Breakdown of Ohne Licht auf der Straße finde ich den Weg nur schwer.
ich
I
finden
to find
die Straße
the street
auf
on
das Licht
the light
der Weg
the way
ohne
without
nur schwer
hardly
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Questions & Answers about Ohne Licht auf der Straße finde ich den Weg nur schwer.
Why is there no article before Licht?
In German you often leave out the article when talking about something in a general or uncountable sense. Here Licht means “light” in general (illumination), so no article is needed.
Why is auf der Straße used, and why is der in the dative case?
The preposition auf can take the dative when it indicates a location (“on the street”). Since Straße is feminine, the dative singular is der Straße. So auf der Straße literally means “on the street.”
Why is den Weg in the accusative case?
Weg is the direct object of finden. Because Weg is masculine (der Weg), its accusative form is den Weg.
How does the structure “finden + object + schwer” work?
In German you can say etwas schwer finden to express that you personally find something difficult. The pattern is: Subject + finden + Accusative Object + Adjective (or adverb). Here it’s ich finde den Weg (obj.) nur schwer (adv.).
What nuance does nur schwer add?
nur schwer means “only with difficulty,” i.e. “I can hardly find the way.” It’s different from sehr schwer (“very difficult”), because nur schwer emphasizes that you struggle or manage only with effort.
Why is finden in second position, and why is Ohne Licht auf der Straße placed at the beginning?
German main clauses require the finite verb in the second position (V2 word order). By fronting the adverbial phrase Ohne Licht auf der Straße, the verb finde remains in second place, and the subject ich follows it (“finde ich den Weg…”).
Could I say Nur schwer finde ich den Weg instead?
Yes. Fronting nur schwer is possible and emphasizes how difficult it is. You still keep the finite verb in second position: Nur schwer finde ich den Weg (ohne Licht auf der Straße).
Can I replace schwer with schwierig here?
You could say ich finde den Weg schwierig, but there’s a slight nuance: schwer finden focuses on your personal effort or difficulty, while schwierig describes the thing itself as challenging. Both are correct, but finde … schwer is more idiomatic for personal struggle.
How else could I express this idea in German?
You might say:
- Ohne Straßenbeleuchtung finde ich mich nur schwer zurecht.
- Ohne Licht auf der Straße habe ich Schwierigkeiten, den Weg zu finden.
Both convey the same meaning with slightly different phrasing.