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Ohne Kopfhörer halte ich den Lärm im Großraumbüro kaum aus.

Ohne Kopfhörer halte ich den Lärm im Großraumbüro kaum aus.
Without headphones I can hardly stand the noise in the open-plan office.
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Questions & Answers about Ohne Kopfhörer halte ich den Lärm im Großraumbüro kaum aus.

Why is the verb split into halte … aus?

Because aushalten is a separable-prefix verb (aus- + halten).
In a main clause, the conjugated part (halte) goes in position 2, and the separable prefix (aus) goes to the end of the clause.

  • Ich halte den Lärm kaum aus.
  • Ohne Kopfhörer halte ich den Lärm im Großraumbüro kaum aus.
Why does it start with Ohne Kopfhörer, and why does that change the word order?

German often puts a time/place/condition phrase first for emphasis or context. When something else is in the first position (here: Ohne Kopfhörer), the finite verb still must be in second position, so the subject comes after it.

  • Normal: Ich halte den Lärm … kaum aus.
  • With fronted phrase: Ohne Kopfhörer halte ich … kaum aus.

This is called inversion (verb before subject), but it’s just standard German main-clause word order.

What case does ohne take, and what would it look like with a noun?

Ohne takes the accusative case.

  • ohne Kopfhörer (plural, no article shown)
  • ohne einen Kopfhörer (singular)
  • ohne die Kopfhörer (specific ones)

Even though you can’t “see” the accusative on Kopfhörer here (plural form looks the same), the rule is still accusative.

Why is there no article in Ohne Kopfhörer?

No article makes it sound general: “without (any) headphones.” This is common with plural count nouns when you mean something in general.

Compare:

  • Ohne Kopfhörer … = without headphones (in general)
  • Ohne die Kopfhörer … = without the (specific) headphones
  • Ohne meine Kopfhörer … = without my headphones
Why is it den Lärm and not der Lärm?

Because Lärm is the direct object, so it’s in the accusative case.

  • Nominative (subject): Der Lärm ist laut.
  • Accusative (object): Ich halte den Lärm kaum aus.

Lärm is masculine, so der → den in accusative.

What does kaum do in the sentence, and where does it usually go?

Kaum means hardly / barely and typically modifies the verb phrase: “can barely stand it.”

Position: it often sits in the middle field, before or after objects depending on style and emphasis. Here it sounds very natural right before the separable prefix at the end:

  • … den Lärm … kaum aus.

You could also hear:

  • … kaum den Lärm … aus. (possible, but different emphasis)
Why is it im Großraumbüro and not in dem Großraumbüro?

Im is just a contraction of in dem.

  • im = in dem (dative masculine/neuter)
    So im Großraumbüro literally means in the open-plan office.

German uses these contractions all the time in everyday language.

Why is in followed by dative here (im), not accusative?

Because in is a two-way preposition:

  • dative = location (where?)
  • accusative = movement/destination (where to?)

Here it’s location: “in the office” (where the noise is), so dative:

  • im Großraumbüro (where?)
    If it were “into the office,” it would be accusative:
  • ins Großraumbüro (= in das Großraumbüro)
What exactly is Großraumbüro, and how do you deal with such long words?

Großraumbüro is a compound noun:

  • Großraum = large open area / open-plan space
  • Büro = office
    So: open-plan office.

Tip: In compounds, the last word determines the gender and plural:

  • das Büro → das Großraumbüro
    Plural would be based on Büro: die Großraumbüros (common plural)
Is aushalten the best verb here? What are close alternatives?

aushalten is very common for “to stand/endure (something unpleasant).” It sounds natural here.

Close alternatives:

  • ertragen = endure/bear (often a bit more formal/strong)
  • nicht aushalten können = not be able to stand (very common)

Example:

  • Ohne Kopfhörer ertrage ich den Lärm … kaum. (slightly more formal/dramatic)
Could I also say Ich kann den Lärm … kaum aushalten? What’s the difference?

Yes, and it’s extremely common.

  • Ohne Kopfhörer halte ich den Lärm … kaum aus. (simple present, direct)
  • Ohne Kopfhörer kann ich den Lärm … kaum aushalten. (adds explicit “can,” often feels even closer to “I can barely stand it”)

Both are correct; the second uses können + infinitive, so aushalten stays together at the end as an infinitive.

How would I pronounce Großraumbüro and what does ß mean?
  • Groß- is pronounced with a long o sound, like grohs.
  • ß (Eszett) usually signals the vowel before it is long (here: groß).

A rough guide: grohs-rowm-byu-ROH (stress often toward the end, with clear bü sound like “byoo”).