German Phrase
Bestimme, wer wen anruft.
Meaning
The sentence is a command that asks the listener to find out which person is calling which other person. It is often used when sorting out phone logs, debugging communication flows, or in language‑learning exercises that focus on case usage.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need someone to identify the caller and the called party, for example in a call‑center briefing, a tech‑support scenario, or a classroom activity on German case grammar.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Bestimme,werwenanruft.
Imperativ (du‑Form)
‘Bestimme’ is the du‑imperative of ‘bestimmen’; the subject ‘du’ is omitted, which is typical for commands.
Trennbares Verb ‘anrufen’
In main clauses the prefix ‘an‑’ stands before the verb, but in subordinate clauses it moves to the end: ‘wer … anruft’.
Fragewörter ‘wer’ vs. ‘wen’
‘Wer’ is the nominative (subject) form, ‘wen’ is the accusative (object) form; together they ask ‘who calls whom’.
Komma nach dem Imperativ
A comma separates the imperative clause from the following subordinate clause, a common punctuation rule in German.
🗨In Conversation
Bestimme, wer wen anruft.
Determine who is calling whom.
Ich schaue nach – es ist Peter, der Maria anruft.
I'll check – it's Peter who is calling Maria.
✕Common Mistakes
Bestimme, wer wer anruft.
‘Wer’ is nominative; the object must be in accusative ‘wen’. Using ‘wer’ twice is grammatically wrong.
Bestimme, anruft wer wen.
In a subordinate clause the verb goes to the end; the correct order is ‘wer … anruft’.
Du bestimme, wer wen anruft.
The pronoun ‘du’ is not used with the imperative in standard German; it would sound unnatural.
↔Alternatives
Finde heraus, wer wen anruft.
Find out who is calling whom.
Bestimme, wer welchen Anruf tätigt.
Determine who makes which call.
Ermittele, wer wen anruft.
Identify who is calling whom.
Cultural Tip
In German imperatives the pronoun ‘du’ is usually omitted, so ‘Bestimme’ already addresses the listener directly. Also, remember that ‘anrufen’ is a separable verb; in subordinate clauses the prefix moves to the end, which can trip up learners who are used to English word order.