Bitte beenden Sie das Programm und starten Sie es neu.

Please end the program and restart it.

Breakdown of Bitte beenden Sie das Programm und starten Sie es neu.

• und: and
• es: it
• bitte: please
• Sie: you
• das Programm: the program
• beenden: to end
• neu starten: to restart

Questions & Answers about Bitte beenden Sie das Programm und starten Sie es neu.

Is this sentence formal or informal? What role do Sie and Bitte play?

• It’s formal. Sie is the formal “you,” used with strangers, customers, or in instructions.
• Bitte softens the command into a polite request. Without Bitte, it’s still polite because of Sie, just a bit more direct.

How would I say this to a friend or a coworker I use du with?

• du-imperative: Beende das Programm und starte es neu.
• ihr-imperative (to several people you use ihr with): Beendet das Programm und startet es neu.
• You can place bitte as desired: Beende bitte …, … bitte.

Why is Sie capitalized? How do I know it’s not “she/they”?

• Capital Sie = formal “you.” Verb ends in -en: beenden Sie, starten Sie.
• Lowercase sie can mean “she” or “they.” The verb ending shows which:
  • sie beendet = she ends
  • sie beenden = they end (same ending as formal you, but lowercase)

Why is there no comma before und?

• German normally doesn’t use a comma before und when it simply links two main clauses. So … das Programm und … es neu needs no comma.

Why is the pronoun es used? Could it be ihn or sie?

• Pronouns match grammatical gender:
  • das Programm (neuter) → es
  • die Anwendung / die App (feminine) → sie: … und starten Sie sie neu.
  • der Prozess (masculine) → ihn: … und starten Sie ihn neu.

What’s the difference between beenden, schließen, stoppen, and abbrechen?

• beenden: to end/quit something completely (best for “Exit/Quit”).
• schließen: to close a window/document; the app may keep running.
• stoppen: to stop/interrupt something running (a download/service).
• abbrechen: to cancel an ongoing action (installation, copy, dialog).

Why is it starten … neu instead of something like wieder starten?

• neu starten is the standard tech phrase for “restart/reboot.”
• wieder starten means “start again” but doesn’t specifically mean a proper restart/reboot.

Is neu starten one word or two? Can I write neustarten?

• Preferred in standard/UI writing: two words, neu starten. In the sentence it appears split: starten … neu.
• neustarten (one word) is increasingly common and widely understood; many style guides still recommend the two-word form.

Why does neu go at the end: starten Sie es neu?

• neu is an adverb and typically appears toward the end. With a pronoun object, German puts the pronoun before the adverb: starten Sie es neu, not starten Sie neu es.
• With a full noun object, the natural choice is: Starten Sie das Programm neu. The variant Starten Sie neu das Programm is awkward and generally avoided.

How is the formal imperative with Sie formed? Why repeat Sie after und?

• Formal imperative = verb + Sie: Beenden Sie …, Starten Sie … (contrast with a statement: Sie beenden …).
• After und, use the same structure: und starten Sie es neu. Don’t drop Sie; und starten es neu would be ungrammatical because German doesn’t drop subject pronouns.

Is beenden a separable verb? What about its participle?

• No. Prefix be- is inseparable. Forms:
  • Present: ich beende
  • Simple past: ich beendete
  • Participle: beendet (not gebeendet)

Where can I place bitte?

All of these are natural, with slightly different tone/rhythm:

• Bitte beenden Sie das Programm und starten Sie es neu.
• Beenden Sie bitte das Programm und starten Sie es neu.
• Beenden Sie das Programm und starten Sie es bitte neu.
• Beenden Sie das Programm und starten Sie es neu, bitte. (more conversational)

Can I omit the object in the second part or altogether?

• Second part: yes—use a pronoun: … das Programm und starten Sie es neu.
• Omitting the object entirely works only if context makes it obvious: Starten Sie neu is often read as “Restart (the system),” but it’s clearer to name it: Starten Sie den Computer neu.

Is there an instruction-style version without full clauses?

• Yes, common in manuals/UIs:
  • Bitte das Programm beenden und neu starten. This is elliptical but perfectly normal in instruction text.

Any alternatives to Programm I should know?

• Standard: das Programm
• Tech alternatives: die Anwendung (application), die App (app), Swiss IT also uses die Applikation. Adjust the pronoun accordingly (sie for feminine nouns).

What cases are used here?

• Sie = nominative subject.
• das Programm = accusative direct object (same form as nominative for neuter).
• es = accusative pronoun referring to das Programm.