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How to Say ‘Please do not touch the drain.’ in German

Bitte berühren Sie die Drainage nicht.

BIT-tuh beh-RUE-ren zee dee dreh-NAH-zheh nicht

[BIT-tuh beh-RUE-ren zee dee dreh-NAH-zheh nicht]

💬 Usage Tip: In a polite request, nicht goes to the very end. Same pattern: Bitte stehen Sie nicht auf "Please don't get up".

Phrase Breakdown

Bitte berühren Sie

BIT-tuh beh-RUE-ren zee

Please touch

'berühren' means to touch. Stress RÜ: be-RÜ-ren, with a long 'ü'.

Example

Bitte berühren Sie das nicht.

Please don't touch that.

Words in this phrase

Bitte

[BIT-tuh]

please

Polite word used in requests and offers.

Example

Kommen Sie bitte zum Schalter.

Please come to the counter.

berühren

[beh-RUE-ren]

touch

To make physical contact with something.

Example

Berühren Sie die Wunde nicht.

Don't touch the wound.

Sie

[zee]

you (formal)

Formal second person singular pronoun.

Example

Können Sie mir bitte folgen?

Can you please follow me?

die Drainage nicht.

dee dreh-NAH-zheh nicht

the drain not (don't touch the drain).

'Drainage' is pronounced the French way: dre-NAH-zhe. 'nicht' at the end makes it negative.

Example

Die Drainage bleibt zwei Tage.

The drain stays for two days.

Words in this phrase

die

[dee]

the

Definite article used to specify something already known.

Example

Die Katze ist süß.

The cat is cute.

Drainage

[dreh-NAH-zheh]

drain

A tube that removes fluid from a wound.

Example

Die Drainage wird morgen entfernt.

The drain will be removed tomorrow.

nicht

[nicht]

not

Used to negate a sentence.

Example

Dieses Angebot gibt's nicht mehr.

This offer no longer exists.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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