Breakdown of Wer kein Geld hat, bleibt draußen.
haben
to have
kein
no, not any
das Geld
the money
wer
who
draußen
outside
bleiben
to stay
Questions & Answers about Wer kein Geld hat, bleibt draußen.
Why does this sentence use Wer instead of a regular relative pronoun like der or die?
Here, Wer acts as a free relative pronoun. This means it does not refer back to a specific noun (like 'the man who'). Instead, it stands completely on its own to mean 'whoever' or 'anyone who'.
What case is Wer in this sentence?
It is in the nominative case because it acts as the subject of the verb hat. If it were the direct object of the relative clause (for example, 'Whoever I see...'), it would change to the accusative wen.
Why does the second part of the sentence start directly with the verb bleibt?
In German, the conjugated verb of a main clause must sit in position 2. Here, the entire relative clause (Wer kein Geld hat) acts as one giant subject block occupying position 1. Therefore, the verb bleibt must follow immediately to take position 2.
Can I add a pronoun to the second half, like 'Wer kein Geld hat, der bleibt draußen'?
Yes! It is very common to add a pointing pronoun like der in the main clause to refer back to Wer. It adds a little emphasis, but as this sentence shows, leaving it out is completely correct too.
Why use draußen instead of aus for 'outside'?
Draußen is an adverb of location that describes being situated outdoors or outside of a place. Aus is a preposition meaning 'out of' (like moving out of a building) and would require a specific noun to follow it.
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