Breakdown of Du verwechselst die Handys, das hier ist meins.
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
hier
here
das Handy
the cellphone
meiner
mine [pronoun, also: meins, meine]
verwechseln
to mix up / to confuse
Questions & Answers about Du verwechselst die Handys, das hier ist meins.
Why is it meins and not just mein?
Here, the word meins (mine) stands alone and replaces the neuter noun das Handy entirely. When a possessive word replaces a neuter noun instead of just going in front of it, it needs an -s at the end. You might also see it written as meines, but meins is much more common in everyday spoken German.
What exactly does das hier mean?
It translates to 'this here' or 'this one here'. Even though das is usually the word for 'the', German frequently uses it on its own to point to things, meaning 'this' or 'that'. Adding hier emphasizes that you are pointing to a specific phone right next to you.
Why does the plural Handys just add an -s?
Words borrowed from foreign languages usually take an -s to form their plural in German. Even though das Handy is a made-up German word for a cell phone, it is treated like an English loanword, so its plural is simply die Handys.
Is verwechseln a separable verb? Should the ver- go to the end of the sentence?
No, verbs starting with the prefix ver- are always inseparable. The prefix stays firmly attached to the root verb, which is why it remains one single word as verwechselst in this sentence.
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