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Topic test · A1

the preposition ohne test

13questions
8minutes
60%pass mark
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Topic test

13 questions, easy to hard

Pick an option and press «Next». You can go back and change it. Anything left blank counts as wrong.

Choose the right completion for “I can’t do it without his help”: Ich schaffe das nicht Hilfe.

ohne seine is correct because Hilfe (help) is feminine, so the Akkusativ is die Hilfe. The possessive sein becomes seine in the feminine Akkusativ. seinem is Dativ; sein is masculine Nominativ or neuter Nominativ/Akkusativ.

“Don’t go without me.”

Don’t go without me.

ohne mich. ohne takes the Akkusativ without exception; ich becomes mich in the Akkusativ. mir is Dativ and goes with mit — the two words are opposites in meaning but take different cases, and that is exactly where the mistake happens.

How do you say “tea without sugar”?

Tee ohne Zucker is correct. “Without sugar” is a general lack (Nullartikel), so the article is left out. ohne den Zucker is only used if you mean one particular sugar (say, the sugar on the table); ohne der Zucker is never possible, because ohne takes the Akkusativ.

Complete the sentence correctly: Er ist nach Hause gegangen, Tschüss zu sagen.

ohne is correct. The sentence means “He went home without saying goodbye.” The subject of the main clause is Er, and the subject of “zu sagen” is also Er. So you build ohne ... zu: ohne Tschüss zu sagen. ohne dass is for a different subject.

“He eats soup without a spoon.”

ohne Löffel. In the “none at all” sense, the article drops after ohne. ohne den Löffel would mean “without that particular spoon”; ohne dem is Dativ, and ohne doesn’t take the Dativ.

Which ohne ... zu structure fits “We ate without waiting for you”? Wir aßen, .

ohne auf dich zu warten is correct. The verb warten takes auf + Akkusativ (to wait for someone = auf jemanden warten). So the preposition auf has to stay inside the infinitive group: ohne auf dich zu warten. ohne dich zu warten drops the preposition and is wrong. Option 2 is a dass clause, not a “zu” structure.

“I went to the supermarket without money” (I had none at all): Ich ging zum Supermarkt.

ohne Geld is correct. “I had no money” is a general lack, so you use the Nullartikel (no article). ohne das Geld would mean “without that (particular) money”. ohne meinem Geld is wrong twice: “my money” is specific money (not a general lack), and the case is wrong (the Akkusativ mein should stand, not the Dativ meinem).

Which one is wrong?

ohne always takes the Akkusativ: ohne meinen Bruder. There is no Dativ version.

Ohne dich ich nicht. (I won’t go without you)

I won’t go without you.

Ohne dich fills the first position, so the verb comes second: gehe ich.

What does “ohne Fleisch” mean on a menu?

ohne = “without”. Handy in a restaurant: ohne Fleisch · ohne Zwiebeln · ohne Sahne.

The sentence “Ich trinke Kaffee ohne dem Zucker.” is correct.

False. Here the sentence expresses a general lack, so there is no article. Correct: ohne Zucker. And ohne never takes the Dativ anyway.

Ich gehe ohne . (without you)

I’m going without you.

dich. The preposition ohne (without) always takes the Akkusativ, no exceptions. That is why du becomes dich.

Build the sentence: They’re going without me.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

ohne takes the Akkusativ, so ich becomes mich.
Quick rules

The rules in three lines

The full topic lives on its own page. This is only the core you need for the test.

  1. ohne always takes the Akkusativ

    ohne meinen Bruder · ohne dich · ohne das Auto — no exceptions.

    Geh nicht ohne mich!

  2. With a bare noun: the article drops

    ohne Zucker · ohne Geld · ohne Löffel — when you mean “without” in general, there is no article.

    Tee ohne Zucker

  3. ohne … zu = “without …ing”

    Something the same subject doesn’t do: ohne zu fragen (without asking) · ohne auf dich zu warten (without waiting for you).

    Er ging, ohne Tschüss zu sagen.

  4. Its opposite is mit

    The ordering-and-recipe pair: mit oder ohne Sahne?

    mit ↔ ohne

Traps

Commonly mixed up

Where a direct translation breaks. The hard questions come from here.

  • ohne meinem Bruder

    ohne meinen Bruder

    ohne never takes the Dativ.

  • ohne dem Zucker

    ohne Zucker

    For a general “without”, no article comes either.

  • Er ging, ohne sagen Tschüss.

    Er ging, ohne Tschüss zu sagen.

    ohne with an infinitive needs zu, and the verb goes to the end.

  • Ohne dich ich gehe nicht.

    Ohne dich gehe ich nicht.

    The phrase in front fills the first position; the verb comes second.