Breakdown of Bitte fülle den Fragebogen im Büro aus.
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
bitte
please
das Büro
the office
Questions & Answers about Bitte fülle den Fragebogen im Büro aus.
Why is the separable verb ausfüllen split, placing aus at the end?
In German main clauses, verbs with separable prefixes (like aus in ausfüllen) split: the finite part (fülle) goes into the second position, and the prefix (aus) moves to the very end of the clause. Hence Bitte fülle … aus.
Why is den Fragebogen in the accusative case?
Fragebogen is the direct object of the verb ausfüllen. Direct objects are in the accusative case. Since Fragebogen is masculine singular, der becomes den, giving den Fragebogen.
What case is used with in in im Büro, and why do we say im instead of in dem?
Here in indicates location (“in the office”), which in German takes the dative case. Büro is neuter, so in + dem Büro is required. In everyday speech in dem contracts to im, so you get im Büro.
Why is Bitte placed at the beginning of the sentence?
Bitte makes the instruction more polite. It’s an optional politeness particle that can appear before the verb, at the very beginning, or even at the end of the sentence without changing the basic meaning:
– Bitte fülle … aus.
– Fülle … bitte aus.
– Fülle … aus, bitte.