German Phrase
Halte sie sicher.
Meaning
‘Halte sie sicher.’ is an informal command meaning ‘Keep them safe.’ It can refer to people, animals, objects or even abstract things that need protection.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are speaking to a friend, family member, or colleague in a casual setting and you want to ask them to look after something or someone. For a formal request you would say ‘Halten Sie sie sicher.’
✦Grammar Breakdown
Haltesiesicher
Imperative (2nd pers. sg.)
‘Halte’ is the singular informal imperative of the verb ‘halten’ (to hold/keep).
Accusative pronoun ‘sie’
‘sie’ is the accusative personal pronoun meaning ‘her’ or ‘them’ (context decides).
Adverb ‘sicher’
‘sicher’ functions as an adverb here, meaning ‘safely’ or ‘in a safe way’.
🗨In Conversation
Halte sie sicher.
Keep them safe.
Keine Sorge, ich passe gut auf sie auf.
Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them.
✕Common Mistakes
Halten sie sicher.
Missing the capital ‘S’ for the formal ‘Sie’ and using the infinitive instead of the imperative.
Halte Sie sicher.
Mixes informal verb form ‘Halte’ with formal pronoun ‘Sie’; either use ‘Halte sie …’ (informal) or ‘Halten Sie …’ (formal).
Halte sie sicherlich.
‘Sicherlich’ means ‘certainly’, not ‘safely’. Use ‘sicher’ as the adverb.
↔Alternatives
Pass gut auf sie auf.
Take good care of them.
Beschütze sie.
Protect them.
Sorge dafür, dass sie sicher sind.
Make sure they are safe.
Cultural Tip
German imperatives change with the level of politeness. ‘Halte’ is informal singular; the formal version is ‘Halten Sie’. Also, ‘sie’ is lowercase for the third‑person pronoun but capitalized (Sie) when it means the formal ‘you’. Mixing the informal verb form with a capitalized ‘Sie’ is a common error.