Learn Hardcore German: Der Trainer bleibt gelassen, wenn die Mannschaft ein Spiel verliert. - The coach stays calm when the team loses a game.

In this context, bleibt gelassen fits better because the important point is: even though the team loses, the coach does not get upset; he remains calm.

How does bleiben + adjective work in German?

In German, bleiben is often used with an adjective to describe a continuing state:

bleiben + adjective ≈ to stay / remain + adjective

Examples:

Der Trainer bleibt gelassen. – The coach remains calm.
Wir bleiben freundlich. – We stay friendly.
Sie bleibt ruhig. – She remains calm.

The adjective (gelassen, ruhig, freundlich, etc.) does not change form here; it stays in the basic dictionary form (no extra endings).

What exactly does gelassen mean here, and how is it different from ruhig or entspannt?

gelassen means calm, composed, unflustered, especially in difficult or stressful situations.

Nuances:

gelassen – calm and unbothered, not easily upset; has a sense of inner composure.
ruhig – quiet, calm (can refer to noise level, mood, movement).
entspannt – relaxed (often physically or mentally relaxed, not tense).

In the sentence, bleibt gelassen suggests the coach keeps his cool and doesn’t get emotional or nervous when the team loses.
You could also say:

Der Trainer bleibt ruhig… (he stays calm/doesn’t shout)
Der Trainer bleibt entspannt… (he stays relaxed, not stressed)

But gelassen highlights composure under pressure particularly well.

Why is there a comma before wenn?

In German, you must put a comma before a subordinate clause (Nebensatz).

wenn die Mannschaft ein Spiel verliert is a subordinate clause introduced by the conjunction wenn.

Rule:
Main clause, subordinate clause.
So:

Der Trainer bleibt gelassen, (main clause)
wenn die Mannschaft ein Spiel verliert. (subordinate clause)

That’s why the comma is mandatory.

Why is the verb verliert at the end of the wenn-clause?

In German subordinate clauses (Nebensätze) introduced by words like wenn, weil, dass, obwohl, the finite verb goes to the end of the clause.

Word order here:

wenn (subordinating conjunction)
die Mannschaft (subject)
ein Spiel (object)
verliert (finite verb at the end)

So we get: wenn die Mannschaft ein Spiel verliert.

In a main clause, normal word order would be:

Die Mannschaft verliert ein Spiel. (verb in 2nd position)

But because of wenn, it becomes a subordinate clause, and the conjugated verb moves to the end.

What is the difference between wenn and als here? Could you say als die Mannschaft ein Spiel verlor?

Yes, you could say:

Der Trainer blieb gelassen, als die Mannschaft ein Spiel verlor.

But it changes the meaning in two ways:

Time vs. repetition / condition
- wenn here means whenever / if and indicates something that can happen repeatedly or as a general condition.
- als refers to one specific event in the past.
Tense and aspect
- Original: bleibt / verliert (present tense) → general, repeated behavior.
- With als you naturally use the past: blieb / verlor → one particular match in the past.

So:

wenn die Mannschaft ein Spiel verliert ≈ when(ever) the team loses a game (in general / repeatedly).
als die Mannschaft ein Spiel verlor = when the team lost a game (on that particular occasion).

Why is it die Mannschaft but ein Spiel?

Two different things are going on:

Definite vs. indefinite article
- die Mannschaft = the team → a specific, known team (the one everyone is talking about).
- ein Spiel = a game → any game, not one specific match.
Gender
- Mannschaft is feminine in German → die Mannschaft (nominative singular).
- Spiel is neuter → ein Spiel (nominative/accusative singular).

So the sentence means: The (known) coach stays calm when the (known) team loses a game (not a specific one; any match).

Why is it die Mannschaft (singular) but the verb is verliert, not something like verlieren?

In German, as in English, a team is grammatically singular, even though it consists of many people.

Subject: die Mannschaft (singular)
Verb: verliert (3rd person singular of verlieren)

Comparable to:

English: The team loses a game. (not lose in most standard varieties)
German: Die Mannschaft verliert ein Spiel.

So verliert is correct because it agrees with the singular subject die Mannschaft.

Why is the word order ein Spiel verliert and not verliert ein Spiel?

Inside the wenn-clause we have a subordinate clause, so the verb must go to the end:

wenn – conjunction
die Mannschaft – subject
ein Spiel – object
verliert – finite verb (goes to the end in subordinate clauses)

→ wenn die Mannschaft ein Spiel verliert

If it were a main clause, you would say:

Die Mannschaft verliert ein Spiel. (verb in 2nd position)

In subordinate clauses, you never put the finite verb in 2nd position; it always goes to the end.

Why is the present tense (bleibt, verliert) used? In English we might say “stays calm when the team loses a game” or “will lose”.

German Präsens (present tense) is very flexible. It can express:

present:
Der Trainer bleibt jetzt gelassen. – The coach is staying calm now.
habitual/generic (like here):
Der Trainer bleibt gelassen, wenn die Mannschaft ein Spiel verliert.
= The coach stays/remains calm whenever the team loses a game.
near future:
Morgen bleibt er sicher gelassen. – Tomorrow he’ll surely stay calm.

In this sentence, the present tense describes a general habit or characteristic of the coach, just like English stays calm when the team loses a game. You don’t need a special future form in German for that.

Is Der Trainer bleibt gelassen, wenn die Mannschaft ein Spiel verliert. more like “if” or “when” in English?

Here, wenn can be understood as:

when(ever) (repeated situation)
or if (condition)

English translation options:

The coach stays calm when the team loses a game.
The coach stays calm if the team loses a game.

Because the sentence describes a general behavior that happens on repeated occasions, “when(ever)” is often the more natural translation, but both are possible depending on context.