Breakdown of Im Brief steht Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren.
stehen
to stand
der Brief
the letter
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren
Dear Sir or Madam (formal letter opening)
Questions & Answers about Im Brief steht Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren.
Why does the sentence use steht (stands) instead of a word for "says"?
In German, written text does not "say" things; instead, it "stands" there. Whenever you want to express that a letter, book, or sign says something, you use the verb stehen (to stand). Literally, the German sentence is "In the letter stands..."
Why does the sentence start with Im Brief instead of just Der Brief?
Since German uses the verb stehen for written text, the sentence is describing a location (where the text is). Answering "where?" requires the dative case. Im is short for in dem (in the), so the sentence literally starts with "In the letter".
What does Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren literally mean?
It literally translates to "Very honored ladies and gentlemen". This is the standard, formal way to start a business letter or email in German when you do not know the exact name of the person you are writing to.
Why does the adjective geehrte end in an -e?
It describes the plural group Damen und Herren. Because there is no article (like "the" or "my") before it, the adjective has to show the plural ending itself. For this plural form, the correct adjective ending is -e.
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