Learn Hardcore German: Was du heute nicht brauchst, legst du bitte in den Wäschekorb. - Whatever you don’t need today, please put it in the laundry basket.

No. Here was is a free relative pronoun meaning “what/whatever.” The whole clause Was du heute nicht brauchst functions as a single noun phrase (the direct object of the main clause). You could make that sense explicit with Alles, was du heute nicht brauchst or Das, was du heute nicht brauchst.

Why is the verb at the end in the first clause (brauchst)?

Because it’s a subordinate (relative) clause. In German subordinate clauses the conjugated verb goes to the end: …, was/daß/wenn … brauchst. That’s also why nicht stands right before the verb here: … nicht brauchst.

Why is it legst du and not du legst?

German main clauses are verb‑second. The first position is already taken by the fronted clause Was du heute nicht brauchst, so the finite verb legst must come next, followed by the subject du: [Was du … brauchst], legst du …. If you started with the subject, you’d say Du legst ….

Can I just use the imperative instead?

Yes: Leg bitte (alles), was du heute nicht brauchst, in den Wäschekorb. Both forms are natural. The original V2 declarative with du plus bitte is a common spoken way to give instructions; depending on tone, it can sound matter‑of‑fact or a bit more insistent.

Where can I put bitte?

It’s flexible, for example:

Was du heute nicht brauchst, legst du bitte in den Wäschekorb.
Was du heute nicht brauchst, bitte leg in den Wäschekorb.
Bitte leg (alles), was du heute nicht brauchst, in den Wäschekorb.
Leg (alles), was du heute nicht brauchst, bitte in den Wäschekorb. Placing bitte at the very end (… in den Wäschekorb, bitte) is also fine. The meaning stays the same; it just softens the request.

Why is it in den Wäschekorb and not im Wäschekorb?

In is a two‑way preposition. With motion to a destination you use accusative: in den Wäschekorb (into). With location you use dative: im Wäschekorb (= in dem Wäschekorb, in). Here you’re causing movement into the basket.

What case is den, and why?

Accusative masculine singular, agreeing with Wäschekorb (masc.). Accusative is triggered by in when it expresses motion toward a place.

Why nicht brauchst and not brauchst nicht?

In subordinate clauses, nicht precedes the verb cluster at the end: …, dass du es heute nicht brauchst. In a main clause you’d say Du brauchst es heute nicht. Also note the difference between heute nicht (not needed today) and nicht heute (not today specifically).

Does was refer to one thing or all the things I don’t need?

Grammatically was is neuter singular, but it can refer generically to multiple items. To make “all” explicit, say Alles, was du heute nicht brauchst, ….

Can I say die Sachen, die du heute nicht brauchst instead?

Yes: Die Sachen, die du heute nicht brauchst, legst du bitte in den Wäschekorb. This sounds a bit more concrete; was is slightly more general/neutral.

Why is du repeated?

Each clause has its own subject. You need du in the subordinate clause (… du … brauchst) and again in the main clause (legst du …). German doesn’t carry the subject over from one clause to another.

Can I flip the order and put the main clause first?

Yes: Leg bitte in den Wäschekorb, was du heute nicht brauchst. Here the main clause is an imperative, followed by the free relative clause.

Could I use a conditional wenn clause instead?

Possible, but the nuance shifts: Wenn du heute etwas nicht brauchst, leg es in den Wäschekorb. That frames it as a condition for each item you consider. The original free relative treats the whole set of not‑needed things as the object to be placed. In practice both can serve as the same instruction.

Why is there a comma after the first clause?

German requires a comma between a subordinate (relative) clause and the main clause: Was du … brauchst, legst du …. You can’t omit it in standard writing.

Why legen and not stellen/stecken/tun?

legen = put down in a lying position (typical for clothes); very idiomatic with in den Wäschekorb.
stellen = put upright (bottles, boxes), not usual for laundry.
stecken = stick/insert; understandable but suggests “push in.”
tun is colloquial/neutral: Tu es in den Wäschekorb. All are understandable; legen is the default here.

Can I add hinein or rein?

Yes: … in den Wäschekorb hineinlegen or colloquial … in den Wäschekorb reinlegen. They just emphasize the direction “into.”

Is Was capitalized only because it starts the sentence?

Yes. At sentence start it’s capitalized anyway. Inside a sentence you’d write it lowercase as a relative pronoun: Ich nehme, was ich nicht brauche.

What’s the role and best position of heute here?

It sets the time frame. Natural placement is Was du heute nicht brauchst, …. Was du nicht brauchst heute is possible but marked; Was du nicht heute brauchst means “what you don’t need today (but maybe another day),” which is a different emphasis.

Could Legst du … be read as a yes/no question?

With a comma and continuation it’s a declarative instruction. If you add a question mark (Legst du …?), it becomes a yes/no question (“Are you going to put …?”), which is a different sentence type.