Breakdown of In meinem Lebenslauf steht, dass ich gern im Team arbeite.
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
ich
I
arbeiten
to work
gern
gladly, like
dass
that
mein
my
das Team
the team
der Lebenslauf
the CV
stehen
to state
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Questions & Answers about In meinem Lebenslauf steht, dass ich gern im Team arbeite.
Why is it meinem (dative) in In meinem Lebenslauf and not meinen or mein?
Because in is a two-way preposition. With location (no movement), it takes the dative. Here it describes where something is written, so dative is required. Lebenslauf is masculine, so the dative form of mein is meinem:
- nominative: mein Lebenslauf
- accusative: meinen Lebenslauf
- dative: meinem Lebenslauf
- genitive: meines Lebenslaufs
Why use steht here—does it really mean “says”?
Yes. In German, stehen is idiomatic for “to be printed/written” in a text: In der Zeitung steht …, Auf dem Schild steht …. So steht here means “it says/it states.” It’s 3rd person singular present of stehen.
Why is steht in second position after In meinem Lebenslauf? What’s the subject?
German main clauses are verb-second. The prepositional phrase In meinem Lebenslauf occupies the first slot, so the verb steht comes next. There’s no explicit subject; you can think of an implicit es:
- Es steht in meinem Lebenslauf, dass … (also correct) The dass-clause supplies the content of what “stands” there.
Why is there a comma before dass?
Because dass introduces a subordinate clause, and German requires a comma before all finite subordinate clauses. This comma also signals that the word order will change to verb-final in the clause.
Why is arbeite at the end of the dass-clause?
In subordinate clauses introduced by dass, the finite verb goes to the end: dass ich gern im Team arbeite. That’s standard German subclause word order.
Is it dass or das? What’s the difference?
Here it must be dass (with double s), the conjunction meaning “that.” Das is the article/pronoun (“the/that/which”). Note: the old spelling daß is no longer used in modern standard orthography.
What’s the difference between gern and gerne?
None in meaning. Both are correct and interchangeable. Gern is just the shorter form; gerne can sound a bit more formal or melodic to some speakers, but it’s a stylistic preference.
Why im Team and not in dem Team? And what gender is Team?
Im is simply the contraction of in dem. Team is neuter (das Team). In the dative singular, das becomes dem, so in dem Team → im Team.
Shouldn’t it be in einem Team if I mean “in a team” (not a specific one)?
German often uses the definite article generically. Im Team arbeiten is the idiomatic way to express “work in a team (setting).” In einem Team is also correct but can sound more specific (one team among others).
Where does gern usually go? Could I say ich arbeite im Team gern?
Yes, both orders are possible:
- Ich arbeite gern im Team (most typical)
- Ich arbeite im Team gern (slight emphasis on the team context) In general, gern tends to sit near the verb, but word order in the middle field allows some flexibility for emphasis.
Can I say Ich mag im Team arbeiten instead?
Yes, it’s grammatical. Mögen + infinitive expresses liking: Ich mag im Team arbeiten. However, to state habits or preferences, Ich arbeite gern im Team is more idiomatic in everyday German.
Can I front the dass-clause: Dass ich gern im Team arbeite, steht in meinem Lebenslauf?
Yes. That’s perfectly correct and a bit more formal/emphatic. The entire dass-clause counts as the first position, and the verb steht remains second.
Why in meinem Lebenslauf and not auf meinem Lebenslauf?
For textual content inside documents, Germans typically say in: in meinem Lebenslauf, in der Zeitung, im Vertrag. Auf is used for surfaces or items written on top of something (e.g., auf dem Schild, auf dem Plakat).
What other verbs or phrases could replace steht here?
Common alternatives include:
- … ist vermerkt/angegeben/erwähnt
- … ist zu lesen
- … steht geschrieben These vary in register; steht and ist angegeben are neutral and common.
What exactly is a Lebenslauf—a CV or a résumé?
Lebenslauf corresponds to a CV/résumé. In German-speaking contexts, Lebenslauf is the standard term in applications. The English CV is also understood; Résumé (with accents) is rare in German.
Why ich and not mich in dass ich gern im Team arbeite?
Because ich is the nominative subject of arbeite. Mich is accusative and would be used only if the verb or a preposition required the object case, which isn’t the case with arbeiten.