Operator control apparatus comprising an elongate touch-sensitive operating element which is divided at least into a central segment and two outer segments (1-1, 1-2) arranged on either side next to the central segment, and a detection device which is designed to detect operating gestures carried out on an operating surface of the operating element, the detection device is designed to distinguishably detect, on the central segment and also on both outer segments (1-1, 1-2), different operating gestures, each comprising both a sliding gesture and a tapping gesture, and the operator control apparatus comprises a control device coupled to the detection device, which control device is designed to generate a control signal associated with the detected operating gesture for a function associated with the detected operating gesture, characterized in that the control device is designed to detect an operating context and to generate, depending on the detected operating context, the control signal associated with the detected operating gesture for the function associated with the detected operating gesture, wherein the operating gestures comprise global operating gestures and context-dependent operating gestures, wherein the control device is designed, a detected global operating gesture, independently of the received operating context, to generate a control signal associated with the global operating gesture for a function associated with the global operating gesture and to generate, depending on the operating context, a control signal for a detected context-dependent operating gesture, which control signal is associated with a function that depends on the received operating context, wherein the detection device is designed to detect context-dependent operating gestures only when the central segment of the operating element is touched. an elongate touch-sensitive operating element which is divided at least into a central segment and two outer segments (1-1, 1-2) arranged on either side next to the central segment, and a detection device which is designed to detect operating gestures carried out on an operating surface of the operating element, the detection device is designed to distinguishably detect, on the central segment and also on both outer segments (1-1, 1-2), different operating gestures, each comprising both a sliding gesture and a tapping gesture, and the operator control apparatus comprises a control device coupled to the detection device, which control device is designed to generate a control signal associated with the detected operating gesture for a function associated with the detected operating gesture, characterized in that the control device is designed to detect an operating context and to generate, depending on the detected operating context, the control signal associated with the detected operating gesture for the function associated with the detected operating gesture, wherein the operating gestures comprise global operating gestures and context-dependent operating gestures, wherein the control device is designed, a detected global operating gesture, independently of the received operating context, to generate a control signal associated with the global operating gesture for a function associated with the global operating gesture and to generate, depending on the operating context, a control signal for a detected context-dependent operating gesture, which control signal is associated with a function that depends on the received operating context, wherein the detection device is designed to detect context-dependent operating gestures only when the central segment of the operating element is touched.