Questions & Answers about Warte bitte eine Sekunde!
Why is the verb form Warte with an -e at the end?
This is the informal command (imperative) for du. Usually, you just drop the -st from the present tense (like machst becomes mach). However, because the stem of warten ends in -t, we add an -e to make it easier to pronounce.
Where does bitte belong in a command like this?
In commands, bitte usually comes right after the verb to immediately soften the request. You can also put it at the very end (Warte eine Sekunde, bitte!), but placing it early gives it the most natural flow in spoken German.
Why is eine Sekunde in the accusative case here?
Expressions of time that describe a duration (answering the question 'how long?') take the accusative case in German. Here, you are asking someone to wait for the duration of one second.
If I wanted to say 'Wait two seconds', would I use a zero-plural for Sekunde like I do for Kilo?
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