Breakdown of Die Bahnsteigkante und den Türbereich freihalten!
und
and
der Türbereich
the door area
freihalten
to keep clear
die Bahnsteigkante
the platform edge
Questions & Answers about Die Bahnsteigkante und den Türbereich freihalten!
Why is the verb freihalten in the infinitive form at the very end of the sentence?
This is an impersonal command, which is exactly what you are learning in this lesson! In German, public signs, manuals, or official announcements often use the infinitive at the end of the sentence instead of the imperative. It sounds objective and applies to everyone, rather than addressing a specific person.
Why is it den Türbereich instead of der Türbereich?
Because der Türbereich is the direct object of the verb freihalten, so it must be in the accusative case. Even though this sentence lacks a traditional subject, the nouns are still receiving the action of the verb. Therefore, the masculine noun changes its article to den.
freihalten is a separable verb. Why isn't the prefix frei separated here?
In impersonal commands that use the infinitive, the verb is placed at the very end in its full, unseparated dictionary form. Separable prefixes only detach when the verb is conjugated and placed in the second position of a main clause, or when forming the regular imperative (like Halten Sie den Bereich frei!).
The word Bahnsteigkante is quite long. How is it constructed?
It is a compound noun made of three parts: die Bahn (train), der Steig (path), and die Kante (edge). Together, der Bahnsteig means the train platform, and adding die Kante gives you the platform edge. The gender of a compound noun always comes from its final word, which is why it uses the feminine article die.
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