When giving urgent commands—like during a frantic submarine emergency drill—Germans use short, colloquial directional adverbs.
Standard written German uses her- (toward the speaker) and hin- (away from the speaker) to show direction. Everyday spoken German often drops these in favor of a snappy r-.
Rein and Raus (In and Out)
Hinein and herein become rein (in). Hinaus and heraus become raus (out).
| The water is coming in! | Das Wasser kommt rein! |
| We have to get out of here. | Wir müssen hier raus. |
These short "r-" forms often act as separable verb prefixes. In a command or simple present-tense sentence, they jump to the end of the clause.
| Come inside immediately! | Komm sofort rein! |
| Bring the boxes out! | Bring die Kisten raus! |
Runter and Rauf (Down and Up)
For vertical movement, hinunter and herunter become runter (down). Hinauf and herauf become rauf (up).
| The submarine dives down. | Das U-Boot taucht runter. |
| Go down quickly! | Geh schnell runter! |
| We are climbing up. | Wir klettern rauf. |
Rüber (Over)
If you need someone to cross a space or hand something over, hinüber and herüber shorten to rüber (over).
| Go over to the valve! | Geh rüber zum Ventil! |
| Bring the tools over! | Bring das Werkzeug rüber! |
Keep an ear out for these "r-" words at the end of the commander's sentences!
| Come in and close the hatch! | Komm rein und schließ die Luke! |
| The alarm is ringing, come down quickly! | Der Alarm klingelt, komm schnell runter! |
