Im ersten Schritt wurden die demografischen Variablen

This phrase is like a train track for your sentence. It guides the rest of the words into a specific order. Since it starts with Im ersten Schritt, the verb usually comes next. In German, we call this V2 word order. You will almost always see wurden right after this phrase. Then you name what you studied, like die Variablen. Finally, you need a past participle at the very end. Words like erfasst, analysiert, or festgelegt work perfectly here. It sounds complex, but it is just a formula. Once you learn the formula, you sound like an expert.

This is your power phrase for any academic setting. Are you writing a Master's thesis in Berlin? Use this. Are you presenting a market analysis to a big company? Use this. It is great for formal emails where you explain a process. If a colleague asks how you reached a conclusion, start here. It gives your explanation an immediate sense of authority. It says, "I know what I am doing." You will see it in scientific journals and high-end newspapers. It is the language of people who value data and facts.

Please, do not use this while buying bread at the bakery. The baker will think you are conducting a strange social experiment. It is far too stiff for a night out at the pub. If you tell a friend, "In the first step, the demographic variables of our beer were checked," they will laugh. It is also too heavy for a quick text message. Unless you are being sarcastic, keep it out of your private life. It is a tool for the office and the lecture hall. Using it elsewhere makes you seem cold or detached.

Germany is a land of systems and processes. There is a reason "German Engineering" is a global brand. This phrase is a tiny window into that mindset. People here value "Nachvollziehbarkeit," which means "traceability." They want to know exactly how you got from A to B. By starting with "the first step," you satisfy this cultural need for logic. It is not just about the data itself. It is about the honesty of the process. It shows you did not skip any important stages. It is a verbal handshake of professional trust.

You can play around with the nouns to change the focus. Instead of Schritt, you could use Phase for a long-term project. You could use Stadium for a biological process. If you want to sound slightly less robotic, use Zuerst. If you want to sound even more elite, use Primär. You can also change the variables. Maybe you are looking at finanzielle Kennzahlen (financial figures). The structure stays the same, but the "flavor" changes. It is a very flexible template for any professional.