Learn Hardcore German: Zwar habe ich schon eine Zustimmung, aber der Zugriff auf das System fehlt noch. - It’s true I already have an approval, but access to the system is still missing.

It’s a correlative pair meaning roughly “indeed … but,” confirming something in the first clause and contrasting it in the second. It’s very common and natural in German:

Zwar sits in the first clause.
aber starts the contrasting main clause. Example pattern: Zwar V2 …, aber V2 …

Why is the verb habe in second position after zwar?

Because zwar does not create a subordinate clause; it occupies the first position (the “prefield”), and German main clauses are verb‑second. So: Zwar | habe | ich …. The second clause with aber is also a main clause with verb‑second.

Could I rewrite this with obwohl?

Yes. Obwohl introduces a subordinate clause and pushes the finite verb to the end:

Obwohl ich schon eine Zustimmung habe, fehlt mir noch der Zugriff auf das System. This is equivalent in meaning but slightly more formal/neutral in style than the zwar … aber pair.

Does zwar always need aber?

In this concessive sense, yes: zwar is almost always paired with a contrastive connector, typically aber, but also doch, jedoch, or allerdings in appropriate registers:

Zwar habe ich …, aber/doch/jedoch/allerdings … Note: zwar also has another use in und zwar (“namely”), which is unrelated to this pattern.

Why is it eine Zustimmung? What case and gender are used?

Zustimmung is feminine, and here it’s the direct object of haben, so it’s accusative singular with the article eine:

Nominative: die Zustimmung
Accusative: die/eine Zustimmung (same noun form; article shows case)

How does fehlen work? Why is it der Zugriff ... fehlt and not something with “have”?

With fehlen, the thing that is missing is the grammatical subject (nominative), and the person affected can be in the dative:

Der Zugriff (subject) fehlt (verb) (mir) (dative). So you can say:
Der Zugriff auf das System fehlt noch.
Mir fehlt noch der Zugriff auf das System. English prefers “I don’t have …,” but German often uses this “is missing to me” structure.

Can I rephrase it using haben like in English?

Yes, perfectly natural:

… aber ich habe noch keinen Zugriff auf das System. Use keinen to negate the masculine noun Zugriff.

Why is it auf das System and not dative? How does auf work here?

The noun Zugriff conventionally governs auf + accusative to mark the target of access:

Zugriff auf das System Even though auf can take dative or accusative with verbs of location/motion, in set noun–preposition collocations like this, accusative is standard.

Can I contract auf das to aufs?

Yes:

der Zugriff aufs System It’s common and acceptable in writing. Auf das is slightly more neutral/formal; aufs is compact and idiomatic.

What’s the difference between Zugriff and Zugang?

Zugriff auf + Akk. focuses on the ability/permission to access or operate something (often technical/IT permissions).
Zugang zu + Dat. is “access/entry to” in a broader sense (availability or the ability to get in). Both can fit IT contexts, but collocations differ:
kein Zugriff auf das System
kein Zugang zum System

Is Zustimmung the best word for “approval/permission” here?

It depends on context:

Zustimmung: someone’s consent/assent (manager/colleague/committee).
Genehmigung: an official authorization/permit.
Erlaubnis: permission (general).
Freigabe: a release/unlock (common in corporate/IT workflows). So you might also say: Ich habe schon die Genehmigung/Freigabe, aber … depending on what exactly you received.

What does schon contribute here? Could I use bereits?

schon means “already” here. bereits also means “already” but is a bit more formal. Both fit:

Ich habe schon/bereits eine Zustimmung … Note: schon has other uses (e.g., as a modal particle), but here it’s straightforward temporal “already.”

How does noch work in fehlt noch? Can I move it?

noch means “still/yet” and modifies the state of lacking. You can shift it for emphasis:

Neutral: Der Zugriff fehlt noch.
Focus on time/aspect: Noch fehlt der Zugriff.
With dative: Mir fehlt noch der Zugriff (auf das System). All are grammatical; word order choices affect emphasis/information structure.

Is the comma before aber required?

Yes. aber here links two independent main clauses, so you must use a comma:

Zwar habe ich …, aber … There’s no comma after zwar; the comma goes before aber.

Could I replace aber with doch, jedoch, or allerdings?

doch (conjunction) is fine and a bit more emphatic: Zwar habe ich …, doch …
jedoch (adverb) is more formal: Zwar habe ich …, jedoch fehlt … (verb stays in second position).
allerdings (adverb) also works: Zwar habe ich …, allerdings fehlt … All three pair well with zwar, with slight register/tone differences.

Why not use sondern instead of aber?

sondern means “but rather” and requires a negation in the first clause. Since the first clause isn’t negated, aber (or doch/jedoch/allerdings) is correct:

Not: ✗ Zwar habe ich …, sondern …
Use: ✓ Zwar habe ich …, aber …

Can I change the order around zwar?

Yes, you can place zwar after the subject too; it still keeps verb‑second:

Ich habe zwar schon eine Zustimmung, aber … Both Zwar habe ich … and Ich habe zwar … are idiomatic; the second is more common in everyday speech.