Breakdown of Bitte fahr das Schild nicht um, falls du hier parkst!
du
you (informal singular)
hier
here
nicht
not
bitte
please
parken
to park
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
falls
in case / if (conditional)
das Schild
the sign
umfahren
to bypass / to run over
Questions & Answers about Bitte fahr das Schild nicht um, falls du hier parkst!
The verb umfahren can mean "to run over" or "to drive around". How do I know which one is used here?
The clue is that the prefix is separated (fahr ... um). When umfahren means "to run over" or "knock down", the prefix um- is separable. If it meant "to drive around" or "bypass", the prefix would be inseparable, and the command would look like Bitte umfahre das Schild nicht!
Why is the command form fahr instead of fähr?
This is the informal command for a single person (du). To form it, you normally take the present tense du form (fährst) and drop the -st ending. However, strong verbs that take an umlaut in the present tense always drop that umlaut in the command form, so fähr goes back to fahr.
Why is nicht placed right before um?
In German, nicht likes to go as close to the end of the sentence as possible to negate the whole action. However, a separated prefix like um always claims the absolute final position in a main clause. Therefore, nicht takes the next best spot right in front of it.
Could I use wenn instead of falls?
Yes, you could. Both send the conjugated verb (parkst) to the very end of their clause. However, falls strictly means "in case" or "in the event that", whereas wenn can mean "if", "whenever", or "when". Using falls removes any ambiguity about time.
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