Breakdown of Du solltest seine Warnung ernst nehmen.
du
you (informal singular)
sein
his
sollen
should / ought to
die Warnung
the warning
ernst nehmen
to take seriously
Questions & Answers about Du solltest seine Warnung ernst nehmen.
Why is the verb solltest instead of sollst?
solltest is the Konjunktiv II (Subjunctive II) form of the modal verb sollen. While du sollst means "you are supposed to" or implies a firm expectation, du solltest translates to "you should" and is used to give friendly advice or a recommendation.
How does the phrase ernst nehmen work? Is it a separable verb?
Yes, it behaves just like a separable verb. In this sentence, the modal verb solltest pushes the whole phrase to the end. But in a standard present-tense sentence, it separates: Er nimmt die Warnung ernst (He takes the warning seriously). Note that current spelling rules prefer writing it as two separate words rather than one.
Why is ernst not translated with a special adverbial ending to mean "seriously"?
In German, adjectives and adverbs share the exact same base form. You do not need to add an equivalent to the English "-ly" ending. Therefore, the word ernst can mean both the adjective "serious" and the adverb "seriously" depending on its role in the sentence.
Why does sein have an "-e" at the end to make seine?
The word Warnung is feminine (die Warnung), and it is the direct object (accusative case) of the sentence. The possessive pronoun sein (his) must match the noun it describes, so it takes the feminine accusative ending -e to become seine.
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