An deiner Stelle würde ich ohne Klettergurt nie an diesem Abhang üben.

In your place I would never practise on this slope without a climbing harness.

Breakdown of An deiner Stelle würde ich ohne Klettergurt nie an diesem Abhang üben.

• ich: I
• üben: to practice
• dein: your
• an: at
• ohne: without
• diesem: this; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• nie: never
• werden: would
• der Abhang: the slope
• der Klettergurt: the climbing harness
• die Stelle: the place

Questions & Answers about An deiner Stelle würde ich ohne Klettergurt nie an diesem Abhang üben.

What does An deiner Stelle mean literally, and why is it in the dative case?

Literally, An deiner Stelle means “at your place/position”.

• Stelle = place, position (here: in a figurative sense, your “situation”)
• an = at / on
• deiner = “your” in the dative feminine singular (agreeing with Stelle)

In German, many fixed expressions use a preposition with a certain case. An can take dative or accusative:

• Dative – location (where?): an deiner Stelle = at your position (no movement)
• Accusative – direction (where to?): an deine Stelle = to your position (movement)

Because we’re talking about a (figurative) location, it’s dative: an deiner Stelle.

Idiomatically, An deiner Stelle = “In your place / If I were you”.

Could I just say Wenn ich du wäre, würde ich … instead of An deiner Stelle würde ich …? Are they the same?

They are very close in meaning:

• An deiner Stelle würde ich …
  = In your place, I would …
• Wenn ich du wäre, würde ich …
  = If I were you, I would …

Both are natural and common. An deiner Stelle … is often a bit shorter and slightly more idiomatic in everyday speech.

Note the grammar with wenn:

• Wenn ich du wäre, würde ich …
  • wäre (Konjunktiv II of sein) in the subordinate clause
  • würde … in the main clause

You can freely choose either structure; the tone is essentially the same.

Why is the word order An deiner Stelle würde ich … and not An deiner Stelle ich würde …?

German main clauses strictly want the finite verb in second position (V2 rule).

In An deiner Stelle würde ich ohne Klettergurt nie an diesem Abhang üben:

1. An deiner Stelle = first position (one big “sentence element”)
2. würde = second position (finite verb)
3. ich … = everything else follows

So:

• Correct: An deiner Stelle würde ich …
• Incorrect: An deiner Stelle ich würde …

If you start with the subject instead, you get:

• Ich würde an deiner Stelle ohne Klettergurt nie an diesem Abhang üben.

Here, ich is first, würde is second.

Why do we use würde here and not just ich übe or ich werde üben?

Würde + infinitive expresses a hypothetical / conditional action, similar to English “would”.

• Ich übe an diesem Abhang.
  = I practice on this slope. (simple statement of fact)
• Ich werde an diesem Abhang üben.
  = I will practice on this slope. (future plan)
• Ich würde an diesem Abhang üben.
  = I would practice on this slope. (hypothetical)

In An deiner Stelle würde ich …, the speaker is imagining what they would do if they were in your situation. That’s why würde (Konjunktiv II) is used, not werde or the plain present.

Why does ohne Klettergurt take that form? Why not ohne Klettergurten or something else?

The key point is the preposition ohne:

• ohne always takes the accusative case.

Klettergurt (climbing harness) is masculine:

• Nominative singular: der Klettergurt
• Accusative singular: den Klettergurt

But in ohne Klettergurt there is no article, so only the noun changes number, not case endings.

If you add an article or other determiner, you can see the accusative:

• ohne den Klettergurt = without the (specific) harness
• ohne meinen Klettergurt = without my harness

So ohne Klettergurt is “without (a) climbing harness” in the accusative, governed by ohne.

Why is it an diesem Abhang and not auf diesem Abhang or in diesem Abhang?

All three prepositions exist, but only an is natural with Abhang here:

• Abhang = slope, incline

You are training on / at the slope (at its face or side), not really on top of it like a horizontal surface.

• an diesem Abhang üben
  = practice on/at this slope (on the side of the slope)
• auf diesem Abhang üben
  would sound like you’re “on top” of the slope as if it were flat ground; not idiomatic for climbing context.
• in diesem Abhang üben
  makes almost no sense. In is for inside something.

Case: an can take dative or accusative. Here it’s dative (diesem Abhang) because you’re talking about location (where?) not direction (where to?):

• Wo übst du? – An diesem Abhang. (dative)
• Wohin gehst du? – An diesen Abhang. (accusative – to that slope)

Why is it diesem Abhang and not dieser Abhang or diesen Abhang?

Diesem is the dative masculine singular form of dieser (this).

Case and gender:

• Abhang is masculine:
  nominative: der Abhang
• The preposition an with a static location takes dative:
  dative masculine singular of dieser is diesem.

Forms of dieser (singular):

• Masculine:
  
  • Nominative: dieser Abhang
  • Accusative: diesen Abhang
  • Dative: diesem Abhang
• Feminine:
  
  • Nominative/Dative: dieser Wand (this wall; dative: an dieser Wand)
• Neuter:
  
  • Nominative/Accusative: dieses Seil
  • Dative: diesem Seil

So an diesem Abhang = “(at) this slope” in dative.

What is the difference between nie and niemals here? Could I say …würde ich niemals…?

You can absolutely say:

• An deiner Stelle würde ich ohne Klettergurt niemals an diesem Abhang üben.

Nie and niemals are near synonyms:

• Both mean never.
• Niemals can sound a bit more emphatic or formal, but in everyday speech they are almost interchangeable.

So:

• Ich würde nie ohne Klettergurt üben.
• Ich würde niemals ohne Klettergurt üben.

Both are fine; nie is slightly more common in casual talk.

Why does the verb üben go at the very end of the sentence?

Because würde … üben is a compound verb structure (finite verb + infinitive).

Rules for a main clause with such a structure:

1. The finite verb (würde) must be in second position.
2. The infinitive (üben) goes at the end.

So we get:

• An deiner Stelle (position 1)
• würde (finite verb in position 2)
• ich ohne Klettergurt nie an diesem Abhang (middle field)
• üben (non-finite verb at the end)

Other examples:

• Morgen würde ich länger schlafen.
• In deiner Situation würde ich das Angebot annehmen.

In all of them: würde = 2nd position, infinitive = final position.

Can the word order of nie, ohne Klettergurt, and an diesem Abhang change? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can move those adverbial parts around. Basic meaning stays the same, but emphasis can shift slightly.

All of these are grammatical:

1. An deiner Stelle würde ich ohne Klettergurt nie an diesem Abhang üben.
2. An deiner Stelle würde ich nie ohne Klettergurt an diesem Abhang üben.
3. An deiner Stelle würde ich an diesem Abhang nie ohne Klettergurt üben.
4. An deiner Stelle würde ich an diesem Abhang ohne Klettergurt nie üben.

Typical and most neutral versions are (1) and (2).

German tends to like this rough order for adverbials in the middle of the sentence:

• (1) Time – (2) Manner – (3) Place

Here, nie is a frequency adverb (kind of “time”), ohne Klettergurt is “manner” (how?), and an diesem Abhang is “place” (where?). So something like:

• würde ich nie ohne Klettergurt an diesem Abhang üben

feels very natural.

What is the nuance of using üben here instead of trainieren? Could I say … an diesem Abhang trainieren?

Both üben and trainieren exist, but they’re used slightly differently:

• üben = to practice (a specific skill, movement, exercise)
  Focus on repetition to get better at something specific.
• trainieren = to train (often athletic or structured training)
  Focus on a training program or workout, or someone being coached.

In a climbing context:

• An diesem Abhang üben
  sounds like: practicing particular moves or techniques on this slope.
• An diesem Abhang trainieren
  would be understood, but it sounds more like doing training there in general, a bit broader.

You can say trainieren, but üben fits very well with the idea of skills practice on a specific spot.