German Phrase
Leg dich hin, schütz dich und halt dich fest.
Meaning
‘Lie down, protect yourself and hold on tight.’ The sentence is a rapid series of urgent instructions, often used in a dangerous or emergency situation.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need to give someone quick, decisive advice in a risky moment – for example during a storm, a fall, or any situation where the person must stay low, shield themselves, and brace themselves.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Leg dich hinschütz dichundhalt dich fest
Imperative (du‑form)
For most verbs the du‑imperative is the verb stem plus –e (e.g. *schütze*). In colloquial speech the –e is often dropped, giving *schütz*.
Reflexive pronoun
When the verb is reflexive (sich hinlegen, sich schützen, sich festhalten) the reflexive pronoun *dich* stays after the verb in the imperative.
Separable verbs
In *Leg dich hin* the prefix *hin* belongs to *hinlegen* and moves to the end of the clause in the imperative.
Conjunction *und*
The conjunction *und* simply links the three commands; each command can stand alone.
🗨In Conversation
Leg dich hin, schütz dich und halt dich fest.
Lie down, protect yourself and hold on tight.
Okay, ich mache das sofort.
Okay, I’ll do that right away.
✕Common Mistakes
Leg dich hin, schütze dich und halt dich fest.
In fast spoken German the -e is often omitted; *schütz dich* is acceptable in informal speech, but *schütze dich* is the standard written form.
Leg dich hin, schütz dich und halte dich fest.
The imperative of *sich festhalten* is *halt dich fest* (colloquial) or *halte dich fest* (standard). Mixing forms can sound odd.
Leg hin, schütz und halt fest.
Leaving out the reflexive pronoun makes the command ungrammatical: *Leg hin* is incorrect.
↔Alternatives
Leg dich hin, schütze dich und halte dich fest.
Lie down, protect yourself and hold yourself tight.
Leg dich hin, pass auf dich auf und halte dich fest.
Lie down, look after yourself and hold on tight.
Leg dich hin, schütze dich und halte dich gut fest.
Lie down, protect yourself and hold on firmly.
Cultural Tip
German imperatives are usually short and to the point, especially in urgent contexts. The colloquial dropping of the -e in *schütz* is common in spoken German, but in formal writing you should keep the -e (*schütze*). Also, avoid adding *bitte* in a life‑or‑death situation – the direct command conveys the seriousness of the instruction.