Breakdown of Entweder nimmst du es ernst, oder du hast es schwer.
du
you (informal singular)
es
it
haben
to have
nehmen
to take
Questions & Answers about Entweder nimmst du es ernst, oder du hast es schwer.
Why do we use es in the phrase du hast es schwer?
This is a fixed phrase using a dummy object. In the idiom es schwer haben (to have a hard time), es does not refer to a specific noun. It merely fills the grammatical slot of the direct object, similar to how we say "take it easy" or "rough it" in English.
Is the first es in es ernst nehmen also a dummy object?
It depends on the context, but usually no. While es schwer haben is a fixed dummy-object idiom, es ernst nehmen (to take it seriously) usually uses es as a regular pronoun referring back to a specific topic or situation mentioned earlier.
Why is the verb nimmst placed right after Entweder?
The conjunction entweder is unusually flexible. It can sit in position 1 of the sentence, which forces the conjugated verb nimmst into position 2 (as seen here). However, it can also act as a position 0 connector, meaning Entweder du nimmst es ernst... would be perfectly correct as well.
Why is there a comma before oder? I thought commas were not used before oder.
Normally, you do not use a comma before oder when it connects words or short phrases. However, when oder links two completely independent main clauses that each have their own subject and conjugated verb, a comma is allowed to make the sentence easier to read.