Ich frage beim Kundendienst nach, ob die Garantie noch gilt.

I ask customer service whether the warranty is still valid.

Breakdown of Ich frage beim Kundendienst nach, ob die Garantie noch gilt.

• ich: I
• noch: still
• die Garantie: the warranty
• der Kundendienst: the customer service
• beim: at the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• ob: whether/if
• gelten: to be valid
• nachfragen: to ask, to inquire

Questions & Answers about Ich frage beim Kundendienst nach, ob die Garantie noch gilt.

Why is nach separated from frage in Ich frage … nach?

Because nachfragen is a separable-prefix verb (nach- + fragen). In a main clause, the conjugated verb goes in position 2, and the separable prefix moves to the end of the clause:

• Ich frage … nach. In an infinitive or subordinate clause, it stays together:
• Ich will beim Kundendienst nachfragen.
• …, weil ich beim Kundendienst nachfrage.

What exactly does nachfragen mean here, and how is it different from fragen?

fragen = to ask (a question) in general.
nachfragen = to inquire / check / ask for confirmation, often implying you’re following up or verifying information. In this sentence, it suggests you’re contacting customer service to find out whether the warranty is still valid.

Why does it say beim Kundendienst and not bei den Kundendienst or im Kundendienst?

• bei is a preposition that typically takes the dative case (location/association: at / with a person or organization).
• dem Kundendienst is dative singular → bei dem contracts to beim. So beim Kundendienst = with/at customer service (i.e., contacting that department).
  im (= in dem) would sound more like physically being inside the customer service department/office.

What case is Kundendienst in, and how can I tell?

It’s dative singular masculine because:

• the preposition bei triggers dative
• Kundendienst is masculine (der Kundendienst) So: bei dem Kundendienst → beim Kundendienst.

Why is there a comma before ob?

Because ob die Garantie noch gilt is a subordinate clause (an embedded yes/no question). In German, subordinate clauses are generally separated by a comma from the main clause:

• Ich frage … nach, ob …

What does ob mean here, and how is it different from wenn?

Here ob means whether/if in the sense of an indirect yes/no question:

• I’m asking whether the warranty is still valid. wenn usually means if/when for conditions or time:
• Wenn die Garantie noch gilt, … = If/when the warranty is still valid, …
  So ob = “whether” (uncertainty/question), wenn = “if/when” (condition/time).

Why is the verb gilt at the end of the ob-clause?

In German subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like ob, the conjugated verb goes to the end:

• ob die Garantie noch gilt In a direct question, you’d usually have verb-first:
• Gilt die Garantie noch?

What does noch mean here, and where does it usually go?

noch here means still (the situation continues up to now):

• ob die Garantie noch gilt = whether the warranty is still valid
  Its position is flexible, but commonly it goes before the verb or near what it modifies. Here it naturally sits right before gilt.

What does gilt come from, and why not ist gültig?

gilt is the 3rd person singular of gelten = to be valid / to apply.
German often prefers gelten in formal/official contexts like rules, tickets, warranties:

• Die Garantie gilt noch. = The warranty is still valid. You can say Die Garantie ist noch gültig, and it’s correct, but gelten sounds especially idiomatic for “a warranty applies/is in force.”

Is Garantie feminine, and is die always used?

Yes, Garantie is feminine: die Garantie.
In this sentence you use die because you mean the (a specific warranty—likely the warranty for your product).

Could I also say Ich frage den Kundendienst … instead of Ich frage beim Kundendienst …?

Yes, but the nuance changes:

• Ich frage den Kundendienst, ob … = I ask customer service (direct object; more direct “I ask them”).
• Ich frage beim Kundendienst nach, ob … = I inquire with customer service (focus on the act of checking/asking around).
  Both are natural; beim Kundendienst nachfragen is a very common phrasing.

What’s the function of nach at the end—can it be omitted?

Not if you want the verb nachfragen. Without nach, you change the verb to fragen, which is less like “inquire/check.”

• Ich frage … nach. (separable verb)
• Ich frage … (different meaning/style)
  So the nach is part of the verb and is required.

Why is Kundendienst capitalized, and what does the word literally mean?

All German nouns are capitalized, so Kundendienst must be capitalized.
Literally it’s a compound:

• Kunde = customer
• Dienst = service
  So Kundendienst = customer service (department/support).