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Questions & Answers about Das Team ist professionell.
Why is it das Team and not die Team or der Team?
Because Team is grammatically neuter in German, so it takes the neuter article das in the nominative singular. Many English loanwords are neuter, though there are exceptions. A common native alternative is die Mannschaft (feminine), especially for sports teams.
What’s the plural of Team, and how would the sentence change?
The plural is die Teams. The sentence becomes: Die Teams sind professionell. Note the verb changes from ist (singular) to sind (plural), and the adjective professionell stays the same.
Why doesn’t professionell have an ending here?
After the verb sein (to be), adjectives are used predicatively and do not take endings. Hence: Das Team ist professionell. But before a noun (attributive position), endings appear: ein professionelles Team, das professionelle Team, mit einem professionellen Team.
How would I say “a professional team”?
Most natural: Das ist ein professionelles Team. You can also say Es ist ein professionelles Team. While Das Team ist ein professionelles Team is grammatical, it sounds tautological unless used for contrast or emphasis.
What’s the difference between professionell, beruflich, and Profi-?
- professionell: done to a high standard or by pros; can mean “like a pro” regardless of pay.
- beruflich: “job-related/occupational,” not a quality judgment (e.g., berufliche Erfahrung = professional experience).
- Profi-: a prefix meaning “pro-,” often implying paid professionals (e.g., ein Profi-Team, Profisport).
How do I pronounce Das Team ist professionell?
Approximate IPA: [das tiːm ɪst pʁofɛsjoˈnɛl]. Tips:
- Team sounds like English “teem” [tiːm].
- ist has a short vowel [ɪ].
- In professionell, stress the last syllable: pro-fes-sio-nell; the “sio” is like “syo” [sjo].
Can das here mean “that,” or is it just “the”?
In this sentence das is most naturally the definite article “the.” Context and stress can make das demonstrative (“that”), but if you want to be explicit, use dieses Team (this team) or, less commonly, jenes Team (that team).
How do I turn it into a yes/no question?
Invert the subject and verb: Ist das Team professionell?
Can I use professionell as an adverb like “professionally”?
Yes. German adjectives double as adverbs. For example: Das Team arbeitet professionell. (“The team works professionally.”)
What grammatical case is das Team in, and why?
Nominative. With sein (to be), the subject stays in the nominative and the adjective remains uninflected: Das Team ist professionell.
Are there other common words for “team,” and do they change the article?
Yes:
- die Mannschaft (feminine; common in sports)
- die Gruppe (feminine; group in general)
- die Crew (feminine; teams like film crews, flight crews)
Each brings its own gender and article, e.g., Die Mannschaft ist professionell.
Is saying Das Team ist professionell natural? What nuance does it carry?
It’s natural and common. It usually praises the team’s conduct/quality (“well-organized, competent, high-standard”). If you want to emphasize paid professional status, you might say ein Profi-Team or specify the context (e.g., ein professionelles Liga-Team).
How do I negate it?
- Simple negation: Das Team ist nicht professionell.
- Using an opposite adjective: Das Team ist unprofessionell.
How can I intensify or soften the statement?
- Intensify: sehr, äußerst, wirklich → Das Team ist sehr/äußerst/wirklich professionell.
- Soften: ziemlich, recht, nicht besonders → Das Team ist ziemlich/recht professionell. / … ist nicht besonders professionell.
How do I form the comparative and superlative of professionell?
- Comparative: professioneller → Dieses Team ist professioneller.
- Superlative (predicative): am professionellsten → Dieses Team ist am professionellsten.
- Superlative (attributive): das professionellste Team.
Can I front the adjective for emphasis?
Yes, topicalization is possible: Professionell ist das Team. This stresses the quality “professional,” sounding contrastive or stylistic. The neutral word order is still Das Team ist professionell.
Any spelling pitfalls with professionell?
Spell it professionell with double s and double l. Don’t write “professionel.” The opposite is unprofessionell (also with double n/ll).