Wir betreiben gemeinsam ein kleines Geschäft im Zentrum.

We run a small shop together in the center.

Breakdown of Wir betreiben gemeinsam ein kleines Geschäft im Zentrum.

• in: in
• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• wir: we
• klein: small
• gemeinsam: together
• das Zentrum: the center
• betreiben: to operate
• das Geschäft: the shop

Questions & Answers about Wir betreiben gemeinsam ein kleines Geschäft im Zentrum.

What exactly does betreiben mean here, and why not just use haben (to have)?

Betreiben means to run / to operate (a business, a machine, a website, etc.).

In this sentence, Wir betreiben gemeinsam ein kleines Geschäft means We run / operate a small business together, not just that we own it.

• haben ein Geschäft = we have / own a business (focus on possession)
• betreiben ein Geschäft = we run / manage / operate a business (focus on activity and responsibility)

You can say Wir haben ein kleines Geschäft, but it emphasizes ownership, not the day-to-day running of it.

Why is it ein kleines Geschäft and not eine kleines Geschäft?

Because Geschäft is neuter in German:

• das Geschäft (the shop / business)

With a neuter noun in the nominative or accusative singular, after ein, the adjective ending is -es:

• ein kleines Geschäft

If it were feminine, you’d have:

• eine kleine Wohnung (a small apartment)

So:

• neuter: ein kleines Geschäft
• feminine: eine kleine Firma
• masculine: ein kleiner Laden

What case is ein kleines Geschäft in, and why?

It’s in the accusative case.

Reason: ein kleines Geschäft is the direct object of the verb betreiben.

• Wer betreibt? – Wir (subject, nominative)
• Was betreiben wir? – ein kleines Geschäft (direct object, accusative)

Neuter nouns look the same in nominative and accusative (ein Geschäft), but the function in the sentence (what is being operated) tells you it’s accusative.

What is the gender of Geschäft, and how can I remember it?

Geschäft is neuter: das Geschäft.

There is no perfect rule, but a few hints:

• Many nouns with -t endings can be neuter, though this is not consistent.
• The abstract meaning business and the concrete meaning shop are both das Geschäft.

A practical way: learn it as a chunk:

• das Geschäft – ein kleines Geschäft – im Geschäft

Repeating full phrases helps fix the gender in your memory.

Why is the adjective ending -es in kleines?

The ending -es comes from:

1. Case: accusative
2. Gender: neuter (das Geschäft)
3. Article type: ein (an ein-word, which doesn’t show gender in the form)

After ein with a neuter noun in nominative or accusative, an adjective takes -es:

• ein kleines Auto
• ein neues Handy
• ein gutes Buch
• ein kleines Geschäft

If there is no article, the adjective would carry more information:

• kleines Geschäft (still -es because neuter sing. nom./acc.)

With das (definite article), it would be:

• das kleine Geschäft (adjective -e, because das already marks gender and case clearly)

What does gemeinsam mean exactly, and how is it different from zusammen?

Both gemeinsam and zusammen can mean together, but they have slightly different flavors:

• gemeinsam = together in the sense of shared / joint activity or responsibility

  • Wir betreiben gemeinsam ein Geschäft.
    → We jointly run a business.

• zusammen = together in the sense of being together in space or doing something at the same time

  • Wir arbeiten zusammen.
    → We work together (in the same place or on the same task).

In this sentence, gemeinsam emphasizes that it is a joint venture, not just that you happen to be in the same place.

Why is gemeinsam placed right after betreiben? Can it go somewhere else?

The position in the sentence is natural, but you have some flexibility.

Neutral sentence:

• Wir betreiben gemeinsam ein kleines Geschäft im Zentrum.

Other possible orders:

• Wir betreiben ein kleines Geschäft gemeinsam im Zentrum.
  (focus slightly more on the place at the end)
• Im Zentrum betreiben wir gemeinsam ein kleines Geschäft.
  (emphasis on im Zentrum)

gemeinsam usually appears close to the verb or directly before what it modifies. All of the above are grammatically correct; the differences are about emphasis and rhythm, not correctness.

What exactly does im Zentrum mean? Is it the city center?

im Zentrum literally means in the center.

What kind of center depends on context:

• In most everyday city contexts, im Zentrum = in the city center / downtown.
• It could also mean in the center of something else (for example, the center of a town, an area, a building), if that’s clear from the context.

Very close in meaning:

• in der Innenstadt = in the inner city / city center
  Often interchangeable with im Zentrum for many cities.

Why do we say im Zentrum and not ins Zentrum?

im = in dem (dative)
ins = in das (accusative)

im Zentrum (dative) is used when you talk about location (where something is):

• Wir haben ein Geschäft im Zentrum.
  → The shop is in the center.

ins Zentrum (accusative) is used for movement toward the center:

• Wir fahren ins Zentrum.
  → We are going to the center.

In your sentence, the business is located there, so dative: im Zentrum.

Is Wir betreiben present tense, and can it mean “We are running” as well as “We run”?

Yes, Wir betreiben is simple present in German, but German present tense often covers both English forms:

• Wir betreiben gemeinsam ein kleines Geschäft im Zentrum.
  can mean:
  • We run a small business together in the center.
    or
  • We are running a small business together in the center.

Context decides which English translation fits better. German doesn’t have a separate continuous tense like are running; the plain present does the job.

Could I say Wir betreiben ein kleines Geschäft im Zentrum gemeinsam? Is that wrong?

It’s grammatically correct, but it sounds less natural and a bit heavy.

More typical:

• Wir betreiben gemeinsam ein kleines Geschäft im Zentrum.
• Wir betreiben ein kleines Geschäft gemeinsam im Zentrum.

Putting gemeinsam at the very end is possible, but German speakers usually prefer it closer to the verb or to the phrase it logically belongs with. In your sentence, it belongs most clearly with the activity (betreiben), not mainly with the place (im Zentrum).

What is the difference between Geschäft, Laden, Firma, and Unternehmen?

All can relate to “business”, but they focus on different aspects:

• das Geschäft

  • can mean shop/store: a physical place where you sell things
  • also business in a more general sense
  • fits very well in your sentence

• der Laden

  • more colloquial for shop / store
  • often a smaller or more informal place
  • Wir betreiben einen kleinen Laden im Zentrum.

• die Firma

  • company, often with employees, legal entity
  • less about the physical shop, more about the organization
  • Wir haben eine kleine Firma.

• das Unternehmen

  • enterprise / company, often sounds a bit more formal or larger
  • used more in business/economic contexts

In this sentence, Geschäft nicely combines the idea of a shop and a business venture.

How would I say “We run two small businesses in the center” using this pattern?

You need the plural of Geschäft and plural adjective endings:

• Wir betreiben gemeinsam zwei kleine Geschäfte im Zentrum.

Changes:

• zwei → no article, but plural
• kleine → plural adjective ending -e
• Geschäfte → plural of Geschäft

So:

• singular: ein kleines Geschäft
• plural: zwei kleine Geschäfte