Word
Sie bewirbt sich bei einer großen Firma.
Meaning
She is applying at a big company.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Sie bewirbt sich bei einer großen Firma.
groß
big / tall
bei
at, near, with
die Firma
the company
sich bewerben
to apply
Questions & Answers about Sie bewirbt sich bei einer großen Firma.
Why is there a sich in this sentence?
In German, the verb for applying for a job is reflexive: sich bewerben. Literally, it is as if you are applying yourself to the company. Because the subject is Sie (she), the matching reflexive pronoun is sich.
Why does the verb bewerben become bewirbt?
Bewerben is a strong (irregular) verb that changes its stem vowel from e to i in the second and third person singular. This is why ich bewerbe mich changes to sie bewirbt sich.
Why do we use the preposition bei here instead of something like zu or an?
When you talk about applying to or working at a specific company or organization, German uses the preposition bei. It is the standard way to express that you want to be employed at their establishment.
Why does the adjective have an -en ending in bei einer großen Firma?
The preposition bei always requires the dative case. The word Firma is feminine, so the dative indefinite article is einer. In German, after an indefinite article in the dative case, the adjective must take the ending -en, making it großen.