Breakdown of Der Ratschlag vom Arzt ist gut. Du sollst etwas gegen den Husten nehmen.
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
etwas
something
gut
good / well
nehmen
to take
der Arzt
the doctor
vom
from the (von + dem) / of the (belonging to) / by the (agent in a passive clause)
gegen
against
sollen
should / ought to
der Ratschlag
the advice
der Husten
the cough
Questions & Answers about Der Ratschlag vom Arzt ist gut. Du sollst etwas gegen den Husten nehmen.
Why do we use sollst here instead of musst?
sollen is often used to express advice, recommendations, or what someone else expects you to do (translated as "should" or "are supposed to"). Since this is based on the doctor's advice, sollst fits perfectly. musst (from müssen) would imply a strict obligation or absolute necessity ("must" or "have to").
Why does the sentence use gegen instead of "für" when talking about medicine for a cough?
In English, we say we take something "for" a cough, but in German, you take it against the cough! When fighting an illness, symptom, or pain, German always uses the preposition gegen (against).
What exactly is vom in vom Arzt?
vom is a mashed-together word (contraction) made of the preposition von (from/of) and the dative masculine article dem. German often uses von dem to show origin or possession instead of an apostrophe 's', so Der Ratschlag vom Arzt literally means "The advice from the doctor".
Why is the verb nehmen at the very end of the second sentence?
This is the golden rule for using modal verbs like sollen. The conjugated modal verb (sollst) takes the normal second position in the sentence, and it pushes the main action verb (nehmen) all the way to the end in its basic dictionary form (infinitive).
Learn Der Ratschlag vom Arzt ist gut. Du sollst etwas gegen den Husten nehmen 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