Breakdown of Wer die Chemikalie bestellt, muss auch hieran denken.
auch
also, too
wer
who
bestellen
to order
müssen
to have to, must
denken
to think
hieran
on this / of this
die Chemikalie
the chemical
Questions & Answers about Wer die Chemikalie bestellt, muss auch hieran denken.
Why use hieran instead of daran here?
Both words translate to "of it" or "of this/that", but hieran implies closer proximity, similar to the difference between "this" and "that" in English. You use hieran to point to something immediate in the context—for example, if the speaker is physically holding a warning label or pointing at a specific hazard right in front of them while saying this.
Why does the sentence use a compound with -an?
The verb denken requires the preposition an when you want to say "think of" or "think about" something. Because German does not combine prepositions with standard pronouns for inanimate concepts, objects, or situations, the preposition an attaches to hier- to form the pronominal adverb hieran.
Why does the second part of the sentence start immediately with the verb muss?
The entire first clause, Wer die Chemikalie bestellt (Whoever orders the chemical), acts as a single block that occupies the first position of the main sentence. Because German strictly requires the conjugated verb in the second position of a main clause, muss must come immediately after that entire first block.
Doesn't wer normally just mean "who" in a question?
Usually, yes! But when placed at the beginning of a statement like this, wer acts as a relative pronoun meaning "whoever" or "anyone who". You will see this structure very often in German rules, warnings, and proverbs.
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