Breakdown of Ich mache den Zettel an der Pinnwand fest.
ich
I
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
an
to
der
the; (feminine, dative)
Questions & Answers about Ich mache den Zettel an der Pinnwand fest.
Why is fest separated from mache?
Because the verb here is festmachen, which is a separable verb.
In a normal main clause, the conjugated part goes to position 2, and the prefix goes to the end:
- Ich mache den Zettel an der Pinnwand fest.
This is very common in German:
- Ich rufe dich später an.
- Er steht früh auf.
In infinitives and past participles, the verb stays together:
- den Zettel an der Pinnwand festmachen
- Ich habe den Zettel an der Pinnwand festgemacht.
What does festmachen mean here?
Here, festmachen means to fasten, to attach, or to secure.
The basic idea of fest is firmly / fixed / secure, so festmachen is literally something like make fast.
In this sentence, it means attaching the note so that it stays in place on the pinboard.
Depending on context, festmachen can also have other meanings, so learners often need to rely on the situation. But in this sentence, it clearly means attach securely.
Why is it den Zettel and not der Zettel?