Breakdown of Falls ich mehr Zeit brauche, kann ich die Ausleihe online verlängern.
ich
I
brauchen
to need
die Zeit
the time
mehr
more
können
can
falls
if
online
online
die Ausleihe
the borrowing
verlängern
to extend
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Questions & Answers about Falls ich mehr Zeit brauche, kann ich die Ausleihe online verlängern.
Why is the verb brauche at the end of the subordinate clause Falls ich mehr Zeit brauche?
In German, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like falls push the finite verb to the final position. So even though in a main clause you’d say ich brauche mehr Zeit, in Falls ich mehr Zeit brauche the “needs” verb moves to the end.
What’s the difference between falls and wenn, since both can translate as if in English?
- Wenn is used for general conditions, repeated events, or factual “when.”
- Falls is more like “in case” or a single hypothetical “if.”
In your sentence, falls stresses “in case I need more time” rather than a regular condition.
Why does kann appear before ich in kann ich die Ausleihe online verlängern instead of ich kann?
After a subordinate clause (everything up to the comma), the next clause is a main clause. That subordinate clause counts as the “first element,” so the finite verb moves into first position in the main clause, causing Verb-Subject inversion: kann ich.
Is verlängern a separable verb? Why isn’t ver- split off in die Ausleihe online verlängern?
verlängern belongs to the inseparable-prefix verbs (prefix ver- never detaches). You’ll never see ver- split in any tense or clause; it stays attached to längern.
Why is online not capitalized here, even though many German words are?
In this sentence online functions as an adverb (borrowed from English) modifying verlängern. Only nouns in German are capitalized, so adverbs like online remain lowercase.
What does Ausleihe mean exactly, and why is it die Ausleihe in this context?
Ausleihe is a feminine noun meaning “loan” or “borrowing” (e.g. checking out a book). Here it’s the direct object of verlängern, so it’s in the accusative case. Feminine nominative and accusative both use die, hence die Ausleihe.
What case is mehr Zeit in Falls ich mehr Zeit brauche, and how do I recognize it?
Mehr Zeit is in the accusative case because brauchen takes a direct object. “Zeit” is feminine, so the accusative form is the same as the nominative: die Zeit.
Could I rephrase Falls ich mehr Zeit brauche as Wenn ich mehr Zeit habe, and would it mean the same?
You can say Wenn ich mehr Zeit habe (“if/when I have more time”), but the nuance shifts:
- Falls ich mehr Zeit brauche: “in case I need more time” (focus on the potential need)
- Wenn ich mehr Zeit habe: “when or if I actually have more time” (focus on possession of extra time).
Why isn’t there a zu before verlängern after the modal verb kann?
With modal verbs like können, the following main verb appears as a bare infinitive (no zu). You only use zu in other infinitive constructions, for example: Ich versuche, die Ausleihe zu verlängern.