Denk daran, den Ausweis mitzunehmen.

Remember to take the ID card with you.

Breakdown of Denk daran, den Ausweis mitzunehmen.

• mitnehmen: to take along
• den: the; (masculine, accusative)
• denken: to think
• der Ausweis: the ID card
• daran: on it

Questions & Answers about Denk daran, den Ausweis mitzunehmen.

Why is it Denk and not Denke?

Because this is the imperative (command) form for du (informal “you”).

• denken (du) → imperative: Denk!
• With Sie it would be Denken Sie ...
• With ihr it would be Denkt ...
  So Denk daran ... = “(You) remember / think of it ...”

What does daran mean here, and why not darauf or an das?

daran is a “da-” word meaning an + it/that (i.e., “about it / of it”).
The verb is denken an + Akkusativ: an etwas denken = “to think of / remember something.”

• Full form: Denk an das! (Think of that!)
• With a pronoun, German usually uses a da- form: Denk daran! (“Think of it!”)

darauf would match verbs/prepositions that take auf, not an.

Why is there a comma after daran?

Because what follows is an infinitive clause (an Infinitivsatz) with zu: den Ausweis mitzunehmen.
In German, infinitive clauses are often separated by a comma, especially when they depend on something like daran (or on nouns like der Wunsch, verbs like versuchen, etc.). Here it’s the very common pattern:

• Denk daran, + zu-Infinitiv
  = “Remember to ...”

Why is it den Ausweis (accusative)?

Because mitnehmen takes a direct object, and the direct object is in the accusative case.

• der Ausweis (nominative)
• den Ausweis (accusative)

So: den Ausweis mitnehmen = “take the ID (with you)”

Is Ausweis always “passport”? What exactly does it mean?

der Ausweis is a general word for an ID document, often something like:

• an ID card (Personalausweis),
• a pass / badge (e.g., company ID),
• sometimes a passport, depending on context.

If you specifically mean passport, German often says der Reisepass.

Why does mitzunehmen have zu inside the verb?

Because mitnehmen is a separable verb (mit-nehmen), and in a zu-infinitive, zu goes between the prefix and the base verb:

• infinitive: mitnehmen
• zu-infinitive: mitzunehmen (mit + zu + nehmen)

This happens with many separable verbs: anzurufen, aufzustehen, mitzubringen, etc.

Why is mitnehmen at the end: den Ausweis mitzunehmen?

In German, in an infinitive clause, the infinitive verb typically goes at the end.
So you get: ..., den Ausweis mitzunehmen.
This is normal German word order for subordinate-like structures (including infinitive clauses).

Could I also say Denk daran, dass du den Ausweis mitnimmst? What’s the difference?

Yes. Both are correct, but they feel a bit different:

• Denk daran, den Ausweis mitzunehmen.
  More compact; very common for “remember to do X.”

• Denk daran, dass du den Ausweis mitnimmst.
  Uses a full dass-clause; slightly heavier/more explicit, sometimes used if you want to emphasize the situation or add more information.

What’s the difference between Denk daran and Erinnere dich daran?

Both can mean “remember,” but:

• Denk daran is often used like English “Remember to ...” (a reminder).
• Sich erinnern is more directly “to remember” in the sense of recalling something, but it can also be used for reminders:
  Erinnere mich daran = “Remind me of that.”

In many everyday reminders, Denk dran! / Denk daran! is especially common.

Why do people sometimes say Denk dran instead of Denk daran?

dran is a colloquial shortened form of daran.
So:

• Denk daran, ... = neutral/standard
• Denk dran, ... = informal spoken German

Both mean the same.

Does Denk daran require an + accusative even though it looks like da-?

Yes. daran is just a substitute form for an + das / an + es / an + etwas. The underlying structure is still:

• an etwas denken (Akkusativ after an here)
  So daran corresponds to that accusative pattern.

Can the sentence be reordered, like putting den Ausweis earlier?

You can move elements for emphasis, but the most natural phrasing is the original. Some possibilities:

• Standard: Denk daran, den Ausweis mitzunehmen.
• Emphasis on the object (possible but marked): Denk daran, mitzunehmen: den Ausweis. (sounds a bit dramatic or like afterthought)

In normal speech/writing, keep it as given.

How would this change for formal Sie?

For formal address:

• Denken Sie daran, den Ausweis mitzunehmen.

Everything else stays the same; only the imperative form changes to match Sie.