Breakdown of Er reparierte die Kaffeemaschine, ohne dass ich etwas bemerkte.
ich
I
er
he
reparieren
to repair
bemerken
to notice
Questions & Answers about Er reparierte die Kaffeemaschine, ohne dass ich etwas bemerkte.
What does the connector ohne dass do here?
It introduces a subordinate clause meaning “without the (fact) that …,” i.e., it states that the event in the subordinate clause did not occur. So the main action happened, but the thing in the dass-clause did not. It’s an adverbial clause of accompanying circumstance.
Why is bemerkte at the end of the subordinate clause?
Because dass is a subordinating conjunction. In German subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the end: ohne dass [ich etwas bemerkte]. This verb-final order is mandatory.
Can I use the infinitive construction ohne … zu instead?
Only if the understood subject of both actions is the same.
- Different subjects (as in the original): you must use ohne dass → Er reparierte …, ohne dass ich etwas bemerkte.
- Same subject: you can use ohne … zu → Er reparierte …, ohne etwas zu bemerken (= he didn’t notice anything). Note that ohne mich zu bemerken means “without noticing me,” still with “he” as the subject of noticing.
Why is it dass and not das?