Breakdown of Sie müssen sich die Nutzung genau überlegen, andernfalls verlieren Sie die Berechtigung.
Sie
you (formal)
müssen
to have to, must
genau
exactly / precise, exact
sich überlegen
to consider / to think over
verlieren
to lose
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
andernfalls
otherwise
die Nutzung
the use
die Berechtigung
the authorization
Questions & Answers about Sie müssen sich die Nutzung genau überlegen, andernfalls verlieren Sie die Berechtigung.
How does andernfalls affect the word order in the second half of the sentence?
Andernfalls is an adverbial connector, not a coordinating conjunction like und or aber. Because it occupies the first position in its clause, the conjugated verb verlieren must immediately follow it in the second position, before the subject Sie.
Could I use sonst instead of andernfalls here?
Yes! Both words mean "otherwise" and work identically in terms of word order. Andernfalls is simply more formal, making it a great choice in a professional or official context like losing an authorization (Berechtigung).
Why is there a sich in the first clause?
The verb sich etwas überlegen (to think something over / to consider) is reflexive in German. Unlike in English, the structure translates literally to "You must consider the use to yourself."
Is the sich in this sentence in the accusative or the dative case?
It is in the dative case. When a reflexive verb has a direct object (here, the accusative object die Nutzung), the reflexive pronoun takes the dative. If we were using the informal du instead of Sie, the case would become obvious: Du musst dir die Nutzung genau überlegen.
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