Breakdown of Macht zuerst eure Hausaufgaben!
machen
to make, to do
euer
your (plural)
zuerst
first
die Hausaufgabe
the homework
Questions & Answers about Macht zuerst eure Hausaufgaben!
Why does the sentence start with Macht instead of Machen Sie?
Macht is the informal plural command (the ihr form). You use this when telling two or more people you know well, like a group of children or friends, to do something. It is formed by taking the normal statement ihr macht (you all do) and simply dropping the word ihr. If you were speaking formally, you would say Machen Sie.
Why is the word for "your" eure here?
Because the command is directed at a group of people (using the ihr form), you have to use the matching plural "your", which is euer. It drops the middle "e" and gets an "e" at the end (becoming eure) because it describes the plural noun Hausaufgaben. If you were talking to just one friend, you would use the singular form: Mach zuerst deine Hausaufgaben!
Why is Hausaufgaben plural when the English translation just says "homework"?
In English, "homework" is an uncountable singular noun, meaning we don't usually say "homeworks". In German, however, die Hausaufgabe refers to a single task or assignment. It is very common to use the plural die Hausaufgaben when talking about multiple assignments or schoolwork in general.
Does the verb have to be the first word in this sentence?
Yes. Because this is a command (the imperative mood), the verb macht must take the very first position. While you could move the word zuerst (first) to the end of the sentence, putting it right after the verb sounds very natural in German.
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