Questions & Answers about Mach bitte die Musik an!
Where does the word an at the end come from?
It is part of the separable verb anmachen, which means "to turn on". In commands and regular main clauses, the prefix an separates from the core verb (machen) and is pushed to the very end of the sentence.
Why is the verb mach instead of machst?
This sentence is a command (the imperative) directed at someone you would call du (informal "you"). To form this type of command, you take the regular du form (du machst) and drop both the pronoun du and the -st ending, leaving just mach.
Can I put bitte at the beginning of the sentence like in English?
Yes, you could say Bitte mach die Musik an!, but it is extremely common and natural in German to place bitte (please) right after the verb when giving a command.
Since anmachen is "to turn on", how would I tell someone to turn the music off?
You would use the opposite separable verb, ausmachen (to turn off). The sentence structure stays exactly the same; you just swap out the prefix at the very end: Mach bitte die Musik aus!
Learn Mach bitte die Musik an 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