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How to Say ‘What were your responsibilities there?’ in German

Was waren dort Ihre Aufgaben?

vahs vah-ren dohrt EE-reh OWF-gah-ben

[vahs vah-ren dohrt EE-reh OWF-gah-ben]

💬 Usage Tip: waren is the plural past of sein "to be", matching Aufgaben. With one task it would be war: Was war Ihre Aufgabe?

Phrase Breakdown

Was waren dort

vahs vah-ren dohrt

What were there

'Was' sounds like 'vahs' and 'waren' (were) like 'VAH-ren'. 'dort' means 'there'.

Example

Was waren dort die Probleme?

What were the problems there?

Words in this phrase

Was

[vahs]

what

Question word used to ask about things or information.

Example

Was ist denn drin, in dem kleinen Paket?

What is in it, in the small package?

waren

[vah-ren]

were

"Waren" is the past tense form of "sein" for plural subjects.

Example

Die Gäste waren zufrieden.

The guests were satisfied.

dort

[dohrt]

there

At that location or place.

Example

Dort ist ein Baum.

There is a tree.

Ihre Aufgaben?

EE-reh OWF-gah-ben

your tasks / duties

Capitalised 'Ihre' is the formal 'your'. 'Aufgaben' means tasks. Stress: AUF-ga-ben.

Example

Das sind meine Aufgaben.

These are my tasks.

Words in this phrase

Ihre

[EE-reh]

your

Formal your, used when speaking politely to one person or more than one person.

Example

Ich danke Ihnen, denn Ihre Hilfe war sehr freundlich.

I thank you, because your help was very kind.

Aufgaben

[OWF-gah-ben]

tasks / duties

Plural of 'die Aufgabe'; responsibilities in a job.

Example

Meine Aufgaben sind vielseitig.

My tasks are varied.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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