Breakdown of Du brauchst keine teure Medizin einzunehmen.
du
you (informal singular)
kein
no, not any
brauchen
to need
teuer
expensive
die Medizin
the medicine
einnehmen
to take (medicine)
zu
to (infinitive marker)
Questions & Answers about Du brauchst keine teure Medizin einzunehmen.
Why is it einzunehmen as one word, instead of zu einnehmen?
einnehmen (to take) is a separable verb (ein + nehmen). When a separable verb is used in a zu-infinitive construction, the zu gets sandwiched right between the prefix and the main verb, forming one single word: einzunehmen.
The lesson says to use nicht with brauchen ... zu, but here we use keine. Is that allowed?
Yes! You use a form of kein instead of nicht because you are directly negating a noun (Medizin). The grammar rule is exactly the same: brauchen + negative word + zu + infinitive means "don't need to do something".
Why does teure end in an -e here?
Medizin is a feminine noun, and it is the direct object (accusative case) in this sentence. After keine, the adjective teuer (expensive) takes the feminine accusative ending -e, dropping its original inner 'e' to become teure.
Could I just use the normal verb nehmen to say I am taking medicine?
You could, and people would understand you perfectly, but einnehmen is the specific, natural-sounding verb Germans use for "taking" medicine, pills, or drops. It literally translates more closely to "to ingest" or "to take in".
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