Breakdown of Ich brauche den Benutzernamen, um mich einzuloggen, sonst blockiert das System mein Konto.
ich
I
brauchen
to need
mein
my
das Konto
the account
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das System
the system
um ... zu
in order to
sonst
otherwise, or else
blockieren
to block
sich einloggen
to log in
der Benutzername
the username
Questions & Answers about Ich brauche den Benutzernamen, um mich einzuloggen, sonst blockiert das System mein Konto.
Why is the verb blockiert right after sonst?
The word sonst (otherwise) is an adverbial connector. In German, it takes up the first position in its clause. The conjugated verb must always be in the second position, so blockiert comes immediately after sonst, and the subject das System is pushed to the third position.
Why is the word zu stuck in the middle of einzuloggen?
The verb einloggen (to log in) is a separable verb. When you use a separable verb in an um ... zu (in order to) clause, the zu gets squeezed between the separable prefix (ein) and the main verb (loggen) to form a single word: einzuloggen.
Why do we need the word mich here?
In German, logging in is a reflexive verb: sich einloggen (literally: to log oneself in). Because the implied subject doing the logging in is ich (I), the reflexive pronoun must be mich.
Why does Benutzername end with an -n here (den Benutzernamen)?
The verb brauchen (to need) requires the accusative case. The word Benutzername is masculine (der), so the article changes to den. Additionally, words ending in -name belong to a special group of masculine nouns (called weak nouns or N-declension nouns) that must add an -n to the end in the accusative case.
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