Ihr braucht an der Raststätte nicht lange zu warten, ich hole nur schnell Wasser.

Ihr is the informal plural word for you — basically you all / you guys.

The verb form matches that subject:

• ich brauche
• du brauchst
• er/sie/es braucht
• wir brauchen
• ihr braucht
• sie/Sie brauchen

So ihr braucht means you all need / you all don’t need in this sentence.

Here brauchen is being used in the pattern:

brauchen + nicht + zu + infinitive

So:

• Ihr braucht nicht zu warten = You don’t need to wait

This is a very common structure in German.

A useful thing to know: this use of brauchen is most natural in negative or limiting contexts, especially with nicht.

For example:

• Du brauchst nicht zu kommen. = You don’t need to come.
• Wir brauchen nicht zu gehen. = We don’t need to go.

In positive statements, German usually prefers something else:

• not so natural: Du brauchst zu kommen
• more natural: Du musst kommen

So in this sentence, brauchen works almost like need to, but usually only in the negative: don’t need to.

These mean different things.

• nicht lange warten = not wait long
• nicht zu lange warten = not wait too long

That small zu changes lange into too long.

So:

• Ihr braucht nicht lange zu warten = You won’t have to wait long.
• Ihr braucht nicht zu lange zu warten = You don’t need to wait too long / You shouldn’t have to wait too long.

In your sentence, the speaker is reassuring the others that the wait will be short, so nicht lange is exactly right.

Because zu warten is an infinitive phrase, and in German infinitives usually go to the end of their clause.

So the structure is:

• Ihr braucht ... zu warten

with the main finite verb braucht in second position, and the infinitive zu warten at the end.

This is very normal in German:

• Ich versuche, pünktlich zu kommen.
• Er hofft, bald zu schlafen.
• Ihr braucht nicht lange zu warten.

Compare that with true modal verbs like müssen, where there is no zu:

• Ihr müsst nicht lange warten.

Here der is dative singular.

The noun is:

• die Raststätte = the service area / rest stop

After an, German can use either accusative or dative:

• an + accusative for movement toward something
• an + dative for location

In this sentence, the meaning is location — at the rest stop — so German uses the dative:

• an der Raststätte

So:

• die Raststätte → an der Raststätte

This is the same kind of pattern you see in:

• am Bahnhof = at the train station
• an der Schule = at the school

Raststätte usually means a motorway service area or highway rest stop, especially one with facilities like:

• food
• toilets
• parking
• often fuel

A related word is Rastplatz, which is usually simpler — more like a basic rest area, often with fewer services.

So Raststätte suggests a proper stop where getting water makes perfect sense.

Nur schnell is a very common everyday combination.

• nur = just
• schnell = quickly / real quick

So ich hole nur schnell Wasser means something like:

• I’m just quickly getting some water
• I’m just going to grab some water real quick

In spoken German, schnell often does not only mean literal speed. It can also mean briefly or real quick in a casual way.

So the speaker is saying: Don’t worry, this will only take a moment.

Because Wasser is being used as an uncountable substance noun, like English water.

German often omits the article with mass nouns when talking about some amount of the substance in a general way:

• Ich trinke Wasser.
• Sie kauft Brot.
• Er braucht Milch.

So:

• ich hole Wasser = I’m getting water

If you wanted to be more specific, you could add something like:

• ich hole das Wasser = I’m getting the water
• ich hole etwas Wasser = I’m getting some water

Without an article, it simply means some water in a general sense.

Yes, absolutely. That would sound very natural.

• ich hole Wasser = I’m getting water
• ich hole mir Wasser = I’m getting myself some water

The mir adds the idea for myself.

So the version with mir is a little more personal and explicit. Without mir, the sentence is more neutral and simply says the speaker is going to get water.

Both are correct; the choice depends on what you want to emphasize.

Yes, that would also be correct and natural.

• Ihr braucht nicht lange zu warten
• Ihr müsst nicht lange warten

Both can mean You won’t have to wait long or You don’t need to wait long.

A few notes:

• brauchen nicht zu often feels very natural for don’t need to
• müssen nicht also means don’t have to
• dürfen nicht is different: it means must not / are not allowed to

So:

• Ihr müsst nicht warten = You don’t have to wait
• Ihr dürft nicht warten = You must not wait

That distinction is very important for learners.

Because the sentence contains two main clauses:

1. Ihr braucht an der Raststätte nicht lange zu warten
2. ich hole nur schnell Wasser

Each clause has its own finite verb:

• braucht
• hole

The comma links the two closely related statements. In English, you might often use a comma plus I’m just getting some water, or split them into two separate sentences.

It also helps you see why hole is in second position again: after the comma, a new main clause begins.

German word order is flexible, but not random. The basic rule in a main clause is that the finite verb comes second, and then other elements can move around depending on emphasis and style.

So this part:

• Ihr braucht an der Raststätte nicht lange zu warten

could be rearranged a little without changing the core meaning, for example:

• Ihr braucht nicht lange an der Raststätte zu warten.

Both are understandable. The original version simply places the location earlier:

• an der Raststätte = at the rest stop

That sounds natural and keeps the sentence easy to follow. German often moves location phrases around more freely than English does.