Breakdown of Ohne Maßband ist es schwer, den Abstand zwischen den Löchern richtig zu messen.
sein
to be
es
it
schwer
hard
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
Questions & Answers about Ohne Maßband ist es schwer, den Abstand zwischen den Löchern richtig zu messen.
Why is it ohne Maßband and not ohne ein Maßband?
Both are possible, but ohne Maßband sounds more general: without a measuring tape / without measuring tape.
German often leaves out the article when talking about something in a general, non-specific way. So:
- ohne Maßband = without a measuring tape, in general
- ohne ein Maßband = without a specific measuring tape
In this sentence, the article-less version sounds very natural.
What case does ohne take?
Ohne always takes the accusative.
So in ohne Maßband, Maßband is in the accusative. You cannot see a form change here because das Maßband is the same in nominative and accusative:
- nominative: das Maßband
- accusative: das Maßband
If the noun were masculine, the change would be more visible.
Why is it den Abstand?