Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit.

I take an extra jacket with me.

Breakdown of Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit.

• ich: I
• mitnehmen: to take along
• die Jacke: the jacket
• extra: extra

Questions & Answers about Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit.

Why is mit at the end of the sentence?

Mitnehmen is a separable verb in German: mit (prefix) + nehmen (to take).

• In the infinitive, it’s one word: mitnehmen (to take along / to take with you).
• In a main clause in the present tense, the prefix goes to the end of the sentence:
  
  • Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit.
  • Literally: I take an extra jacket with.

So mit isn’t just a random word at the end; it’s the separated prefix of the verb mitnehmen.

Could I say Ich nehme eine extra Jacke without mit?

You can say Ich nehme eine extra Jacke, but it sounds incomplete or at least less clear in many contexts.

• Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit.
  → clearly: I’m taking an extra jacket with me / along (somewhere).

• Ich nehme eine extra Jacke.
  → more like: I’ll take an extra jacket (instead of something else / I choose that one).
  It could be understood as choosing or picking a jacket, not necessarily taking it along with you when you go somewhere.

If the intended meaning is “I’m bringing an extra jacket (with me)”, you really want mit (i.e., the full verb mitnehmen).

Why is it eine extra Jacke, not ein extra Jacke?

Because Jacke is grammatically feminine in German:

• die Jacke (feminine noun)
• Accusative singular (direct object) of die Jacke is die Jacke, and the indefinite article in accusative feminine is eine.

So the pattern is:

• Nominative: eine Jacke
• Accusative: eine Jacke

Example:

• Ich habe eine Jacke. – I have a jacket.
• Ich nehme eine Jacke mit. – I take a jacket with me.

With a masculine noun, you would see ein → einen change, e.g.:

• Ich nehme einen Pullover mit. (Pullover is masculine.)

Is mitnehmen the same as bringen or mitbringen?

They’re related but not identical.

• nehmen = to take

• mitnehmen = to take along, to take with you (focus on you going somewhere, taking it with you)

  • Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit.
    → I’m taking an extra jacket with me (when I go).
• bringen = to bring (without necessarily focusing on your point of view)
• mitbringen = to bring along (to a destination where someone else is / will be)
  
  • Ich bringe eine extra Jacke mit.
    → I’ll bring an extra jacket (with me, to you / to that place).

Subtle nuance:

• mitnehmen = you take it from here to there with you.
• mitbringen = you bring it to someone / some event.

In many casual situations, both can be acceptable, but native speakers do feel the difference in perspective.

Why is extra before Jacke? Can I say Ich nehme eine Jacke extra mit?

In Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit, extra is an adjective meaning additional.

• eine extra Jacke = an additional jacket (one more jacket than usual)

If you say Ich nehme eine Jacke extra mit, then extra is more like an adverb (“especially”, “additionally”) modifying the whole action:

• Ich nehme eine Jacke extra mit.
  → I’m especially taking a jacket (on top of other things).

Both can be correct, but:

• eine extra Jacke: focuses on the jacket as an extra item.
• eine Jacke extra: focuses on the act of bringing a jacket “additionally”.

The given sentence is the more straightforward and typical way to say an extra jacket.

Is extra a German word here or just English inside German?

Extra is also a German word, borrowed historically but now fully integrated.

In this sentence, it means additional / in addition:

• eine extra Jacke = an additional jacket, one more jacket

More “purely German” alternatives would be:

• Ich nehme eine zusätzliche Jacke mit.
• Ich nehme noch eine Jacke mit.

But extra is very common and perfectly natural in everyday German.

Why is the verb nehme in second position?

German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule:

• The finite verb (here: nehme) must be in the second position in the sentence.

In Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit.:

1. Ich (subject, first position)
2. nehme (finite verb, second position)
3. eine extra Jacke (object)
4. mit (separable prefix at the end)

Even if you move other parts of the sentence, nehme stays in the second position:

• Morgen nehme ich eine extra Jacke mit.
• Eine extra Jacke nehme ich morgen mit.

In all versions, nehme is still the second element.

Is mitnehmen a reflexive verb? Should there be mich or mir?

No, mitnehmen is not reflexive. You do not say:

• ✗ Ich nehme mich eine extra Jacke mit.
• ✗ Ich nehme mir eine extra Jacke mit. (Very odd in this meaning.)

You simply say:

• Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit.

The idea “with me” is already included in the meaning of mitnehmen; you don’t need a reflexive pronoun for that.

Why is eine extra Jacke in the accusative case?

In this sentence, eine extra Jacke is the direct object of the verb mitnehmen (what is being taken along).

In German, the direct object is typically in the accusative case:

• Wen oder was nehme ich mit?
  → eine extra Jacke (accusative)

For a feminine noun like Jacke, nominative and accusative look the same (eine Jacke), but the function in the sentence is what makes it accusative.

Could this sentence also refer to the future, like “I’ll take an extra jacket”?

Yes. German often uses the present tense to talk about the near future, especially when the plan is clear or scheduled.

So Ich nehme eine extra Jacke mit. can mean:

• I’m taking an extra jacket (with me) (right now / generally / habitually)
• I’ll take an extra jacket (with me) (as a decision or plan about the future)

Context usually makes the time reference clear. If you really want to highlight the future, you could add a time word:

• Morgen nehme ich eine extra Jacke mit. – I’ll take an extra jacket tomorrow.

When would I use die Jacke instead of eine Jacke here?

Eine Jacke is indefinite: any extra jacket, not a specific one.

You’d use die Jacke if both speaker and listener know exactly which jacket you mean:

• Ich nehme die extra Jacke mit.
  → I’m taking the extra jacket with me (e.g., the one you mentioned earlier or agreed on).

Or:

• Ich nehme die Jacke mit.
  → I’m taking the jacket with me (the specific jacket we’re both thinking about).

So:

• eine Jacke = a jacket, one jacket (not specified)
• die Jacke = the jacket (a specific one already identified)

How would the infinitive form of this sentence look?

The infinitive of nehme … mit is mitnehmen, written as one word.

Examples:

• Ich versuche, eine extra Jacke mitzunehmen.
  → I’m trying to take an extra jacket with me.

• Vergiss nicht, eine extra Jacke mitzunehmen.
  → Don’t forget to take an extra jacket with you.

In main clauses with a conjugated verb, it splits: nehme … mit.
In the infinitive (or with modal verbs, etc.), it’s written together: mitzunehmen / mitnehmen.