Breakdown of Bitte spüle den Teller ab.
der Teller
the plate
bitte
please
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
abspülen
to rinse
Questions & Answers about Bitte spüle den Teller ab.
Why is spüle the first word of the sentence?
Because this is an imperative sentence, meaning a command or request.
In German, when you give a command to du (one person you know well), the verb often comes first:
- Spüle den Teller ab. = Wash/rinse the plate.
Adding bitte makes it more polite:
- Bitte spüle den Teller ab.
The subject du is not said, but it is understood.
Why is it spüle and not spülst?
Spüle is the du-imperative form of abspülen.
The normal du form is:
- du spülst ab = you wash/rinse off
But in a command, German usually removes the -st ending:
- Spüle ab!
So:
- du spülst den Teller ab = you rinse the plate
- Spüle den Teller ab! = Rinse the plate!
Why is ab all the way at the end?
Because abspülen is a separable verb.
The full infinitive is:
- abspülen
But in a normal main clause or command, the prefix ab- separates and moves to the end:
- Ich spüle den Teller ab.
- Bitte spüle den Teller ab.
This is very common in German with separable verbs.