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Expat SpeakFree Resources A1 German

Grammar

Modals, separable verbs and requests

Imperatives and polite requests

For a simple du command, use a form such as Komm! Mach! Warte!
With ihr: Kommt! Macht! Wartet!
Formal: Kommen Sie! Machen Sie! Warten Sie!

Irregulars include Sei! Seid! Seien Sie! for sein, and Lies! Nimm! Sprich!. An a→ä present change does not normally carry into the du imperative: Fahr! Schlaf!

Separable prefixes still separate: Ruf mich an! Machen Sie bitte die Tür zu! Bitte softens a command, but tone/context still matter.

A question can be more naturally polite: Können Sie mir bitte helfen? Könnten Sie …? Learn the latter as a polite chunk now; full Konjunktiv II is later.

Example
Warten Sie bitte hier. Nehmen Sie bitte Platz.
English
Please wait here. Please take a seat.
Hinglish
Please yahaan intezaar kijiye. Please baithiye.
Worked example

Lies bitte die E-Mail. Lesen Sie bitte die E-Mail.

Hinglish: Please email padho. / Please email padhiye.

The first addresses one familiar person; the second is formal.

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