Breakdown of Zeigen Sie gefälligst Ihren Leseausweis, bevor Sie die Lektüre mitnehmen.
Sie
you (formal)
Ihr
your (formal)
zeigen
to show
bevor
before
mitnehmen
to take along
gefälligst
damn well
die Lektüre
the reading material
der Leseausweis
the library card
Questions & Answers about Zeigen Sie gefälligst Ihren Leseausweis, bevor Sie die Lektüre mitnehmen.
Is the word gefälligst polite, since it translates to "kindly" here?
Not at all! While it is related to Gefallen (a favor), as a modal particle gefälligst is highly irritated and aggressive. Translating it as "kindly" captures the passive-aggressive tone of an angry official. It essentially means "You'd better" or "I strongly demand that you."
Why doesn't the separable verb mitnehmen split at the end of the sentence?
The word bevor (before) is a subordinating conjunction, which kicks the conjugated verb to the very end of the clause. When a separable verb is pushed to the end like this, the conjugated part reconnects with its prefix, leaving mitnehmen as a single word.
Zeigen Sie starts with a verb. How can you tell this is a command and not a question?
In German, formal commands with Sie use the exact same word order as yes/no questions. You can tell it is a command from the context, the punctuation at the end, and the angry modal particle gefälligst, which would never appear in a genuine question.
What is the difference between Lektüre and simply saying Buch?
Lektüre is a broader, slightly more formal word that means "reading material." It can refer to a book, a stack of magazines, or assigned reading for a course. The speaker uses it here as a catch-all term for whatever you are trying to borrow.
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