German Places in Town Vocabulary
This set covers the everyday words you need to talk about locations in a German town, from der Platz (the square) and die Kirche (the church) to more specific spots like der Spielplatz (playground) and die Baustelle (construction site). One trap for English speakers: der Ort and der Platz both get translated as "place," but Ort is the general word for a location or town, while Platz is a specific open square or a spot (as in "is this seat taken?" - ist dieser Platz frei?).
Learn these 16 words
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All 16 words
plural: die Orte
place, location
Der Ort liegt am Meer. — The place is located by the sea.
plural: die Plätze
place, square
Tut mir leid, der Platz ist besetzt. — Sorry, the seat is taken.
plural: die Städte
city, town
Heidelberg ist eine alte Stadt. — Heidelberg is an old city.
plural: die Kirchen
church
Diese Kirche ist fast 800 Jahre alt. — This church is almost 800 years old.
plural: die Parks
park
Ich gehe gern im Park spazieren. — I like to take a walk in the park.
plural: die Zentren
center
Der Bahnhof ist im Stadtzentrum. — The train station is in the city center.
plural: die Baustellen
construction site
Wir müssen die Baustelle umfahren. — We have to drive around the construction site.
plural: die Metropolen
metropolis
Berlin und Wien sind Metropolen. — Berlin and Vienna are metropolises.
plural: die Säle
hall
Für unsere Familienfeier haben wir einen kleinen Saal gemietet. — For our family celebration we rented a small hall.
plural: die Spielplätze
playground
Die Kinder sind auf dem Spielplatz. — The children are at the playground.
plural: die Zonen
zone, area
Hier können wir nicht fahren. Das ist eine Fußgängerzone. — We cannot drive here. This is a pedestrian zone.
plural: die Hinterhöfe
a backyard
Die Kinder spielten im Hinterhof des Hauses. — The children played in the backyard of the house.
plural: die Rolltreppen
escalator
Wir nahmen die Rolltreppe hinauf zum dritten Stock. — We took the escalator up to the third floor.
onlookers
Die Schaulustigen sammelten sich um den Unfall. — The onlookers gathered around the accident.
plural: die Städte
town / city
Die Stadt hat viele alte Gebäude. — The city has many old buildings.
plural: die Schänken
a tavern / inn
Die Schänke war früher ein beliebter Treffpunkt. — The tavern was once a popular meeting place.
How to learn this set
Notice that der Spielplatz is just der Platz with Spiel- (play) glued on front, and that pattern of building specific places out of a base noun is everywhere in German, so once Platz sticks, you get Spielplatz almost for free. Group the three genders separately when you drill: der Ort/Platz/Park/Saal/Hinterhof, die Stadt/Kirche/Baustelle/Metropole/Zone/Rolltreppe/Schaulustige/Schänke, das Zentrum, and say each with its plural (die Städte, die Plätze, die Säle) since these irregular plurals trip people up more than the gender does. Die Schaulustige is worth a second look because it's an adjective acting as a noun (a "curious onlooker"), so its ending changes with case and gender just like an adjective, unlike the fixed nouns around it.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between der Ort and der Platz in German?
Der Ort is a general term for a place, spot, or small town/locality. Der Platz specifically means an open square (like a town square) or a seat/spot for something, as in einen Platz reservieren.
Why is Schaulustige not always die Schaulustige?
Schaulustige is a noun made from an adjective, so its ending follows adjective declension rather than staying fixed. You'll see der Schaulustige for a male onlooker and die Schaulustigen in the plural.
What's the plural of die Stadt?
The plural is die Städte, with an umlaut added to the a. This same a-to-ä shift shows up in der Platz becoming die Plätze.
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