and ask the price.
Show a sample answer
Standardbrief, bitte. Was kostet das Porto?
A short noun plus bitte answers the choice politely, and Was kostet das Porto? asks the price. You could also say Kompaktbrief, bitte if your letter is larger.
Use Ich möchte diesen Brief senden to state your request, then ask Was kostet das Porto? and answer the clerk's Standardbrief, Kompaktbrief or international question with a short phrase plus bitte.
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