der Kollege
colleague
A person you work with, especially in the same company or in the same department.
EXAMPLE
Mein Kollege aus dem Marketing hat mir bei dem Projekt geholfen.
My colleague from marketing helped me with the project.
der Kollege
colleague
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
der Kollege
colleague
A person who works in the same professional field or in a similar position, but not necessarily at the same company.
EXAMPLE
Auf der Konferenz traf der Arzt viele Kollegen aus anderen Krankenhäusern.
At the conference, the doctor met many colleagues from other hospitals.
der Kollege
buddy
A colloquial, often friendly form of address for a man; buddy.
EXAMPLE
Na, Kollege, lange nicht gesehen!
Hey, buddy, long time no see!
Usage tips
N-declension
'Kollege' (colleague) is an N-declension noun. This means it takes the ending '-n' or '-en' in all cases except the nominative singular. Learners often make this mistake.
EXAMPLE
Ich frage meinen Kollegen, ob er Zeit hat.
I'm asking my colleague whether he has time.
Typical collocations
In a professional context, 'Kollege' (colleague) is often used with verbs like 'fragen' (to ask), 'helfen' (to help), or 'zusammenarbeiten' (to work together). Typical adjectives are 'nett' (nice), 'neu' (new), or 'ehemalig' (former).
EXAMPLE
Könntest du bitte einen Kollegen um Hilfe bitten?
Could you please ask a colleague for help?
Colloquial form of address
In the meaning of 'Kumpel' (buddy), 'Kollege' is colloquial and used almost only as a direct form of address for a man. It expresses a relaxed, informal relationship.
EXAMPLE
Na Kollege, alles gut bei dir?
Hey buddy, everything good with you?
Compare with
Kollege vs Mitarbeiter
employee
Mitarbeiter and Kollege can both refer to someone from the professional environment. Mitarbeiter emphasizes belonging to a company or project and can suggest a hierarchical employment relationship, while Kollege usually highlights working together as equals. Choose according to the perspective you want to emphasize.
Kollege
Der neue Kollege bespricht mit mir den ersten Arbeitstag.
The new colleague discusses the first day of work with me.
Mitarbeiter
Die Leiterin bespricht mit ihrem neuen Mitarbeiter den ersten Arbeitstag.
The manager discusses the first day of work with her new employee.
In real life
Loading video examples...