Breakdown of Wir brauchten das Passwort, sonst funktionierte der Drucker nicht.
wir
we
brauchen
to need
nicht
not
funktionieren
to work (function)
der Drucker
the printer
das Passwort
the password
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
sonst
otherwise, or else
Questions & Answers about Wir brauchten das Passwort, sonst funktionierte der Drucker nicht.
Why does the verb funktionierte come right after sonst, before the subject der Drucker?
sonst (otherwise) is an adverbial connector. When it starts a clause, it takes up the first position. In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must always be in the second position (V2 word order). Therefore, the verb funktionierte comes next, and the subject der Drucker is pushed to the third position.
Why does this sentence use the simple past tense (brauchten, funktionierte) instead of the spoken past (Perfekt)?
While the spoken past (Perfekt) is more common in everyday conversation, certain verbs like brauchen (to need) are frequently used in the simple past (Präteritum) even when speaking. This is similar to how you use sein, haben, and modal verbs. The verb funktionieren is used in the simple past here to match the tense of the first clause.
Why is nicht at the very end of the sentence instead of next to the verb?
In German, when you negate an entire action or clause rather than a specific word, nicht usually goes to the end of the sentence. Here, it negates the entire idea that the printer was working, so it gets pushed to the end.
Could I use ansonsten instead of sonst in this sentence?
Yes! ansonsten means exactly the same thing as sonst (otherwise) and is completely interchangeable here. It is also an adverbial connector, so the word order would stay exactly the same: ... ansonsten funktionierte der Drucker nicht.
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