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Breakdown of Ich habe die Quittung an der Kasse ausgedruckt bekommen.
ich
I
haben
to have
an
at
der
the; (feminine, dative)
die Kasse
the checkout
die Quittung
the receipt
ausgedruckt bekommen
to get printed out
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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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Questions & Answers about Ich habe die Quittung an der Kasse ausgedruckt bekommen.
What does the construction ausgedruckt bekommen mean here?
It means “to get/have something printed (out) for you.” The idea is that someone else did the printing, and you are the recipient of the result: “I got the receipt printed at the checkout.”
Is this a kind of passive?
Yes. It’s the so‑called bekommen-passive (also called recipient passive). It focuses on the person who benefits/receives the result: Ich habe die Quittung … ausgedruckt bekommen = “I got the receipt printed.” It’s different from the standard process passive with werden.
Who did the printing—me or someone else?
Someone else. Ausgedruckt bekommen implies that another person (e.g., the cashier) performed the action and you received the printed receipt.
How would the regular passive with werden look, and what’s the difference?
Regular passive (focus on the receipt/process): Die Quittung wurde an der Kasse ausgedruckt.
Recipient passive (focus on you as beneficiary): Ich habe die Quittung an der Kasse ausgedruckt bekommen.
You cannot say Ich wurde die Quittung ausgedruckt—that’s ungrammatical.
Can I say Ich habe die Quittung an der Kasse ausgedruckt instead?
That would mean “I printed the receipt at the checkout” (you did it yourself). The original sentence says someone else printed it for you.
Could I use kriegen or erhalten instead of bekommen?
- kriegen is more colloquial: Ich habe die Quittung an der Kasse ausgedruckt gekriegt.
- erhalten is more formal/official: Ich habe die Quittung an der Kasse ausgedruckt erhalten.
All three are understood; choose based on register.
What’s the difference between bekommen and lassen here?
With lassen you highlight that you arranged/initiated it and you use a dative pronoun: Ich habe mir die Quittung an der Kasse ausdrucken lassen.
With bekommen you highlight the result you received: Ich habe die Quittung an der Kasse ausgedruckt bekommen.
Avoid mixing them: Ich habe mir … ausgedruckt bekommen is generally considered wrong/unidiomatic.
Why is ausgedruckt bekommen at the end?
German verb brackets push non-finite parts to the end. Ausdrucken is separable, so its participle is ausgedruckt, and with the bekommen-passive in the perfect you get the cluster … ausgedruckt bekommen at the end of the clause.
Can I mention who printed it?
Yes, with von + dative: Ich habe die Quittung an der Kasse von der Kassiererin ausgedruckt bekommen.
Why is it an der Kasse and not something else?
- an with a static location takes the dative: an der Kasse (“at the checkout”).
- It’s an idiomatic collocation in shops: an der Kasse warten/bezahlen.
- bei der Kasse can work in some contexts, but an der Kasse is the standard phrase for “at the cash register/checkout.”
Why not am Kasse?
am = an dem (masculine/neuter dative). Kasse is feminine, so you need an der.
Why die Quittung (accusative) and not den Quittung?
Because Quittung is feminine. The accusative singular article for feminine nouns is die: die Quittung.
What’s the difference between Quittung, Beleg, Bon/Kassenbon, and Rechnung?
- Bon/Kassenbon: till receipt from a store.
- Beleg: generic “receipt/proof” (very common).
- Quittung: a formal receipt acknowledging payment, often signed/stamped; in everyday speech it can overlap with Beleg.
- Rechnung: invoice/bill (lists what you owe; not necessarily proof of payment).
Could I use gedruckt instead of ausgedruckt?
You could, but ausgedruckt fits better for something printed out by a machine at a point of sale. drucken is more general; ausdrucken emphasizes “print out.”
Where else can I put an der Kasse in the sentence?
Common variants:
- Ich habe an der Kasse die Quittung ausgedruckt bekommen.
- Ich habe die Quittung ausgedruckt an der Kasse bekommen. (less common; can sound marked)
Positioning affects emphasis but not core meaning.
How do I negate this?
Place nicht before the verb cluster, or to target the location:
- General negation: Ich habe die Quittung an der Kasse nicht ausgedruckt bekommen.
- Negating the place: Ich habe die Quittung nicht an der Kasse ausgedruckt bekommen (sondern am Servicepunkt).
How does this look in the simple past (preterite)?
Ich bekam die Quittung an der Kasse ausgedruckt. In everyday speech, the perfect (habe … bekommen) is more common; preterite is typical in writing.
What happens in a subordinate clause?
The finite verb (habe) goes to the very end: …, dass ich die Quittung an der Kasse ausgedruckt bekommen habe.
If I replace die Quittung with a pronoun, where does it go?
Pronouns tend to come earlier: Ich habe sie an der Kasse ausgedruckt bekommen. With lassen: Ich habe sie mir an der Kasse ausdrucken lassen.
Does Kasse ever mean something else?
Yes. die Kasse can mean a cash register, a checkout, or an insurance fund (e.g., Krankenkasse = health insurer). In an der Kasse, it clearly means the checkout. In Austria, you may also see an der Kassa.