Zieh die Bremse fest.

Tighten the brake firmly.

Breakdown of Zieh die Bremse fest.

• die Bremse: the brake
• festziehen: to tighten firmly

Questions & Answers about Zieh die Bremse fest.

Why is it zieh and not ziehen or du ziehst?

Zieh is the informal singular imperative form of the verb, used when giving a command to one person you address as du.

The full verb is festziehen. Its du form is:

• du ziehst die Bremse fest

To make the command, German usually drops du and uses the imperative form:

• Zieh die Bremse fest.

So zieh here means pull! / tighten! as a command.

---

Why is there no subject like du in the sentence?

In German, commands usually leave out the subject.

So instead of saying:

• Du ziehst die Bremse fest. = you are tightening the brake

you say:

• Zieh die Bremse fest. = tighten the brake / pull the brake tight

You can add du for emphasis:

• Zieh du die Bremse fest.

But normally, just Zieh ... is the standard way to give the command.

---

Why is fest at the end of the sentence?