Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Mach das Handy aus!
Why is the verb split into mach and aus?
This sentence uses a separable verb (ein trennbares Verb). The dictionary form is ausmachen (to turn off). In commands and regular main clauses, the prefix (aus) separates from the core verb (mach) and gets pushed to the very end of the sentence.
Why is it mach instead of machst?
This sentence is a command (the imperative) directed at one person you know informally. To give a command to someone you call du, you take the normal du form (machst) and drop both the -st ending and the pronoun du. This leaves you with just mach!
Is Handy a German word? It looks like English.
Yes, it is the standard German word for a mobile phone! It is a pseudo-anglicism—a word that sounds English but is used by German speakers to mean something specific. Remember to always capitalize it, because all nouns in German are capitalized.
Why is it das Handy? Shouldn't the article change because the phone is the object receiving the action?
You are right that the phone is the direct object, which puts it in the accusative case. However, Handy is a neuter noun, and for neuter nouns, the article das stays exactly the same for both the subject (nominative) and the direct object (accusative). The article only changes if the noun is masculine (where der becomes den).