Breakdown of Patrouillieren Sie etwa ohne Hund?
der Hund
the dog
Sie
you (formal)
ohne
without
etwa
seriously / really (in questions)
patrouillieren
to patrol
Questions & Answers about Patrouillieren Sie etwa ohne Hund?
How does etwa change the tone of this question compared to just asking Patrouillieren Sie ohne Hund?
Without etwa, the question is a neutral request for information. Adding the modal particle etwa injects a strong sense of disbelief, concern, or surprise. It shifts the tone to mean something like 'Are you seriously...' or 'Don't tell me you are...' in English.
Why is it just ohne Hund instead of ohne einen Hund?
In German, the indefinite article is frequently dropped after the preposition ohne when talking about things in a general sense, especially tools, clothing, or typical accompaniments. Since the dog is viewed as a standard piece of equipment for a patrol rather than one specific dog, ohne Hund sounds much more natural.
The verb patrouillieren looks like a foreign word. Does it follow normal German verb rules?
Yes, it is a loanword from French, which is why it has the distinct -ill- spelling. Like almost all verbs ending in -ieren, it is a regular (weak) verb. If you needed to use it in the past perfect, remember that -ieren verbs do not take a ge- prefix, so the past participle would just be patrouilliert.
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