Breakdown of Das Wetter ist schlecht. Ihr sollt unbedingt zu Hause bleiben.
sein
to be
ihr
you (informal plural)
das Wetter
the weather
schlecht
bad
bleiben
to stay
zu Hause
at home
sollen
should / ought to
unbedingt
absolutely
Questions & Answers about Das Wetter ist schlecht. Ihr sollt unbedingt zu Hause bleiben.
Why is the verb sollt used here instead of sollst?
Sollt is the correct present tense form because the subject is ihr (the plural informal "you", like "you guys" or "y'all"). If the speaker were talking to just one friend, they would use the singular form: du sollst.
Why is bleiben at the very end of the sentence?
This is the standard word order when using a modal verb like sollen. The conjugated modal verb (sollt) takes the second position in the sentence, and the main action verb (bleiben) gets pushed to the very end in its original, unconjugated form (the infinitive).
Why do we say zu Hause instead of just "im Haus"?
zu Hause is a fixed phrase in German that means "at home". It is best to learn it as a single chunk of vocabulary. Remember not to mix it up with nach Hause, which means going "to home" (as a destination). Since the people are staying in one place, we use zu Hause.
What does the word unbedingt add to this sentence?
It translates to "definitely" or "absolutely". Literally, it means "unconditionally" (a Bedingung is a "condition"). In German, adding unbedingt is a very common way to make advice, like you give with sollen, feel much stronger and more urgent.
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