Questions & Answers about Atme bitte sehr tief.
Why does atme end with an -e instead of just atm?
When forming the informal du command, you usually take the present tense verb and drop the -st ending. However, if the verb stem ends in -m, -n, -d, or -t (like the atm- in atmen), you must add an -e to make it pronounceable. That is why we say atme instead of atm.
Where is the word for "you" (du) in this sentence?
In German, when you give a command to someone you would normally address as du (informal singular), you completely drop the pronoun du from the sentence. You simply start with the verb!
Why isn't bitte at the beginning of the sentence?
In German commands, the verb almost always takes the very first position in the sentence. While you can occasionally put bitte at the beginning, it is extremely common and natural to place it right after the verb to soften the command.
Why does tief mean "deeply"? Doesn't German add an ending to make it an adverb?
Unlike English, which usually adds "-ly" to turn an adjective (deep) into an adverb (deeply), German uses the exact same word for both. tief means "deep" when describing a noun, but it translates to "deeply" when describing an action like breathing.
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