Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Sie liest das Passwort vor.
Why is vor at the very end of the sentence?
This happens because the main verb is vorlesen (to read aloud), which is a separable verb. In a standard main clause, the conjugated part of the verb (liest) takes the second position, and the prefix (vor) gets pushed all the way to the end.
How do we know Sie means "she" here, rather than "they" or formal "you"?
We can tell by the verb conjugation. liest is the form for er/sie/es (he/she/it). If it meant "they" or the formal "you", the verb would be lesen, making the sentence Sie lesen das Passwort vor.
Why does liest have an "ie" in the middle instead of an "e"?
The root verb lesen (to read) is an irregular verb with a stem-vowel change. For the second and third person singular (like "you" and "she"), the e changes to ie. So, it is ich lese, but sie liest.
How would I add "to him" to this sentence to say "She is reading the password aloud to him"?
You would use the dative pronoun ihm (to him) and place it right after the verb: Sie liest ihm das Passwort vor. Because ihm is a pronoun and das Passwort is a noun, German word order rules require the pronoun to come first!