noun
letter
A1
Brief: a masculine noun meaning 'letter' (written message) and correspondence. Use der Brief; plural Briefe. Genitive sometimes Briefes in formal writing. Not reflexive; no special preposition. Declines regularly with typical German noun endings (e.g., die Briefe, dem Brief, den Briefen).
Examples
Nachdem der Mitarbeiter den Brief öffnete, bemerkte er, dass das Dokument fehlte.
After the employee opened the letter, he noticed that the document was missing.
Ich schreibe einen Brief an meine Freundin.
I'm writing a letter to my friend.
Ich schreibe einen Brief an meine Familie.
I'm writing a letter to my family.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine an envelope with a big 'B' like Brief on it
Think of 'der Brief' as 'the brief' (short note) — masculine 'der'.
Notes
Common everyday noun. Don't confuse 'Brief' (letter) with 'Buchstabe' (letter of the alphabet).