Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.

I take extra water with me.

Breakdown of Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.

• das Wasser: the water
• ich: I
• mitnehmen: to take along
• extra: especially

Questions & Answers about Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.

What is the role of mit at the end of the sentence?

Mit here is not the normal preposition mit (with + dative), but the separable prefix of the verb mitnehmen (to take along / take with you).

• The infinitive is mitnehmen.
• In a main clause, separable prefixes go to the end:
  • Ich nehme extra Wasser mit. = I take extra water along/with me.

So mit completes the verb meaning. Without it, nehmen would just mean to take in a more general sense.

Why is it nehme … mit and not written together as mitnehme?

In German, many verbs have separable prefixes (like mit-, an-, auf-, ein-).

• The dictionary form is one word: mitnehmen.

• In main clauses with a conjugated verb in 2nd position, the prefix splits off and goes to the very end:

  • Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.
  • Du nimmst extra Wasser mit.
  • Wir nehmen extra Wasser mit.

You only write it together in forms where the verb goes to the end as an infinitive or at the end of a subordinate clause:

• Ich will extra Wasser mitnehmen.
• …, weil ich extra Wasser mitnehme.

What is the difference between Ich nehme extra Wasser mit and Ich nehme extra Wasser?

Ich nehme extra Wasser mit means I’m taking extra water along (with me / with us somewhere) – there is a clear idea of movement to another place.

Ich nehme extra Wasser is incomplete or unusual without more context.
On its own it sounds like:

• I’ll take extra water (instead of something else?) – but listeners would expect more information.

To express “I’ll drink extra water”, you wouldn’t use nehmen in German; you’d say:

• Ich trinke extra viel Wasser.

Can I say Ich nehme mit extra Wasser instead?

No. That word order is wrong.

Basic structure in a main clause:

1. Subject: Ich
2. Conjugated verb: nehme
3. Objects/adverbs: extra Wasser
4. Separable prefix at the very end: mit

So:

• ✅ Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.
• ❌ Ich nehme mit extra Wasser.

Where can extra go? Is Ich nehme Wasser extra mit possible?

Ich nehme extra Wasser mit is the normal, neutral word order.

Ich nehme Wasser extra mit is grammatically possible, but it changes the emphasis:

• Ich nehme extra Wasser mit
  → The water itself is extra (an additional supply).

• Ich nehme Wasser extra mit
  → You’re emphasizing that you’re especially/explicitly taking it along (for that purpose). It can sound a bit unusual in isolation and would typically need a contrast or explanation:

  • Ich nehme Wasser extra mit, damit niemand durstig bleibt.

For a learner, stick with:

• Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.

Why is there no article before Wasser?

Wasser is a mass/uncountable noun here, like water in English.

In German, with mass nouns in a general or indefinite amount, you normally omit the article:

• Ich trinke Wasser. – I drink water.
• Ich nehme extra Wasser mit. – I’m taking extra water (some amount of water).

You add an article when you specify a particular water:

• Ich nehme das Wasser mit. – I’m taking the water (the specific water we talked about).
• Ich nehme ein Wasser mit. – I’m taking a water (e.g. one bottle of water, in casual speech).

Shouldn’t it be Ich nehme Wasser mit mir for “with me”?

No. German doesn’t say Wasser mit mir nehmen in this sense.

The idea of “with me / with us” is already built into the verb mitnehmen:

• Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.
  = I’m taking extra water with me / along.

If you say mit mir, it sounds like “together with me” as a separate person, which doesn’t fit with water here. You’d only use mit mir when it’s really “together with me”:

• Nimmst du mich mit? – Are you taking me along?
• Komm mit mir! – Come with me!

What is the difference between nehmen, mitnehmen, bringen, and mitbringen here?

Roughly:

• nehmen – to take (in a general sense).
• mitnehmen – to take with you / take along from where you are to somewhere else.
• bringen – to bring (move something to someone/somewhere).
• mitbringen – to bring something with you to a person/place.

In context:

• Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.
  → I (from my starting point) take extra water along on the trip.

• Ich bringe extra Wasser mit.
  → I (to you / to that event) will bring extra water along.

Often both can be used, but mitnehmen focuses on you taking it from your own perspective, mitbringen focuses on bringing it to someone/somewhere.

How would I say this in the past tense?

Use the Perfekt (present perfect) with haben and the past participle mitgenommen:

• Ich habe extra Wasser mitgenommen.
  = I took extra water with me / I brought extra water along.

Note how the prefix mit- is attached again in the participle:

• mitnehmen → mitgenommen
• Ich nehme … mit. → Ich habe … mitgenommen.

How does the word order change in a subordinate clause, like with weil?

In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end, and the separable prefix re-attaches to it:

• Main clause:
  Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.

• Subordinate clause with weil (because):
  …, weil ich extra Wasser mitnehme.
  (not nehme … mit)

Another example:

• …, damit ich extra Wasser mitnehmen kann.
  (infinitive form stays together: mitnehmen)

Is extra the same as mehr in this sentence?

They are similar but not identical:

• extra Wasser – water you take in addition for a special reason; “extra” in the sense of on top of what is normal.
• mehr Wasser – more water (a larger amount), compared to some other amount or expectation.

Compare:

• Ich nehme extra Wasser mit.
  → I’m taking extra water along (as a backup / for safety).

• Ich nehme mehr Wasser mit.
  → I’m taking more water (than last time / than you / than usual).

Can I make extra Wasser sound a bit more formal?

Yes. You can use zusätzlich:

• Ich nehme zusätzlich Wasser mit.
  (literally: I’m taking additional water with me.)

Or as an adjective:

• Ich nehme zusätzliches Wasser mit.

Both sound a bit more formal or written, while extra Wasser is everyday, natural spoken German.