Considering that I'm a member of a team and there is a manager, is it OK to say "my team" like "My team did that work"? Or should I speak "our team" instead? When I talk to a member of the team, it looks OK to say "our team", however, when I talk to people outside the team, I always feel strange as the team is not mine nor ours.
1
-
Related question: How to say something like “my company” without sounding like I own the company?– ColleenVMar 7, 2018 at 13:41
Add a comment
|
3 Answers
My [noun] can be used to express anything you are a part of or belong to. - objects - organizations, companies, associations - states of mind - etc.
The main point is this: "My" does not mean that "you have to own" the object as in My book.
It is acceptable to say
my team
to express your close association with that group of people and it gets used in different ways
My team (at work) accomplished our goals this year.
My team (at work) accomplished my goals this year.
As a team member or manager one would say the first sentence, as an owner or vision setter you would say the second sentence.
And then consider
My team won the championship.
The team that I play on won the championshipMy team won the championship.
The team that I support (but not play on) won the championship.
bith sentences are exactly the same, but the surrounding context is necessary to the understanding.
The possesive is used to show a closer association to something which may include ownership but not necesarily.
Its most certainly acceptable and would not cause confusion. Using "my" in that context doesn't necessarily imply ownership, but rather relationship. Similar to how you'd say "my flight was late", its not "your" flight as in you own the flight, but its the flight you took, making it "yours". Saying "my team" doesn't imply you own the team, but rather shows a relationship (you're on the team, making it "your" team)
