Breakdown of In der Sauna brauchst du dich nur wohlzufühlen.
du
you (informal singular)
in
in
brauchen
to need
nur
only
zu
to (infinitive marker)
die Sauna
the sauna
sich wohlfühlen
to feel comfortable
Questions & Answers about In der Sauna brauchst du dich nur wohlzufühlen.
Why do we use brauchst here instead of musst, and how does it connect to wohlzufühlen?
In German, to say 'you only need to' or 'you don't have to', you use the verb brauchen + nur (or nicht) + zu + the infinitive verb. Here, brauchst pairs with nur and the infinitive wohlzufühlen. You cannot use müssen (must) with nur to express 'only need to', making brauchen the necessary choice here.
Why is zu stuck in the middle of wohlzufühlen?
The verb for 'to feel comfortable' is sich wohlfühlen, which is a separable verb made of the prefix wohl- and the verb fühlen. When a separable verb is used with zu (to), the -zu- gets sandwiched right between the prefix and the main verb, forming one single word: wohlzufühlen.
Why is the word dich in this sentence?
The German verb for 'to feel' in the sense of personal well-being is reflexive: sich wohlfühlen (literally 'to feel oneself well'). Since the subject of the sentence is du (you), the reflexive pronoun must match it, which is why it becomes dich (yourself).
Why is the word order brauchst du instead of du brauchst?
This is the standard 'verb second' rule in action. Because the sentence starts with the location phrase In der Sauna (in the sauna), the conjugated verb brauchst must take the second position. This pushes the subject du to the spot immediately after the verb.
Learn In der Sauna brauchst du dich nur wohlzufühlen 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