Breakdown of Ich brauche mehr Speicher auf dem Computer.
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
ich
I
brauchen
to need
mehr
more
auf
on
der Computer
the computer
der Speicher
the memory
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Questions & Answers about Ich brauche mehr Speicher auf dem Computer.
Why is mehr used here instead of viel?
viel means “a lot” or “much,” whereas mehr is the comparative form of viel meaning “more.” To express needing an additional amount of storage, you use mehr.
Why is there no article before mehr Speicher?
Here Speicher is an uncountable noun and mehr functions as a quantity determiner. In German, when you indicate an increased amount of something uncountable, you omit the article—just like “more storage” in English rather than “more of the storage.”
What case is dem Computer, and why is dem used?
The preposition auf is one of the Wechselpräpositionen (“two-way prepositions”). When it expresses location (static position) rather than direction, it takes the dative case. The masculine noun Computer in dative singular is dem Computer, so auf dem Computer = “on the computer.”
Could you say am Computer or im Computer instead of auf dem Computer?
- am Computer (contraction of an dem Computer) usually means “at the computer” (i.e. physically sitting at it).
- im Computer (“in the computer”) suggests something inside the hardware itself.
For file or data storage, German speakers typically use auf dem Computer (“on the computer”) as a logical surface for files.
What’s the difference between Speicher, Speicherplatz, Festplattenspeicher, and Arbeitsspeicher?
- Speicher: general term for memory or storage (RAM or disk).
- Speicherplatz: emphasizes available capacity on a drive (“storage space”).
- Festplattenspeicher: specifically hard-disk or SSD storage.
- Arbeitsspeicher: the computer’s RAM (working memory).
If I want specifically RAM, how should I phrase it?
You would say Ich brauche mehr Arbeitsspeicher to clearly indicate you need more RAM rather than more disk space.
Does the verb brauchen always take a direct object in the accusative?
Yes. brauchen is a transitive verb in German, so it requires a direct object in the accusative case. In Ich brauche mehr Speicher, the phrase mehr Speicher is the accusative object.