Breakdown of Dieser Schrott ist das Geld auf keinen Fall wert!
sein
to be
das Geld
the money
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
auf keinen Fall
absolutely not, no way
Questions & Answers about Dieser Schrott ist das Geld auf keinen Fall wert!
Why is das Geld in the accusative case here instead of the nominative, since the verb is ist?
Usually, the verb sein (to be) connects two nominative nouns. However, the adjective wert (worth) is a special exception. It strictly requires an accusative object to express what something is worth. That is why we use the accusative das Geld right before the adjective.
Why is wert at the very end of the sentence? In English we say 'worth the money', not 'the money worth'.
In German, adjectives that govern the accusative case (like wert, gewohnt, or los) are placed after the object they refer to. When used with a verb like sein, the adjective gets pushed all the way to the end of the sentence, acting a bit like a separable verb prefix.
What does auf keinen Fall literally mean, and why is it in the accusative case?
It literally means 'in no case' and is a great B2-level chunk that translates to 'absolutely not' or 'under no circumstances'. The preposition auf is a two-way preposition, but in this specific abstract idiom, it always takes the accusative. Because der Fall is masculine, it becomes auf keinen Fall.
Could I just use nicht instead of auf keinen Fall to say it isn't worth the money?