German Phrase
Achte auf die Geräusche um dich herum.
Meaning
The sentence tells someone to pay attention to the sounds that are happening around them. It is often used in situations where auditory awareness is important, such as safety briefings, nature walks, or meditation exercises.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to draw a listener’s focus to the surrounding soundscape – for example, before crossing a busy street, during a guided tour in a forest, or when practicing mindful listening.
✦Grammar Breakdown
AchteaufdieGeräuscheumdichherum
Imperativ (2. Person Singular)
‘Achte’ is the singular informal imperative of the verb ‘achten’, used to give a direct command to one person.
Präposition ‘auf’ + Akkusativ
‘auf’ governs the accusative case; therefore ‘die Geräusche’ is in the accusative plural.
Plural Akkusativ
‘die Geräusche’ is the plural accusative form of ‘das Geräusch’.
‘um … herum’ idiom
The construction ‘um dich herum’ means ‘around you’ and the pronoun ‘dich’ is in the accusative.
Reflexives Pronomen im Akkusativ
‘dich’ is the accusative reflexive pronoun referring to the listener.
🗨In Conversation
Achte auf die Geräusche um dich herum.
Pay attention to the sounds around you.
Ja, ich höre das Rauschen des Flusses und die Vögel.
Yes, I hear the river’s rush and the birds.
✕Common Mistakes
Achten auf die Geräusche um dich herum.
The infinitive ‘Achten’ cannot be used as a command; you need the imperative ‘Achte’.
Achte auf das Geräusch um dich herum.
The noun must be plural because you are referring to multiple sounds.
Achte auf die Geräusche herum um dich.
The idiom is ‘um dich herum’, not ‘herum um dich’.
↔Alternatives
Hör auf die Geräusche um dich herum.
Listen to the sounds around you.
Sei aufmerksam für die Geräusche um dich herum.
Be attentive to the sounds around you.
Bitte achte auf die Geräusche um dich herum.
Please pay attention to the sounds around you.
Cultural Tip
German imperatives can sound very direct. Adding ‘Bitte’ softens the command and makes it more polite. The phrase ‘um dich herum’ is a fixed idiom; placing ‘herum’ elsewhere (e.g., ‘Achte um die Geräusche herum auf dich’) sounds unnatural to native speakers.