Questions & Answers about Warten Sie bitte draußen!
Why do we use Warten Sie instead of just Warten for the command?
In English, we usually drop the word "you" when giving a command ("Wait!"). But in German, when you are giving a command to someone formally using Sie, you must keep the pronoun. The verb comes first, followed immediately by Sie.
Is Warten here just the dictionary (infinitive) form of the verb?
It looks exactly like it, but it is actually the conjugated form for Sie (formal you). To make the formal imperative, you just take the regular present tense statement (like Sie warten, meaning "You wait") and flip the word order so the verb comes first: Warten Sie.
Where does the word bitte go in a command? Could I put it at the beginning?
Yes, you can absolutely say Bitte warten Sie draußen! which sounds very polite. However, putting bitte right after the verb and pronoun, as in Warten Sie bitte draußen!, is the most common and natural-sounding way to make a command polite in German.
What is the funny B-like letter in draußen?
That is the Eszett or "sharp S" (ß). It is pronounced exactly like an English "s" (as in "snake"). German uses it instead of a double "s" after long vowels and vowel combinations like the "au" here. If you cannot type an "ß" on your keyboard, it is perfectly acceptable to write draussen.