Breakdown of Ärgere dich nicht darüber, weil das Werkzeug neu ist!
sein
to be
nicht
not
neu
new
sich ärgern
to be annoyed / to be angry
weil
because (subordinating)
das Werkzeug
the tool
darüber
about it, over it
Questions & Answers about Ärgere dich nicht darüber, weil das Werkzeug neu ist!
Why do we use darüber here instead of saying über es for 'about it'?
In German, when a preposition (like über) is followed by 'it' referring to a thing or an idea, you combine them into a 'da-word'. Instead of saying über es, you use darüber. If you were talking about a person ('about him'), you would use the preposition and pronoun normally: über ihn.
Where does the 'r' in darüber come from?
When forming a 'da-word', you add an -r- in the middle if the preposition starts with a vowel. Because über starts with a vowel (ü), da + über becomes darüber to make it easier to pronounce. If the preposition started with a consonant, like mit, it would just be damit.
How do I know to use über for being annoyed 'about' something?
The verb sich ärgern (to be annoyed or angry) requires the preposition über when you want to say what you are annoyed about. Many German verbs are fixed to specific prepositions, so it is best to learn them as a set: sich ärgern über.
Why is there a dich right after Ärgere?
This is a command (imperative) using the reflexive verb sich ärgern (literally 'to anger oneself'). When giving a command to one person informally (du), the verb comes first (Ärgere), but you still must include the reflexive pronoun (dich) to complete the meaning.
Why is ist at the very end of the sentence?
The word weil (because) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and pushes the conjugated verb—in this case, ist—to the very end of that clause.
Learn Ärgere dich nicht darüber, weil das Werkzeug neu ist 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