Breakdown of Lesen Sie die Warnung und klicken Sie nicht auf den Link!
und
and
Sie
you (formal)
nicht
not
lesen
to read
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
die Warnung
the warning
klicken
to click
der Link
the link
Questions & Answers about Lesen Sie die Warnung und klicken Sie nicht auf den Link!
Why do the verbs Lesen and klicken come before Sie? Are these questions?
No, these are formal commands (the imperative). When giving an instruction to someone you address with the formal Sie, the verb is placed at the very beginning of the clause, followed immediately by Sie.
Why does the sentence use auf den Link (accusative) instead of auf dem Link (dative)?
The verb klicken is used with the two-way preposition auf. Clicking is treated as a directed action toward a target (clicking onto the link), which triggers the accusative case. Since Link is a masculine loanword (der Link), the article becomes den.
Why is nicht placed right before auf den Link?
In German commands, the verb and subject pronoun (klicken Sie) must stay at the start. The word nicht typically comes after them, and it is placed directly in front of the specific element it is negating, which in this case is the prepositional phrase auf den Link.
This lesson focuses on sonst (otherwise). How would I naturally continue this warning using sonst?
You could add a consequence, such as: sonst bekommen Sie einen Virus (otherwise you will get a virus). Remember that sonst is an adverbial connector that takes up the first position in its clause, meaning the verb (bekommen) must immediately follow it in the second position.
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