German Phrase
Pass auf dich auf!
Meaning
A friendly, informal way to tell someone to look after themselves. It literally means ‘watch out for yourself’, but in everyday speech it functions like the English ‘take care!’
When to use
Use it when parting from friends, family, or anyone you address with du. It’s too informal for business or strangers; in those cases you would switch to the formal version.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Passaufdichauf
Imperative (du)
For regular verbs, the du‑imperative is formed by dropping the -en ending; here the verb is the separable aufpassen, so the stem is ‘pass’.
Separable prefix
‘auf’ is a separable prefix that moves to the end of the clause in main clauses, giving the pattern ‘Pass … auf’.
Reflexive pronoun
‘dich’ is the accusative reflexive pronoun that refers back to the subject (you).
🗨In Conversation
Pass auf dich auf!
Take care of yourself!
Danke, du auch!
Thanks, you too!
✕Common Mistakes
Pass auf dich!
The separable prefix ‘auf’ must appear at the end of the clause; omitting the second ‘auf’ makes the sentence incomplete.
Pass dich auf!
The order of the reflexive pronoun and the prefix is fixed: ‘Pass … auf’, not ‘Pass … auf dich’.
Pass auf Sie auf!
When speaking formally you must use the formal verb form and reflexive pronoun: ‘Passen Sie gut auf sich auf!’
↔Alternatives
Mach's gut!
Take it easy / Bye!
Pass gut auf dich auf!
Take good care of yourself!
Bleib gesund!
Stay healthy!
Cultural Tip
German distinguishes between du (informal) and Sie (formal). The formal counterpart is ‘Passen Sie gut auf sich auf!’ – note the change of the reflexive pronoun to ‘sich’. Also remember that ‘aufpassen’ can mean ‘to watch out for something’, so context matters: ‘Pass auf den Verkehr auf!’ means ‘Watch out for traffic!’