How to Say ‘We were a team of three people.’ in German
Wir waren ein Team von drei Leuten.
veer vah-ren ine teem fon dry LOY-ten
[veer vah-ren ine teem fon dry LOY-ten]
💬 Usage Tip: For sein "to be" in the past, Germans say waren rather than a form with haben. So it's wir waren, ich war "I was".
Phrase Breakdown
Wir waren ein Team
veer vah-ren ine teem
We were a team
This uses the simple past of 'sein'. Say it as one smooth phrase.
Wir waren ein gutes Team.
We were a good team.
Words in this phrase
Wir
[veer]
we
Pronoun for a group including the speaker.
Wir arbeiten gern zusammen.
We like working together.
waren
[vah-ren]
were
"Waren" is the past tense form of "sein" for plural subjects.
Die Gäste waren zufrieden.
The guests were satisfied.
ein
[ine]
a; an
The article used before the masculine noun "Schuss."
In „Wow, was für ein Schuss!“ steht „ein“ vor „Schuss“.
In "Wow, what a shot!", "ein" comes before "Schuss."
Team
[teem]
team
A group of people working together toward a shared goal.
Ein gutes Team kommuniziert offen.
A good team communicates openly.
von drei Leuten.
fon dry LOY-ten
of three people
This is dative plural after 'von', so 'Leuten' takes an -n. Say 'LOY-ten'.
Wir sind ein Team von fünf Leuten.
We are a team of five people.
Words in this phrase
von
[fon]
of
Belonging to someone.
Das ist das Haus von Anna.
This is Anna's house.
drei
[dry]
three
The number 3, often used when stating a price in a café or bakery.
Drei Euro für den Kaffee mit Hafermilch sind okay.
Three euros for the coffee with oat milk are okay.
Leuten
[LOY-ten]
people
Dative plural form of 'Leute', people.
Ich arbeite mit netten Leuten.
I work with nice people.
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