Breakdown of Fahren Sie das Schild beim Transport bitte nicht um!
Sie
you (formal)
nicht
not
bitte
please
beim
at the (bei + dem)
das Schild
the sign
umfahren
to bypass / to run over
der Transport
the transport
Questions & Answers about Fahren Sie das Schild beim Transport bitte nicht um!
Why is the verb umfahren separated into Fahren ... um in this sentence?
umfahren is a verb with a variable prefix. When it means to knock something over or run it down, the prefix um- is separable, so it gets pushed to the end of the sentence. If it meant to drive around or bypass something, it would be inseparable.
How would the sentence change if I wanted to tell them to drive around the sign instead?
To mean "drive around", you use the inseparable version of umfahren. Because it is inseparable, the prefix stays attached to the verb. The formal command would simply be: Umfahren Sie das Schild bitte!
Why does nicht come almost at the end of the sentence, just before um?
When a sentence has a separable prefix at the end (like um), the word nicht typically goes right before that prefix to negate the entire action of the verb, which in this case is knocking the sign over.
What is beim a combination of in the phrase beim Transport?
beim is a standard contraction of the preposition bei (which can mean "during" or "at") and the definite article dem. The preposition bei always triggers the dative case, and since Transport is a masculine noun (der Transport), you must use dem.
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