Breakdown of Ohne die Lupe könnte er die Präzision nicht erreichen.
er
he
nicht
not
können
can / to be able to
ohne
without
erreichen
to achieve / to reach (a level)
die Präzision
the precision
die Lupe
the magnifying glass
Questions & Answers about Ohne die Lupe könnte er die Präzision nicht erreichen.
Why is könnte used here instead of kann?
könnte is the Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) form of können. It is used because the sentence describes a hypothetical situation: he would not be able to achieve the precision if he did not have the magnifying glass.
Why is the word order könnte er instead of er könnte?
The sentence begins with the prepositional phrase Ohne die Lupe, which occupies the first position. Because the conjugated verb must stay in the second position in a standard main clause, könnte comes immediately after, pushing the subject er to the third position.
Is there a reliable way to remember the gender of Präzision?
Yes! Almost all German nouns ending in the suffix -ion (such as die Präzision, die Situation, die Aktion) are feminine.
What case is die Lupe in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case. The preposition ohne strictly requires the accusative. You cannot visually see the change because the feminine article die is identical in both nominative and accusative, but it is grammatically accusative here.
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