Breakdown of Sein Vater war früher Major bei der Armee.
sein
to be
der Vater
the father
sein
his
bei
at, near, with
früher
in the past
die Armee
the army
der Major
the major (rank)
Questions & Answers about Sein Vater war früher Major bei der Armee.
Why isn't there an 'ein' before Major, like in 'war ein Major'?
In German, you generally drop the indefinite article (ein or eine) when stating someone's profession, military rank, or nationality using the verbs sein (to be) and werden (to become).
How does the German sentence express the English phrase 'used to be'?
English uses 'used to' to show something was a regular state in the past but isn't anymore. German doesn't have a specific verb form for this. Instead, it uses the simple past tense (war) combined with an adverb like früher (formerly / back in the day) to create that exact meaning.
Why do we use bei der Armee instead of in der Armee for 'in the army'?
bei is the standard preposition to use when talking about being employed by or serving at an institution, company, or large organization. Just as you would say ich arbeite bei Siemens (I work at Siemens), you use bei der Armee or bei der Polizei to indicate serving in those forces.
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