Learn Hardcore German: Im Bewerbungsgespräch soll ich meine Gehaltsvorstellung nennen, und das macht mich nervös. - In the job interview I am supposed to state my salary expectation, and that makes me nervous.

Bewerbungsgespräch is neuter (das Bewerbungsgespräch). After many location prepositions (like in), German uses the dative case, so you get in dem Bewerbungsgespräch → im Bewerbungsgespräch.

So im Bewerbungsgespräch literally means “in the job interview.”

Why is it Bewerbungsgespräch and not just Bewerbung?

die Bewerbung = the application (the documents or act of applying)
das Bewerbungsgespräch = the job interview

Bewerbungsgespräch is a compound:

Bewerbung (application) +
Gespräch (conversation/talk)

Together it specifically means the conversation related to the application, i.e. the job interview itself. Saying only in der Bewerbung would mean “in the application (letter/documents),” not the interview.

Why is it im Bewerbungsgespräch and not beim Bewerbungsgespräch?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

im Bewerbungsgespräch = literally “in the interview,” focusing on what happens during the interview as an event or situation.
beim Bewerbungsgespräch = contraction of bei dem, roughly “at the interview,” which can feel slightly more about the occasion or context.

In everyday speech, they often overlap. Here, im is very natural because talking about something you say in the course of the interview fits well with “in.”

Why is the verb order soll ich … nennen and not ich soll … nennen?

German main clauses normally start with a verb in second position. When something else comes first (here: Im Bewerbungsgespräch), the finite verb still has to be second.

The structure is:

Im Bewerbungsgespräch – element in first position
soll – finite verb in second position
ich – subject
meine Gehaltsvorstellung nennen – rest of the predicate

So:

Neutral order: Ich soll im Bewerbungsgespräch meine Gehaltsvorstellung nennen.
With fronted time/place: Im Bewerbungsgespräch soll ich meine Gehaltsvorstellung nennen.

Both are correct; the meaning is the same. The second just emphasizes the situation (“in the interview”).

What exactly does soll mean here? Is it “should,” “shall,” or “must”?

soll here expresses an expectation or requirement from someone else (the company, the interviewer, the process).

It can mean:

“I’m supposed to state my salary expectation…”
“I’m expected to name my salary expectation…”

English “should” can sometimes work, but “should” often has a moral/advisory tone (“it would be good if”). soll here is more neutral: this is what the situation or the instructions require. It’s not as strong as muss (“must / have to”), but stronger than a mere suggestion.

Why is it meine Gehaltsvorstellung and not plural Gehaltsvorstellungen?

Gehaltsvorstellung (literally “salary idea/mental picture”) is usually used in the singular when you talk about your overall expectation of what you want to earn.

meine Gehaltsvorstellung = my salary expectation (as a single figure or range)

Plural Gehaltsvorstellungen can be used in other contexts, for example:

Die Gehaltsvorstellungen der Kandidaten sind sehr unterschiedlich.
“The salary expectations of the candidates are very different.”

Here, because it’s one person’s expectation, singular is standard.

What gender and case does Gehaltsvorstellung have in this sentence, and why?

Gehaltsvorstellung is feminine: die Gehaltsvorstellung
In the sentence it appears as meine Gehaltsvorstellung in the accusative case.

Why accusative? Because it’s the direct object of the verb nennen:

Was soll ich nennen? – meine Gehaltsvorstellung.

Feminine nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative singular, so die Gehaltsvorstellung → meine Gehaltsvorstellung looks the same, but functionally it’s accusative here.

What does nennen mean here, and how is it different from sagen?

nennen literally means “to name” or “to state / specify.”

In this context, meine Gehaltsvorstellung nennen means:

“to state / specify my salary expectation”

Differences:

sagen = “to say” (very general)
nennen = “to name” in the sense of giving a specific number, name, or fact

You could say meine Gehaltsvorstellung sagen, but the idiomatic, standard phrase in job contexts is Gehaltsvorstellung nennen (or angeben).

Is Gehaltsvorstellung nennen a fixed expression in German?

Yes, jemandem seine Gehaltsvorstellung nennen is a very common collocation in job-application contexts. You’ll often see or hear:

Bitte nennen Sie uns Ihre Gehaltsvorstellung.
Könnten Sie Ihre Gehaltsvorstellung angeben?

Verbs that frequently go with Gehaltsvorstellung include:

nennen – to name/state
angeben – to indicate
formulieren – to formulate

Using nennen here sounds natural and professional.

In und das macht mich nervös, what does das refer to?

das is a demonstrative pronoun referring to the whole situation described in the first clause:

the fact that, in the interview, you are expected to name your salary expectation.

So you could paraphrase:

Und diese Tatsache macht mich nervös.
“And this fact makes me nervous.”

Why is the word order macht mich nervös and not macht nervös mich?

In German, the typical order is:

Subject
Finite verb
(Pronoun) objects
Predicative adjectives/adverbs/etc.

In this clause:

das – subject
macht – verb
mich – accusative object (pronoun)
nervös – predicative adjective (describing me)

So: das macht mich nervös.

Pronoun objects usually come before adjectives like nervös.
macht nervös mich is ungrammatical in standard German.

Does nervös mean exactly the same as English “nervous”?

Often, yes, but with some nuances:

nervös = jittery, tense, uneasy because of excitement, stress, or pressure. Very common before performances, exams, interviews, etc.
It’s not usually used for deep, long-term anxiety or fear of specific things (for that, German might use ängstlich, unsicher, besorgt, hat Angst vor …, etc.).

In this sentence—feeling tense or on edge about the upcoming interview—nervös is the natural choice and matches English “nervous” well.

Why is there a comma before und das macht mich nervös?

In German, when und connects two full main clauses, a comma is obligatory:

Im Bewerbungsgespräch soll ich meine Gehaltsvorstellung nennen – full clause (subject + verb).
das macht mich nervös – another full clause (subject + verb).

Because both sides of und are independent main clauses, German grammar requires the comma:

…, und das macht mich nervös.

In English, the comma before “and” in such sentences is optional and style-dependent; in German, it’s a fixed rule here.