Learn Hardcore German: Kannst du bitte die Musik im Garten anmachen? - Can you please turn on the music in the garden?

Verb-second rule for main clauses
In normal statements, the conjugated verb is in second position:
- Du kannst die Musik im Garten anmachen. – You can turn on the music in the garden.
In yes/no questions (questions that can be answered with ja/nein), the conjugated verb goes to the first position:
- Kannst du die Musik im Garten anmachen? – Can you turn on the music in the garden?
So kannst (the conjugated form of können) has to stand first in this question.
Separable verbs
anmachen is a separable verb: an + machen.
- In the infinitive form: anmachen
- In a normal main clause, the prefix (an) goes to the end of the clause:
  - Du machst die Musik im Garten an.
  - Kannst du die Musik im Garten anmachen? → here the infinitive anmachen stays together because it follows a modal verb (können).
In our sentence, because we have a modal verb (können → kannst), the other verb (anmachen) appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause:
- Kannst du bitte die Musik im Garten anmachen?

What exactly does anmachen mean here, and does it have other meanings?

In this sentence, anmachen means “to turn on” (a device, machine, light, music, etc.).

Examples:

Das Licht anmachen – to turn on the light
Den Fernseher anmachen – to turn on the TV
Die Musik anmachen – to turn on/put on some music

However, anmachen also has a colloquial meaning: “to hit on someone” / “to come on to someone” (flirt in a pushy way).

Er hat sie in der Bar angemacht. – He hit on her in the bar.

Context normally makes it clear which meaning is intended. With Musik, Licht, Fernseher etc., it clearly means “turn on”.

Why is it im Garten and not in dem Garten?

im is a standard contraction in German:

in + dem = im

So im Garten literally means “in the garden”, just like in dem Garten.

Grammar points:

in is a two-way preposition (Wechselpräposition) that can take dative or accusative.
Garten is masculine:
- nominative: der Garten
- dative singular: dem Garten

In your sentence, we’re talking about location (where?), not movement into something, so we use dative:

Wo? (Where?) → im Garten (in + dative)

You could say in dem Garten, but in everyday German im Garten is far more natural.

Why is it die Musik? What gender and case is that?

Musik is a feminine noun in German:

die Musik – the music

In this sentence, die Musik is the direct object of the verb anmachen (“to turn on”), so it is in the accusative case.

Feminine nouns have the same form for nominative and accusative singular:

nominative: die Musik
accusative: die Musik

So:

Wer/Was macht jemand an? – What is someone turning on? → die Musik (accusative object)

You sometimes also hear people drop the article in a more general sense:

Kannst du bitte Musik anmachen? – Can you put on (some) music?
This is more like “some music” rather than specific, known music.

What is the function of bitte here, and can it go in other positions in the sentence?

Here, bitte means “please” and makes the request more polite.

In German, bitte is quite flexible in position. All of these are grammatical and natural, with small differences in emphasis or rhythm:

Kannst du bitte die Musik im Garten anmachen?
Kannst du die Musik bitte im Garten anmachen?
Kannst du die Musik im Garten bitte anmachen?

Putting bitte earlier often sounds a bit softer; putting it just before the verb at the end (anmachen) can put slight emphasis on the action.

Without bitte, the sentence is still grammatically correct:

Kannst du die Musik im Garten anmachen?
but it may sound more like a plain request or even a bit direct, depending on tone and context. Adding bitte usually makes it more polite and friendly.

Why is it du and not Sie? How would the sentence look with the polite Sie?

du is the informal singular “you” used with:

friends
family
children
peers in relaxed contexts

Sie (capital S) is the formal “you” for:

strangers
in professional settings
when you want to be polite or maintain distance

Your sentence uses du, so it’s addressed to one person you know well or speak informally to.

With Sie, the sentence becomes:

Können Sie bitte die Musik im Garten anmachen?

Note the changes:

Verb form: kannst (du) → können (Sie)
Pronoun: du → Sie

What is the difference between Kannst du die Musik im Garten anmachen? and Du kannst die Musik im Garten anmachen.?

The difference is word order and sentence type:

Kannst du die Musik im Garten anmachen?
- Verb (kannst) in first position
- This is a yes/no question:
  - Can you turn on the music in the garden?
Du kannst die Musik im Garten anmachen.
- Verb (kannst) in second position
- This is a statement:
  - You can turn on the music in the garden. (describing ability or giving permission)

In German, changing the position of the conjugated verb like this flips between question and statement.

Could I also say Mach bitte die Musik im Garten an? How is that different?

Yes, that is perfectly correct, and it uses the imperative form:

Mach bitte die Musik im Garten an. – Please turn on the music in the garden.

Differences:

Kannst du ...? literally means “Can you ...?” and is often used as a polite request.
Mach ... is a direct command (imperative).

In practice:

Kannst du bitte ...? usually sounds a bit softer, especially with bitte.
Mach bitte ... is still polite with bitte, but more direct and “command-like”.

Both are common; tone of voice also plays a big role in how they are perceived.

Why is it im Garten (dative) and not in den Garten (accusative)?

German preposition in can take dative or accusative:

Dative → location / position (where?)
Accusative → direction / movement (where to?)

In your sentence, we talk about location:

Where should the music be turned on? In the garden.
So we use dative: im Garten.

In den Garten (accusative) would be used for movement into the garden:

Wir gehen in den Garten. – We are going into the garden.
Er trägt die Lautsprecher in den Garten. – He’s carrying the speakers into the garden.

But when something is already in the garden / happens there, we use im Garten (dative).

Why are Musik and Garten capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of whether they’re proper names or not.

die Musik – music (common noun)
der Garten – garden (common noun)

So you write:

Kannst du bitte die Musik im Garten anmachen?

Verbs (kannst, anmachen), pronouns (du), and prepositions (im) are not capitalized (except at the start of a sentence).

How is kannst formed, and what are the other forms of können?

kannst is the du-form of the modal verb können (“can, to be able to”).

Present tense forms:

ich kann – I can
du kannst – you can (informal singular)
er/sie/es kann – he/she/it can
wir können – we can
ihr könnt – you (informal plural) can
sie können – they can
Sie können – you can (formal singular/plural)

In your sentence:

Kannst du bitte die Musik im Garten anmachen?
→ Can you please turn on the music in the garden?

Could I replace anmachen with another verb like einschalten or aufdrehen?

Yes, you have some alternatives, each with a slightly different nuance:

einschalten – to switch on
- More neutral, often used for devices.
- Kannst du bitte die Musik im Garten einschalten?
  (Sounds like turning on a music system/radio.)
anstellen – to turn on; to switch on
- Also used with devices, sometimes more with heating, water, engines, etc.:
- Kannst du bitte die Musik im Garten anstellen? (less common than anmachen/einschalten for music, but possible regionally.)
aufdrehen – to turn up (increase volume)
- This is more about making the music louder, not just starting it:
- Kannst du bitte die Musik im Garten aufdrehen? – Can you turn up the music in the garden?

For “turn on/put on some music”, the most natural are:

die Musik anmachen
die Musik einschalten

anmachen is slightly more colloquial; einschalten sounds a bit more neutral/formal.

Is there any risk of misunderstanding anmachen because of its “to hit on” meaning in this sentence?

In this particular sentence, no realistic risk. The context makes it completely clear:

Object: die Musik
Location: im Garten
Structure: Can you turn on music?

Nobody would interpret “Kannst du bitte die Musik im Garten anmachen?” as anything related to flirting. The “hit on” meaning appears with people as the object:

Er macht sie an. – He’s hitting on her.
Sie wurde von ihm angemacht. – She was hit on by him.

With Musik, Licht, Fernseher, Herd etc., anmachen is automatically understood as “turn on”.