Breakdown of Ohne Ausweis bekommst du keinen Zugang zum Gebäude.
du
you
kein
no
ohne
without
bekommen
to get
das Gebäude
the building
zum
to the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
der Zugang
the access
der Ausweis
the ID card
Questions & Answers about Ohne Ausweis bekommst du keinen Zugang zum Gebäude.
Why is it “bekommst du” instead of “du bekommst” after the opening phrase?
German main clauses are verb-second. If you put a non-subject element like Ohne Ausweis (a prepositional phrase) in first position, the finite verb must come second and the subject follows it: Ohne Ausweis bekommst du … If you start with the subject, it’s Du bekommst … Both are correct; fronting Ohne Ausweis highlights the condition.
Why is it keinen Zugang and not kein Zugang or nicht Zugang?
- Zugang is masculine and here it’s a direct object (accusative), so the negative article declines to keinen (masc. acc.).
- Use kein- to negate a noun phrase without an article; use nicht to negate verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or a specific/definite noun phrase.
- Compare:
- Du bekommst keinen Zugang. (no access at all)
- Du bekommst den Zugang nicht. (you don’t get the/a particular access)
What case does ohne take?
Ohne always governs the accusative:
- ohne Ausweis
- ohne den Ausweis
- ohne einen Ausweis
Why is there no article before Ausweis? Could I say ohne einen Ausweis or ohne deinen Ausweis?
German often omits the indefinite article after ohne when speaking generally: ohne Ausweis = without ID (in general). Ohne einen Ausweis is also correct but less common; it can feel a bit more “one single ID” or slightly more explicit. With a specific reference, you’d use a determiner: ohne deinen/Ihren Ausweis.
What does zum mean here?
Why is it Zugang zum Gebäude and not something with in?
The standard collocation is Zugang zu + dative (“access to” something). It describes permission/availability rather than physical motion. If you emphasize entering the inside, you’d use in with the accusative: ins Gebäude (= in das Gebäude). With Zutritt, you’ll commonly see Zutritt zum Gebäude; Zutritt ins Gebäude also occurs but zu is more typical in this context.
What’s the difference between Zugang, Zutritt, and Eintritt?
- Zugang: access in a broad sense (physical, digital, resources). Example: Kein Zugang zum WLAN.
- Zutritt: permission to enter a place; very common on signs/security contexts. Example: Ohne Ausweis hast du keinen Zutritt zum Gebäude.
- Eintritt: the act of entering/admission (often with a fee). Example: Eintritt ins Museum kostet 10 €.
Is there a formal version for addressing strangers?
Can I place the ohne-phrase elsewhere in the sentence?
Why not keinem Zugang?
Because bekommen takes a direct object in the accusative. Zugang is masculine accusative, hence keinen Zugang, not dative keinem Zugang.
What are the genders and plurals of the key nouns?
- der Ausweis (ID), plural: die Ausweise
- der Zugang (access), plural: die Zugänge
- das Gebäude (building), plural: die Gebäude
How do you pronounce the tricky parts?
- ohne: [OH-nuh] (long o)
- Ausweis: [OWS-vyce] (the initial z-like sound is s; the w is like English v)
- Zugang: [TSOO-gahng] (z = ts)
- Gebäude: [guh-BOY-duh] (äu = “oy”)
Can I use nicht instead of kein if there’s a definite article?
Yes, but it changes the meaning. Kein negates the existence of the noun phrase; nicht negates the statement or a specific, definite item:
- Du bekommst keinen Zugang zum Gebäude. (You get no access.)
- Du bekommst den Zugang zum Gebäude nicht. (You don’t get that particular access—less typical phrasing unless “den Zugang” has been specified.)
Is the tense here present or future? Could I say wirst … bekommen?
It’s present tense. German often uses the present for future meaning when context makes it clear. Du wirst … bekommen is grammatical but sounds unnecessary here; the plain present is the natural choice for rules and restrictions.
Do I need a comma after Ohne Ausweis?
No. It’s just a fronted prepositional phrase in a main clause, so no comma is required. Commas would appear with subordinate clauses, nonessential insertions, lists, etc.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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