Breakdown of Niemand darf während der Reparatur auf die Baustelle.
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
niemand
no one
die Reparatur
the repair
Questions & Answers about Niemand darf während der Reparatur auf die Baustelle.
Why does it say der Reparatur if Reparatur is a feminine word?
The preposition während (during) requires the Genitive case. Since Reparatur is a feminine noun (die Reparatur), its article changes to der in the Genitive.
Where is the verb for "to go" in this sentence?
It is simply left out! In German, when a sentence has a modal verb like darf (from dürfen, to be allowed to) and a clear destination like auf die Baustelle, you can drop the verb of motion (gehen). The movement is already obvious from the context.
Why do we use the Accusative case for auf die Baustelle instead of Dative?
auf is a two-way preposition. Even though the verb "to go" is missing, the sentence still describes movement towards a destination (going onto the site), so it takes the Accusative case (die Baustelle). If it were describing a static location (someone already at the site), it would take the Dative case (auf der Baustelle).
Can während mean anything other than "during"?
Yes! When used as a preposition followed by a noun phrase (like in this sentence), it means "during". However, it can also be used as a conjunction meaning "while" to connect two parts of a sentence, such as: Während er arbeitet, höre ich Musik (While he works, I listen to music).