SpeeekDownload on the App Store
Back to Daily Routine

German Phrase

Ich mache alle Lichter aus.

/ɪç ˈmaːçə ˈʔalə ˈlɪçtɐ aʊs/
Meaning"I turn off all the lights."
💡

Meaning

Literally, ‘I make all lights off.’ In everyday German it means ‘I turn off all the lights.’ The construction uses ‘machen … aus’ as a colloquial way to express turning something off.

🎯

When to use

Use this sentence when you are leaving a room, an office, or a house and want to switch off every light at once. It’s also handy when you’re telling a roommate or colleague that you’ve already taken care of the lighting.

✦Grammar Breakdown

IchmachealleLichteraus

1

Subject Pronoun

‘Ich’ is the first‑person singular pronoun, used for the speaker.

2

Verb ‘machen’ (present)

‘mache’ is the 1st person singular present form of ‘machen’ – to do/make.

3

Indefinite Determiner ‘alle’

‘alle’ means ‘all’ and agrees with the plural noun that follows.

4

Plural Noun ‘Lichter’

‘Lichter’ is the plural of ‘Licht’ (light), used here for many light sources.

5

Separable Particle ‘aus’

‘aus’ is the particle of the separable verb ‘ausschalten’. When combined with ‘machen’, it is placed at the end of the clause.

🗨In Conversation

A

Kannst du bitte das Licht im Flur ausschalten?

Could you please turn off the light in the hallway?

Ich mache alle Lichter aus.

I’m turning off all the lights.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ich mache alle Licht aus.

    ‘Licht’ is singular; you need the plural ‘Lichter’ when referring to many lights.

  • Ich aus mache alle Lichter.

    The separable particle ‘aus’ must stay at the end of the clause, not before the verb.

  • Ich mache aus alle Lichter.

    Word order should be ‘verb – object – particle’, not ‘verb – particle – object’.

↔Alternatives

  • Ich schalte alle Lichter aus.

    I switch off all the lights.

  • Ich drehe alle Lichter aus.

    I turn off all the lights.

  • Alle Lichter gehen aus.

    All the lights go out.

de

Cultural Tip

In Germany, especially in offices and public buildings, turning off lights when you leave a room is considered polite and environmentally responsible. ‘Lichter’ is used for multiple light sources; for a single source you would say ‘das Licht’. The phrase ‘machen … aus’ is informal – in formal contexts you might prefer ‘ausschalten’ or ‘abschalten’. Regional dialects sometimes replace ‘Lichter’ with ‘Lampen’, but the meaning stays the same.