A2-27 · Place experience on a timeline

My CV

Use im Jahr, von ... bis and seit to describe education, completed work periods and experience that continues today.

About 5 minutes to read · 13 quiz questions

An adult organises a CV with certificates and a calendar on a desk.

Name a year or date

Im Jahr 2020 means in the year 2020. You can also use the year alone: 2020 habe ich meinen Abschluss gemacht. Use am with a specific calendar date, such as am 3. Mai.

Im Jahr 2020 habe ich meinen Abschluss gemacht.

I graduated in 2020.

Am 3. Mai begann mein Praktikum.

My internship began on 3 May.

Im September habe ich die Ausbildung begonnen.

I started vocational training in September.

Das Gespräch begann um neun Uhr.

The interview began at nine o'clock.

Der Abschluss means qualification or graduation, and das Praktikum means internship. These examples describe Mara's fictional CV. Numerals keep written dates compact.

A learner arranges cards representing school, an internship and a café job along a paper timeline.

A completed period

Von ... bis gives the beginning and end of a period. Use the past tense for a finished job: Von 2020 bis 2022 habe ich in einem Café gearbeitet.

Von 2020 bis 2022 habe ich in einem Café gearbeitet.

I worked in a café from 2020 to 2022.

Von März bis August war ich Praktikantin.

I was an intern from March to August.

Die Ausbildung dauerte von 2017 bis 2020.

The vocational training lasted from 2017 to 2020.

Ich habe von Januar bis Juni im Büro gearbeitet.

I worked in the office from January to June.

A CV often lists short date ranges, but full sentences help practise the grammar. With year numbers alone, say von 2020 bis 2022 without adding a separate article.

An employee adds recent experience to a CV beside a laptop and a small desk calendar.

Experience that continues

Seit gives a starting point or duration that continues now. German normally uses the present tense for that continuing situation: Seit 2023 arbeite ich hier. Seit takes the dative with a noun phrase.

Seit 2023 arbeite ich hier.

I have been working here since 2023.

Ich lerne seit einem Jahr Deutsch.

I have been learning German for one year.

Mara arbeitet seit drei Jahren im Büro.

Mara has been working in the office for three years.

Seit Januar arbeite ich im Verkauf.

I have been working in sales since January.

Seit einem Jahr means for one year and still now. Vor einem Jahr means one year ago. Der Lebenslauf is the CV; die Berufserfahrung is work experience.

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