zusammenarbeiten

Zusammenarbeiten is a German verb meaning to work together or to collaborate. It describes the act of joint effort by individuals, teams, or organizations toward a common goal. The term is widely used in business, science, academia, and public administration.

Grammatical notes: zusammenarbeiten is a separable prefix verb formed from zusammen (together) and arbeiten (to work). In the present tense, the prefix can appear before or after the finite verb depending on the sentence structure, but the standard form is wir arbeiten zusammen. In perfect tenses the participle is zusammengearbeitet (wir haben zusammengearbeitet). The infinitive is zusammenzuarbeiten, and in subordinate clauses the verb typically appears at the end, as in dass wir zusammenarbeiten.

Usage and constructions: The verb commonly combines with mit, as in mit jemandem zusammenarbeiten (to work with someone), or with an object phrase like an einem Projekt zusammenarbeiten (to collaborate on a project). It is often used to describe formal or planned cooperation, but can also refer to informal teamwork. Examples include: Die Forschungseinrichtung arbeitet mit der Industrie zusammen, um neue Anwendungen zu entwickeln; Die Teams arbeiten seit Monaten erfolgreich zusammen.

Related terms: Zusammenarbeiten relates to the noun Zusammen­arbeit (collaboration, cooperation) and to verbs like kooperieren (to cooperate) or nouns like Kooperation. It is typically contrasted with Einzelarbeit, which means individual work.

See also: Zusammen­arbeit, Kooperationsformen, interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit.