Die Fahrkartenkopie genügt insofern, als der Preis sichtbar ist.

Fahrkartenkopie is a compound noun, which is very common in German.

It is made up of:

• Fahrkarte = ticket
• Kopie = copy

So Fahrkartenkopie means ticket copy or copy of the ticket.

Notice that Fahrkarte becomes Fahrkarten- inside the compound. That -n- is part of the form used here and is normal in many compounds. German often packs ideas into one long noun where English would use of.

So:

• eine Kopie der Fahrkarte = a copy of the ticket
• eine Fahrkartenkopie = a ticket copy

They mean essentially the same thing.

Because Kopie is a feminine noun in German: die Kopie.

In German compounds, the last part usually determines the gender of the whole word. Since the last part is Kopie, the whole noun is feminine:

• die Kopie
• die Fahrkartenkopie

So die is not coming from Fahrkarte here; it comes from the gender of Kopie.

Genügt is the 3rd person singular form of genügen, which means:

• to be enough
• to suffice
• to be sufficient

So Die Fahrkartenkopie genügt means something like:

• The ticket copy is sufficient
• The copy of the ticket is enough

This verb is a little more formal than everyday English be enough. In more casual German, people might often say reicht instead:

• Die Fahrkartenkopie reicht.

That means almost the same thing.

Yes. Genügen normally takes a dative object: it is enough for someone/something.

For example:

• Die Kopie genügt dem Kontrolleur. = The copy is sufficient for the inspector.
• Das genügt mir. = That is enough for me.

In your sentence, the dative object is not stated explicitly. It is just understood from the context. The sentence is focusing on the condition under which the copy is sufficient.

Insofern, als is a fairly formal expression. It means something like:

• insofar as
• to the extent that
• in that

So the sentence means that the copy is sufficient insofar as the price is visible.

This is not the most everyday way to say it. In more natural conversational German, people might say:

• Die Fahrkartenkopie genügt, wenn der Preis sichtbar ist.
• Die Fahrkartenkopie reicht, solange der Preis sichtbar ist.

But insofern, als is perfectly grammatical and has a more formal, written tone.

Because als der Preis sichtbar ist is a subordinate clause.

In German, subordinate clauses are separated by a comma. Here, als introduces that clause, so the comma is required:

• Die Fahrkartenkopie genügt insofern, als der Preis sichtbar ist.

German comma rules are stricter than English ones in this area. Even where English might sometimes omit punctuation, German usually requires it with subordinate clauses.

Because in a German subordinate clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end.

Here the subordinate clause is:

• als der Preis sichtbar ist

Its structure is:

• als = subordinating conjunction
• der Preis = subject
• sichtbar = predicate adjective
• ist = finite verb, placed at the end

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in German.

Compare:

• Main clause: Der Preis ist sichtbar.
• Subordinate clause: ..., als der Preis sichtbar ist.

Because der Preis is the subject of the subordinate clause.

The clause is:

• der Preis sichtbar ist = the price is visible

Here, der Preis is doing the action of being visible, so it must be in the nominative case.

If it were den Preis, that would be accusative, which would not fit this structure.

So:

• der Preis ist sichtbar = correct
• den Preis ist sichtbar = incorrect

Because sichtbar is not being used before a noun. It is being used predicatively, after the verb ist.

Compare:

• der sichtbare Preis = the visible price
  
  • here sichtbare is before the noun, so it gets an ending
• der Preis ist sichtbar = the price is visible
  
  • here sichtbar comes after ist, so it has no ending

This is the same pattern as:

• Das Haus ist groß.
• Die Tür ist offen.
• Der Preis ist sichtbar.

It is the same word, but used in a different function.

Als can mean several things in German, depending on context:

• than
  
  • größer als ich = taller than me
• when in the past
  
  • Als ich jung war ... = When I was young ...
• part of the formal expression insofern, als
  
  • insofern, als der Preis sichtbar ist

So in your sentence, als is not a comparison word and not a past-time when. It belongs to the expression insofern, als, which introduces an explanatory or limiting subordinate clause.

It is grammatical and understandable, but it sounds fairly formal and somewhat administrative or written.

A more everyday version would be:

• Die Fahrkartenkopie reicht, wenn der Preis sichtbar ist.
• Eine Kopie der Fahrkarte reicht, wenn man den Preis sehen kann.

So if you see insofern, als and genügt, you should think of a more formal register. It is the kind of wording you might find in instructions, regulations, or official communication rather than casual speech.