Learn Hardcore German: Ohne die PIN kann meine Schwester mit ihrer Girokarte nichts abheben. - Without the PIN my sister cannot withdraw anything with her debit card.

ohne always governs the accusative case. PIN is feminine in German (it stands for Persönliche Identifikationsnummer, a feminine noun), so in the accusative it stays die PIN. Examples: ohne die Karte, ohne einen Ausweis, ohne ihre PIN.

Why is kann in second position even though the sentence starts with Ohne die PIN?

German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the conjugated verb is always the second element. A non-subject phrase like Ohne die PIN can occupy the first position, pushing the verb (kann) into second, and the subject (meine Schwester) comes after it.

Why is abheben at the end of the sentence?

With modal verbs like können, the main verb appears as an infinitive at the end: kann … abheben. Note that abheben is separable, but with a modal it stays together in infinitive form. Without a modal: Meine Schwester hebt … ab.

What’s the difference between nichts abheben, kein Geld abheben, and nicht abheben?

nichts abheben: “withdraw nothing,” i.e., zero amount; very idiomatic because the object “money” is implied with abheben.
kein Geld abheben: explicitly “withdraw no money/any money.”
nicht abheben: a general negation of the action; it doesn’t specify the object. Depending on placement, it can negate different parts (e.g., nicht mit ihrer Girokarte abheben).

Why is it mit ihrer Girokarte and not something like mit ihre Girokarte or mit ihren Girokarte?

mit always takes the dative case. Girokarte is feminine; the dative feminine ending for the possessive ihr- is ihrer. So: mit ihrer Girokarte. Compare: nominative/accusative feminine ihre, dative/genitive feminine ihrer.

Could I say Ohne PIN without the article? Is there a difference from Ohne die PIN?

Both are fine. Ohne PIN is more generic (no PIN at all). Ohne die PIN points to a specific, contextually known PIN (the one for that card). In everyday speech, you’ll hear both; choose based on whether you mean a specific PIN.

Why is it meine Schwester and not meiner Schwester?

Here, meine Schwester is the subject of the sentence, so it’s nominative. meiner Schwester would be dative (e.g., after mit, zu, or as an indirect object), which isn’t the role it plays here.

Do I need a comma after PIN in Ohne die PIN kann …?

No. Ohne die PIN is just a prepositional phrase, not a subordinate clause. German doesn’t set off introductory prepositional phrases with commas.

What does Girokarte mean, and are there synonyms?

Girokarte is a common term in Germany for a bank debit card linked to a checking account. Synonyms you’ll hear: EC-Karte (older term still widely used), Bankkarte (generic). The official brand today is often written girocard.

Is PIN really feminine? Could I say der/den PIN?

Standard usage is feminine: die PIN (from die Nummer). You’ll hear nonstandard masculine in casual speech, but the recommended and most widely accepted form is feminine. Also, PIN-Nummer is common but strictly speaking redundant.

How do Germans pronounce PIN?

Most say it like the English word “pin” (short i). Spelling it out letter by letter is rarer in everyday speech.

Why nichts and not nicht? And is nix okay?

nichts is the pronoun “nothing,” while nicht is the adverb “not.” Here you need the pronoun as the (implicit) object of abheben. nix is a colloquial variant of nichts; fine in informal speech, avoid in formal writing.

Can I move mit ihrer Girokarte elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes, German allows flexible word order in the middle field. Natural variants include:

Ohne die PIN kann meine Schwester mit ihrer Girokarte nichts abheben.
Ohne die PIN kann meine Schwester nichts mit ihrer Girokarte abheben. (slight emphasis on the card) Avoid: … kann … abheben nichts (incorrect placement).

What’s the “sentence bracket” people mention in German?

German main clauses often form a bracket (Satzklammer) around the middle field. Here the left bracket is the finite verb kann, and the right bracket is the infinitive abheben: kann … abheben.

Could I use darf instead of kann?

You can, but it changes the nuance.

kann: not able to (the machine won’t let her without a PIN).
darf: not allowed to (a rule or permission issue). Both are plausible; choose based on whether you mean ability/possibility or permission.

Why is ihrer lowercase here? When would Ihrer/Ihre be capitalized?

Lowercase ihrer means “her.” Capitalized Ihrer/Ihre is the formal “your.” So mit Ihrer Girokarte would address someone politely (“with your card,” formal).