Breakdown of Bitte beachten Sie die Frist.
bitte
please
Sie
you
die
the; (feminine, accusative)
die Frist
the deadline
beachten
to note
Questions & Answers about Bitte beachten Sie die Frist.
Why is Sie capitalized here, and what does it mean?
It’s the formal second-person pronoun meaning you. It’s capitalized to distinguish it from lowercase sie (she/they). In this sentence, Sie is the subject of the imperative.
Why does the verb come first? Is this the imperative?
Yes. The formal imperative in German uses verb-first order plus Sie:
- Beachten Sie die Frist.
- Other examples: Gehen Sie bitte weiter., Lesen Sie den Text.
Is beachten a separable verb? What’s its past participle?
No, it’s inseparable (prefix be-). Past participle: beachtet. Perfect: Ich habe die Frist beachtet.
What case is die Frist in, and why is it die and not den?
Accusative, because it’s the direct object of beachten. Frist is feminine; feminine singular has die in both nominative and accusative. Den would be masculine.
What is the gender and plural of Frist? Any common compounds?
- Gender: feminine (die Frist)
- Plural: die Fristen
- Common compounds: Abgabefrist, Bewerbungsfrist, Zahlungsfrist, Widerspruchsfrist
Is Frist the same as Termin or Deadline?
- Frist: a time limit/period within which you must do something; often used metonymically for its end point.
- Termin: a specific appointment/date/time.
- Deadline: widely understood loanword; common in business/media, but Frist is preferred in formal/legal contexts.
What’s the nuance difference between beachten, einhalten, and achten auf?
- beachten + Akk.: heed/observe/follow (rules, instructions, deadlines). Neutral, common: Bitte beachten Sie die Frist.
- einhalten + Akk.: comply with/meet (a deadline/requirement). Stronger on compliance: Bitte halten Sie die Frist ein.
- achten auf + Akk.: pay attention to/watch out for: Achten Sie auf die Frist. (focus on noticing, not necessarily complying)
- Not to confuse with beobachten (to watch/observe visually).
How would I say it informally (to one person or to a group)?
- Du (one person): Bitte beachte die Frist.
- Ihr (group): Bitte beachtet die Frist.
Can I move bitte elsewhere in the sentence?
Yes. Typical options (same meaning, slightly different rhythm):
- Bitte beachten Sie die Frist.
- Beachten Sie bitte die Frist.
- Bitte die Frist beachten.
- Die Frist bitte beachten.
Do I need an exclamation mark? What tone does it convey?
Both . and ! are acceptable. German often uses ! with imperatives on signs or formal notices to make the instruction stand out: Bitte beachten Sie die Frist!
Is a comma after Bitte correct?
Standard instruction text uses no comma: Bitte beachten Sie die Frist.
As an interjection, a comma is possible (Bitte, beachten Sie …) but looks less formal and is rarely used in official notices.
Can I leave out Sie or the article in brief notices?
On signs, elliptical styles are common: Bitte Frist beachten. / Frist beachten!
In full sentences (emails, letters), include the subject/article: Bitte beachten Sie die Frist.
How would I negate it?
Grammatically: Bitte beachten Sie die Frist nicht.
- This means please do not observe the deadline (rare in real life).
- With contrastive focus: Bitte beachten Sie nicht die Frist, sondern die Hinweise.
- More natural for telling someone to ignore it: Bitte ignorieren Sie die Frist.
How do I use a dass-clause with beachten?
Use beachten, then a comma, then dass and verb-final word order:
- Bitte beachten Sie, dass die Frist am 31. März endet.
Any useful collocations with Frist?
- eine Frist setzen/verlängern/verkürzen
- eine Frist wahren/einhalten/versäumen
- die Frist läuft ab
- eine abgelaufene Frist
- bis zum Ende der Frist, innerhalb der Frist, nach Ablauf der Frist
Any case tips with Frist in context?
- Genitive after certain nouns/preps: bis zum Ende der Frist, innerhalb der Frist, während der Frist
- Dative with preps like bei: bei Ablauf der Frist is actually genitive with Ablauf; for dative: nach der Frist
- Accusative with auf in achten auf + Akk.: Achten Sie auf die Frist.
How do you pronounce the words?
- Bitte: short i; like BI-tte [ˈbɪtə]
- beachten: be- [bə] + a glottal stop before achten; ch like in Bach
- Sie: long ee [ziː]
- die: long ee [diː]
- Frist: short i, final st as
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning GermanMaster German — from Bitte beachten Sie die Frist to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions