Learn Hardcore German: Zusammen entwickeln wir kleine Übungen für das Team. - Together we are developing small exercises for the team.

In German main clauses, the conjugated verb has to be in second position (the so‑called Verb‑second rule). The first position can be almost anything: the subject, an adverb, a time expression, etc.

Here, Zusammen is in first position for emphasis: Together, we develop…
The conjugated verb entwickeln then comes second.
The subject wir comes after the verb.

So the structure is:

Zusammen (1st position)
entwickeln (2nd position – verb)
wir kleine Übungen für das Team (rest of the sentence)

You could also say Wir entwickeln zusammen kleine Übungen für das Team. That is also correct; the emphasis is just slightly different (more neutral, starting with the subject wir).

Could I also say Wir entwickeln zusammen kleine Übungen für das Team? Is there a difference?

Yes, that sentence is also correct.

Zusammen entwickeln wir …
→ Slight emphasis on the idea of doing it together.
Wir entwickeln zusammen …
→ More neutral; you simply start with the subject wir.

Both obey the verb‑second rule, because the finite verb entwickeln is still in second position in both versions. The choice is mostly about what you want to emphasize and what sounds more natural in context.

What exactly does entwickeln mean in this context?

entwickeln usually means to develop.

In this context, kleine Übungen entwickeln means something like:

to develop / create / design small exercises for the team.

It suggests a bit more planning and deliberate design than just machen (to do/make). Alternatives with slightly different nuances would be:

Wir erstellen kleine Übungen – we create small exercises.
Wir erarbeiten kleine Übungen – we work out/develop small exercises (emphasizes the work process).

How is entwickeln conjugated with wir, and what is the full present tense conjugation?

The infinitive is entwickeln.

Present tense:

ich entwickle – I develop
du entwickelst – you develop (singular, informal)
er/sie/es entwickelt – he/she/it develops
wir entwickeln – we develop
ihr entwickelt – you develop (plural, informal)
sie entwickeln – they develop
Sie entwickeln – you develop (formal)

In the sentence, wir entwickeln is the 1st person plural form.

Why is it kleine Übungen and not kleinen Übungen?

This is about adjective endings.

Übungen is plural, accusative (because of für).
There is no article directly before it (no die, no meine, etc.).

When you have:

plural, accusative, no article,
the adjective ending is -e.

So:

kleine Übungen = small exercises (indefinite plural, accusative)

Compare:

Wir entwickeln kleine Übungen. – We develop small exercises.
Wir entwickeln die kleinen Übungen. – We develop the small exercises.
(Here the article die carries the case, so the adjective takes -en: kleinen.)

What is the singular of Übungen, and what does it mean?

The singular is die Übung.

die Übung – the exercise (for example, an exercise in a textbook or a practice task)
die Übungen – the exercises

The plural involves an Umlaut:

Übung → Übungen

What case is das Team in, and why is it das and not dem?

das Team is in the accusative case.

The preposition für (for) always takes the accusative in German.
Team is a neuter noun:
nominative: das Team
accusative: das Team

So after für you must use das Team, not dem Team.

dem would be dative, but für never uses the dative. For example:

für das Team – for the team (accusative)
mit dem Team – with the team (dative, because mit takes dative)

What case is Übungen in, and what puts it in that case?

Übungen is in the accusative plural.

Reasons:

The prepositional phrase für das Team is a separate element, so Übungen is the direct object of the verb entwickeln.
In German, the direct object is normally in the accusative.

So:

Wir entwickeln kleine Übungen …
→ kleine Übungen is the direct object → accusative plural.

The form of the noun Übungen is the same in nominative and accusative plural; you see the case mainly in the adjective ending (kleine) and context.

Why isn’t there an article before kleine Übungen?

In German, with indefinite plural nouns, you often omit the article, similar to English:

English: We develop exercises. (no article)
German: Wir entwickeln Übungen. / Wir entwickeln kleine Übungen.

If you wanted to be more specific, you could add an article:

Wir entwickeln die kleinen Übungen für das Team.
→ We develop the small exercises for the team. (specific exercises already known in the context)

Is Zusammen the same as gemeinsam? Could I say Gemeinsam entwickeln wir…?

Zusammen and gemeinsam are very close in meaning and often interchangeable:

zusammen – together
gemeinsam – jointly, together, in common

You can say:

Gemeinsam entwickeln wir kleine Übungen für das Team.

This is idiomatic and maybe a bit more formal or slightly more emotional/solidarity‑focused in some contexts. In many everyday sentences, zusammen is more common, but both are fine.

Why is the verb entwickeln in the present tense, not a future form?

In German, the present tense is used very often where English might use:

present progressive: we are developing
simple future: we will develop

So:

Wir entwickeln kleine Übungen für das Team.
can mean:
- We are developing small exercises for the team. (right now), or
- We will develop small exercises for the team. (in the future), depending on context.

The future tense wir werden entwickeln exists, but it is used less often than English will and is usually reserved for emphasizing futurity or avoiding ambiguity.

Is the word order Wir entwickeln für das Team kleine Übungen also correct?

Yes, Wir entwickeln für das Team kleine Übungen is grammatically correct.

German word order inside the sentence is relatively flexible. However, the most neutral and natural order here is:

Wir entwickeln kleine Übungen für das Team.

Moving für das Team earlier can slightly change the emphasis:

Wir entwickeln für das Team kleine Übungen.
→ Slight emphasis on for the team.

All versions keep entwickeln in second position after Wir, so they are valid.

Why are Übungen and Team capitalized, but wir and zusammen are not?

German capitalization rules:

All nouns are capitalized:
→ Übungen, Team
Pronouns like wir are normally not capitalized (except at the beginning of a sentence).
zusammen is an adverb, so it is normally not capitalized.
It starts with a capital letter here only because it is the first word of the sentence.

So the capitalization in Zusammen entwickeln wir kleine Übungen für das Team. follows standard rules.