Ohne Sonnencreme bekomme ich schnell Sonnenbrand an den Schultern.

Ohne normally takes the accusative case, but in German, nouns like Sonnencreme are often used without an article when speaking generally.

So:

• ohne Sonnencreme = without sunscreen
• ohne die Sonnencreme = without the sunscreen (a specific sunscreen)

In this sentence, the speaker means sunscreen in general, not one particular bottle or type.

It is in the accusative.

The preposition ohne always takes the accusative:

• ohne Sonnencreme
• ohne meinen Hut
• ohne die Jacke

Even though Sonnencreme does not visibly change here, it is still grammatically accusative.

Because German main clauses usually put the conjugated verb in second position.

Here, the sentence begins with Ohne Sonnencreme, which counts as the first element. That forces the verb into second position:

• Ohne Sonnencreme = position 1
• bekomme = position 2
• ich = then comes after the verb

So:

• Ich bekomme schnell Sonnenbrand an den Schultern.
• Ohne Sonnencreme bekomme ich schnell Sonnenbrand an den Schultern.

Both are correct, but the second one emphasizes without sunscreen.

Here schnell means something like quickly or easily / after a short time.

In context, ich bekomme schnell Sonnenbrand means:

• I get sunburn quickly
• I sunburn easily

It does not mean the sunburn itself moves fast; it means it happens to the speaker after not much time.

German often leaves out the article with certain general conditions, substances, or abstract ideas.

So:

• Sonnenbrand bekommen = to get sunburn
• Hunger haben = to be hungry
• Durst haben = to be thirsty
• Angst haben = to be afraid

You could say einen Sonnenbrand bekommen in some contexts, and that is also possible in German, but Sonnenbrand bekommen is very natural and common when speaking generally.

Both are possible, but they can feel slightly different.

• Sonnenbrand bekommen = the general idea of getting sunburn
• einen Sonnenbrand bekommen = getting a sunburn, with the noun treated more as a countable event

In everyday speech, Sonnenbrand bekommen is very idiomatic and common. A learner should definitely recognize and use it.

German often uses an for things affecting body parts in a way that English might express with on.

So:

• Sonnenbrand an den Schultern = sunburn on the shoulders

This is just a natural German choice of preposition. With body areas, an is very common.

English and German do not always match prepositions exactly, so it is best to learn Sonnenbrand an + body part as a pattern.

Because an here is used in a location sense, not a direction sense.

German two-way prepositions like an take:

• accusative for movement toward a destination
• dative for a fixed location

Here, the sunburn is located on the shoulders, so German uses the dative:

• an den Schultern

Also, Schultern is plural, and the plural dative article is den.

It might be understood, but an den Schultern is the more natural phrasing here.

For body parts, German often prefers an where English uses on:

• eine Verletzung am Arm
• Schmerzen an den Beinen
• Sonnenbrand an den Schultern

So for natural German, an den Schultern is the better choice.

The base form is bekommen, which means to get or to receive.

Yes, it is a very common verb. In this sentence:

• ich bekomme = I get

Examples:

• Ich bekomme eine E-Mail. = I get an email.
• Ich bekomme Kopfschmerzen. = I get a headache.
• Ich bekomme schnell Sonnenbrand. = I get sunburn quickly.

In casual spoken German, many people also use kriegen, but bekommen is a very standard and useful verb to learn.

Because German very often forms compound nouns by joining words together into a single word.

Here:

• Sonne
  • Creme → Sonnencreme
• Sonne
  • Brand → Sonnenbrand

This is completely normal in German. English often writes similar ideas as two words, but German usually combines them into one.

Also notice that all nouns are capitalized in German:

• Sonnencreme
• Sonnenbrand
• Schultern

Yes, that is grammatically correct.

German allows some flexibility in word order, especially with adverbials like ohne Sonnencreme and schnell. But the version

• Ohne Sonnencreme bekomme ich schnell Sonnenbrand an den Schultern.

sounds very natural because it puts emphasis on the condition without sunscreen first.

So both work, but the original sentence highlights that idea more strongly.