Breakdown of Wir raten dir, tief einzuatmen, obwohl du nervös wirst.
du
you (informal singular)
wir
we
dir
you / to you [informal singular, dative]
tief
deeply
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
nervös
nervous
zu
to (infinitive marker)
obwohl
although
raten
to advise
einatmen
to breathe in
Questions & Answers about Wir raten dir, tief einzuatmen, obwohl du nervös wirst.
Why can we use the infinitive clause tief einzuatmen here instead of a dass-clause?
This sentence demonstrates the object identity rule. The person being advised in the main clause is the dative object dir (you). Because this object is also the implied subject of the breathing action, we can drop the subject and use a zu infinitive. A full clause would be dass du tief einatmest, but reducing it sounds much more natural.
Why is the word zu placed inside einzuatmen?
The verb einatmen (to breathe in) is a separable verb, made of the prefix ein- and the verb atmen. When you use a separable verb in an infinitive clause, the zu is squeezed between the prefix and the main verb, and it is all written as one single word.
Why does the main clause use dir instead of dich?
The verb raten (to advise) is a dative verb. The person receiving the advice must always be in the dative case, which is why the sentence uses dir rather than the accusative dich.
The English translation says "getting nervous", so why is the German verb wirst (from werden)?
English speakers often confuse "getting" as in "becoming" with "getting" as in "receiving". In German, if you mean receiving something, you use bekommen. But for a change of state like getting nervous, getting tired, or getting older, you must use werden.
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