German Phrase
Mach alle Unterlagen fertig.
Meaning
‘Mach alle Unterlagen fertig.’ is a direct, informal command meaning ‘Finish all the documents.’ It tells the listener to complete the paperwork that is currently pending.
When to use
Use this phrase in a casual or semi‑formal workplace when you are speaking to a colleague, a junior employee, or a teammate you address with ‘du’. It is not appropriate in very formal settings where the Sie‑form is required.
✦Grammar Breakdown
MachalleUnterlagenfertig
Mach (imperative)
‘Mach’ is the du‑imperative of the verb machen. It is used for informal commands.
alle (determiner)
‘alle’ means ‘all’ and agrees with the plural noun that follows.
Unterlagen (noun, plural)
‘Unterlagen’ is a plural noun meaning ‘documents, paperwork, files’.
fertig (predicative adjective)
‘fertig’ is used predicatively after the verb to indicate completion: ‘finished, done’.
Word order
In a simple imperative clause the verb comes first, followed by objects and the adjective.
🗨In Conversation
Mach alle Unterlagen fertig, bitte.
Finish all the documents, please.
Klar, ich habe sie bis zum Mittag erledigt.
Sure, I’ll have them done by noon.
✕Common Mistakes
Machen alle Unterlagen fertig.
The infinitive ‘machen’ cannot be used for a direct command; you need the imperative ‘Mach’.
Mach die alle Unterlagen fertig.
Adding the article ‘die’ before ‘alle Unterlagen’ is redundant and sounds unnatural in an imperative.
Mach alle Unterlagen fertig machen.
‘Fertig machen’ is a separable verb meaning ‘to finish (something)’, but in this construction the adjective ‘fertig’ follows the object directly.
↔Alternatives
Bitte erledige alle Unterlagen.
Please take care of all the documents.
Schließe alle Unterlagen ab.
Close out all the documents.
Vervollständige alle Unterlagen.
Complete all the documents.
Cultural Tip
In German the choice of ‘du’ vs. ‘Sie’ is crucial. ‘Mach … fertig’ uses the informal ‘du’ and is fine with peers or subordinates, but with a manager or a client you would say ‘Machen Sie alle Unterlagen fertig.’ Also, ‘Unterlagen’ can refer to anything from contracts to school papers, so the context determines how formal the request should sound.