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Unser Team setzt den Plan Schritt für Schritt um.

Unser Team setzt den Plan Schritt für Schritt um.
Our team implements the plan step by step.
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Questions & Answers about Unser Team setzt den Plan Schritt für Schritt um.

What does setzt ... um mean here, and why is um at the end of the sentence?

setzt ... um comes from the verb umsetzen, which in this context means to implement / to put into practice.

umsetzen is a separable-prefix verb:

  • Infinitive: umsetzen
  • Present (3rd person singular): er setzt etwas um
  • The prefix um- separates and goes to the end of the clause in normal main-clause word order.

So:

  • Unser Team setzt den Plan um.
    = Our team implements the plan.

The verb must be in the second position in a main clause (the setzt part), and the separable prefix um is pushed to the end. That’s why you see setzt near the beginning and um at the very end.

Why is it den Plan and not der Plan or dem Plan?

Plan is a masculine noun: der Plan.

In the sentence Unser Team setzt den Plan Schritt für Schritt um, den Plan is the direct object of the verb umsetzen (what is being implemented?), so it must be in the accusative case:

  • Nominative (subject): der Plan
  • Accusative (direct object): den Plan
  • Dative: dem Plan

Here, the plan is what is being implemented, so it is accusative:

  • Wer oder was setzt um? – Unser Team. (subject, nominative)
  • Wen oder was setzt es um? – den Plan. (direct object, accusative)

Therefore den Plan is correct.

Why is it Unser Team and not Unsere Team?

The possessive determiner unser- has to agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun it modifies.

  • Team in German is das Team (neuter, singular, nominative in this sentence).

For neuter nominative singular, the form is unser (without ending):

  • unser Haus (das Haus)
  • unser Auto (das Auto)
  • unser Team (das Team)

unsere would be used, for example, with:

  • Feminine nominative singular: unsere Schule (die Schule)
  • All plural nominative: unsere Teams (die Teams)

So Unser Team is the correct form.

Is Team considered singular or plural in German? Why do we use setzt and not setzen?

In German, Team is grammatically singular:

  • Article: das Team
  • Pronoun: es (it)
  • Verb form: 3rd person singular (e.g., setzt, arbeitet, spielt)

So:

  • Das Team setzt den Plan um. – The team implements the plan.

Even though in English we sometimes treat groups as plural (e.g., the team are winning in some dialects), in standard German Team is clearly singular, so we say es setzt, not sie setzen.

What exactly does Schritt für Schritt mean, and is it an idiom?

Schritt für Schritt literally means step for step, and idiomatically it means step by step / gradually / in stages.

Grammar-wise:

  • Schritt = step (masculine noun: der Schritt)
  • für = for (a preposition that normally takes the accusative)
  • There are no articles here, and both nouns are used in a kind of fixed phrase.

You can think of it like English bit by bit, where you also don’t say the bit by the bit. Schritt für Schritt is a very common fixed phrase in German used to express that something is done gradually or in small steps.

Why isn’t it den Schritt für den Schritt or something with articles?

Because Schritt für Schritt is a fixed idiomatic expression. In idioms of this type, German often drops the article and uses bare nouns:

  • Tag für Tag – day after day
  • Stück für Stück – piece by piece
  • Teil für Teil – part by part

So:

  • Schritt für Schritt – step by step

Adding articles (den Schritt für den Schritt) would sound wrong and unidiomatic in this context.

Can I move Schritt für Schritt to another place in the sentence?

Yes, you have some flexibility. All of these are grammatically correct, with slightly different emphasis:

  1. Unser Team setzt den Plan Schritt für Schritt um.
    – Neutral, very natural.

  2. Unser Team setzt Schritt für Schritt den Plan um.
    – Puts a bit more emphasis on the step-by-step manner of implementation.

  3. Schritt für Schritt setzt unser Team den Plan um.
    – Strongest emphasis on Schritt für Schritt (often used if the context is specifically about the gradual process).

The rules to keep:

  • Conjugated verb (setzt) stays in the second position in a main clause.
  • The separable prefix (um) stays at the end of the clause.

You can move the adverbial phrase Schritt für Schritt around other sentence elements, as long as you respect those two rules.

Is the tense here more like “implements the plan” or “is implementing the plan” in English?

The form setzt is the present tense in German and can cover several English meanings:

  • Unser Team setzt den Plan Schritt für Schritt um.
    can mean:
    • Our team implements the plan (habitual/general statement)
    • Our team is implementing the plan (right now / around now)

German doesn’t have a separate progressive form like English is implementing. Context usually tells you whether it’s a general fact or an ongoing process.

How would this sentence look in the past tense?

Two common options:

  1. Perfekt (very common in spoken German):

    • Unser Team hat den Plan Schritt für Schritt umgesetzt.
    • Auxiliary hat
      • participle umgesetzt (prefix reattached at the front).

  2. Präteritum (more common in written narratives, reports):

    • Unser Team setzte den Plan Schritt für Schritt um.

Both mean: Our team implemented the plan step by step.

How does the verb umsetzen behave in other forms? When is it not split?

umsetzen is separable in main finite forms, but stays together in some other forms. Examples:

  • Infinitive:

    • Unser Team will den Plan Schritt für Schritt umsetzen.
      (not: um setzen)

  • With “zu”:

    • Unser Team versucht, den Plan Schritt für Schritt umzusetzen.

  • Past participle:

    • Das Team hat den Plan Schritt für Schritt umgesetzt.

It splits mainly when the conjugated part of the verb comes second in a main clause:

  • Das Team setzt den Plan um. (finite verb in 2nd position, um at the end)

But in infinitives and participles the prefix stays attached.

Are there other common ways to say “implements the plan” in German?

Yes, several alternatives depending on nuance:

  • Unser Team führt den Plan Schritt für Schritt durch.
    – also very common; durchführen = to carry out / execute.

  • Unser Team setzt den Plan in die Tat um.
    – more idiomatic/figurative: to put the plan into action.

  • Unser Team verwirklicht den Plan Schritt für Schritt.
    – to realize / make the plan a reality (slightly more formal).

  • Unser Team führt den Plan Schritt für Schritt aus.
    – ausführen = to execute, to carry out (often for instructions, orders, plans).

umsetzen and durchführen are probably the most neutral everyday choices for “implement.”

What’s the difference between Schritt für Schritt and schrittweise?

Both mean step by step / gradually, but they differ in style and feel:

  • Schritt für Schritt

    • More concrete and slightly more colloquial / vivid.
    • Very common in spoken and written language.
    • Example: Unser Team setzt den Plan Schritt für Schritt um.

  • schrittweise (adverb or adjective)

    • A bit more abstract or formal.
    • Often used in instructions, reports, or technical contexts.
    • Example: Unser Team setzt den Plan schrittweise um.
      (also correct and natural)

In many cases, you can use either, but Schritt für Schritt feels a bit more “spoken” or illustrative.