Post and parcels

If you are out when the Zusteller comes, you find a Benachrichtigung in your Briefkasten. It tells you where the Paket went: to a neighbour, to a Filiale, or to a Packstation, the yellow lockers you open with a code. Your surname has to be on the Briefkasten and the doorbell, otherwise the Sendung may simply go back to the Absender.

A Päckchen is the smaller, cheaper category, and it is not insured the way a Paket is. An Einschreiben is registered mail, and people use it for anything where proof of delivery matters, like cancelling a contract. Nachnahme means the Empfänger pays on delivery.

In an address the house number follows the street name, and the Postleitzahl comes before the town. Briefkasten covers both your own letterbox and the yellow one on the street. Verbs: abholen, zustellen and zurückschicken split (Ich hole das Paket ab), while verpacken and verfolgen stay whole.