Breakdown of Du darfst die Schuhe nicht anbehalten. Es ist hier nämlich unhöflich.
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
es
it
hier
here
nicht
not
der Schuh
the shoe
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
nämlich
you see
anbehalten
to keep on
unhöflich
impolite
Questions & Answers about Du darfst die Schuhe nicht anbehalten. Es ist hier nämlich unhöflich.
Why does the second sentence use nämlich instead of weil (because)?
nämlich is a particle that gives the reason for the previous statement, just like 'because' or 'you see'. The big difference is that weil starts a subordinate clause and kicks the verb to the end of the sentence. nämlich simply slips into a normal main clause without changing the word order at all.
Where exactly should nämlich go in a sentence?
It almost always goes in the middle of the sentence. It can never be in the very first position. It typically sits right after the conjugated verb (ist), or right after short pronouns or location words like hier.
I sometimes confuse nicht dürfen and nicht müssen. Why is darfst ... nicht used here?
nicht dürfen expresses a strict prohibition, meaning 'must not' or 'are not allowed to' (you are forbidden from keeping your shoes on). If you used müsst ... nicht, it would mean 'you do not have to' (you can take them off, but it is not required).
Why isn't the separable verb anbehalten split up here?
It stays together as one word because of the modal verb darfst. Modal verbs push the main action to the very end of the sentence in its full, unchanged infinitive form. It would only separate if it were the conjugated verb, for example: Du behältst die Schuhe an.
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