Breakdown of Dein Passwort braucht zehn Zeichen, sonst hat der Hacker Zugriff.
haben
to have
brauchen
to need
zehn
ten
dein
your (informal)
das Passwort
the password
sonst
otherwise, or else
das Zeichen
the character (written symbol, sign)
der Zugriff
the access (to data, IT systems)
der Hacker
the hacker
Questions & Answers about Dein Passwort braucht zehn Zeichen, sonst hat der Hacker Zugriff.
Why is the verb hat right after sonst instead of after the subject der Hacker?
sonst is an adverbial connector, meaning it takes up the first position (Position 1) in the second clause. In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must always be in the second position. So, the verb hat comes immediately after sonst, pushing the subject der Hacker to the third position.
Could I put sonst later in the second clause?
Yes! Because sonst is an adverb, it can move around. You could say: ..., der Hacker hat sonst Zugriff. In this case, der Hacker takes the first position, the verb hat stays in the second position, and sonst moves to the middle of the sentence. Putting sonst at the beginning simply puts more emphasis on the 'otherwise' warning.
Is Zeichen singular or plural here?
It is plural here, meaning 'characters'. The noun das Zeichen (the character or sign) belongs to a group of German nouns that do not change their form in the plural. You can easily tell it is plural in this sentence because of the number zehn (ten) right before it.
Why does it say hat ... Zugriff instead of using a specific verb for 'to access'?
In German, it is very common to use the noun phrase Zugriff haben (literally 'to have access') rather than a single verb. While there is a verb for 'to access' (auf etwas zugreifen), using the noun phrase is standard and sounds very natural in this context.
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