Breakdown of Fass die heiße Pfanne bitte nicht an.
nicht
not
bitte
please
heiß
hot
die
the; (feminine, accusative)
Questions & Answers about Fass die heiße Pfanne bitte nicht an.
What is the full verb here, and why is an at the end?
The full verb is anfassen, meaning to touch or to handle.
German anfassen is a separable verb:
- an- = separable prefix
- fassen = main verb part
In a main clause or command, the prefix separates and moves to the end:
- anfassen → Fass ... an.
So Fass die heiße Pfanne bitte nicht an. is built from anfassen.
Why is the command fass and not fasse or anfassen?
This is the informal singular imperative of anfassen, used when speaking to one person as du.
From fassen, the du imperative is:
- fass!
Because the verb is separable, the prefix moves away:
- fass ... an
You may also see:
- Fasse die heiße Pfanne nicht an.
That extra -e is grammatically possible, but in modern everyday German fass is more common.
Why is there no du in the sentence?