Breakdown of Glaub mir, du brauchst die Ruhe.
du
you (informal singular)
brauchen
to need
glauben
to believe
mir
me / to me (dative)
die Ruhe
the rest / the quiet
Questions & Answers about Glaub mir, du brauchst die Ruhe.
Why is the verb just Glaub here?
Because this is a command (the imperative) directed at one person you know informally. To make this form, you start with the du form (du glaubst), drop the du, and drop the -st ending. That leaves Glaub. You might also see it written as Glaube, but dropping the -e is very common in everyday speech.
Why do we use mir (to me) instead of mich (me)?
In German, certain verbs always require the dative case for their object. The verb glauben (to believe) is one of them. When you believe a person, that person must be in the dative case, which is why we use mir instead of the accusative mich.
Why doesn't the verb come first in du brauchst, since it follows a comma?
The comma here connects two completely independent sentences. Glaub mir is the first one. In the second sentence, du is the subject in the first position, so the verb brauchst takes its normal second position.
Can die Ruhe mean other things besides 'the rest'?
Yes! die Ruhe often means 'peace' or 'quiet' (like in the phrase Ruhe bitte! for 'Quiet please!'). Here, needing 'peace and quiet' naturally translates to needing a break or 'rest'.
Learn Glaub mir, du brauchst die Ruhe and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free