Breakdown of Bitte passen Sie auf, dass Sie das Papier nicht zerreißen!
Sie
you (formal)
nicht
not
bitte
please
aufpassen
to pay attention
dass
that
das Papier
the paper
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
zerreißen
to tear up
Questions & Answers about Bitte passen Sie auf, dass Sie das Papier nicht zerreißen!
How does the prefix zer- change the meaning of the verb reißen in this sentence?
The base verb reißen means "to pull" or "to tear". The inseparable prefix zer- always adds a meaning of destruction or breaking something apart into pieces. Therefore, zerreißen specifically means "to tear up", "to shred", or "to rip to pieces".
Could I just use the base verb reißen here instead?
You could, but it changes the nuance. If you say dass Sie das Papier nicht reißen, it simply means "that you do not tear the paper" (perhaps just making a single rip by accident). Using zerreißen emphasizes the complete destruction of the paper.
Why is aufpassen split into passen ... auf, but zerreißen stays together?
aufpassen has a separable prefix (auf-). Because the first part of the sentence is a formal command, the verb passen comes first and the prefix auf goes to the end of that clause. Verbs starting with zer-, however, are always inseparable. You will never split zerreißen.
Why is zerreißen pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The second half of the sentence starts with dass (that). The word dass introduces a subordinate clause, which forces the conjugated verb inside that clause—in this case, zerreißen—to move all the way to the end.
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