German Train Travel Vocabulary
This set covers the words you actually need to navigate a German station: der Bahnhof, der Bahnsteig, and das Gleis, plus the connecting vocabulary like der Anschluss and umsteigen. One trap for English speakers is der Bahnsteig versus das Gleis: English just says "platform," but German separates the platform itself from the numbered track running along it, and station announcements rely on that distinction.
Learn these 21 words
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All 21 words
plural: die Anschlüsse
connection
In Mannheim haben Sie Anschluss nach Saarbrücken. — In Mannheim you have a connection to Saarbrücken.
plural: die Bahnen
train/railway
Wir fahren lieber mit der Bahn. — We prefer to travel by train.
plural: die Bahnhöfe
train station
Komme ich hier zum Bahnhof? — Does this way lead to the train station?
plural: die Bahnsteige
platform
Auf welchem Bahnsteig fährt der Zug? — Which platform does the train depart from?
plural: die Züge
train
Ich fahre gern mit dem Zug. — I like to travel by train.
plural: die Abteile
compartment
Unser Abteil im Zug ist sehr ruhig. — Our compartment on the train is very quiet.
has departed
Der Zug ist schon abgefahren. — The train has already departed.
plural: die Schaffner
conductor
Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Fahrkarten im Zug. — The conductor checks the tickets on the train.
change trains
Sie müssen in Mannheim umsteigen. — You have to change trains in Mannheim.
plural: die Verspätungen
delay
Unser Zug hat leider 15 Minuten Verspätung. — Our train unfortunately has a 15-minute delay.
plural: die Eisenbahnen
railway
Die Kinder wünschen sich eine elektrische Eisenbahn. — The children want an electric railway set.
plural: die Gleise
track, rail
Der Zug fährt heute von Gleis 7 ab. — The train departs from track 7 today.
plural: die Hauptbahnhöfe
main train station
Treffen wir uns am Hauptbahnhof? — Shall we meet at the main train station?
plural: die Perrons
railway platform
Auf Hauptbahnhöfen gibt es meist viele Perrons. — Main train stations usually have many platforms.
- regionalB1
regional
Du kannst mit einer Regionalbahn fahren. Das ist billiger. — You can travel by regional train. That is cheaper.
plural: die Speisewagen
dining car
Wo ist der Speisewagen? — Where is the dining car?
plural: die Verbindungen
connection, link
Die Verbindung ist sehr gut. Ich kann direkt mit diesem Zug fahren und muss nicht umsteigen. — The connection is very good. I can travel directly on this train and don't need to change.
to derail / go off the rails
Der Zug entgleiste auf der Kurve. — The train derailed on the curve.
plural: die Gleise
train platform
Der Zug fährt auf Gleis drei ab. — The train departs on platform three.
plural: die Güterbahnhöfe
a freight depot / freight yard
Das Güterbahnhof ist in der Nähe des Zentrums. — The freight yard is near the city center.
plural: die Stellwerke
signal box
Der Bahnwärter arbeitete im Stellwerk und kontrollierte die Signale. — The railway worker operated the signal box and controlled the signals.
How to learn this set
Notice that Bahn shows up as a root across several words here: die Bahn, der Bahnhof, der Bahnsteig, die Eisenbahn. Learning that one root first makes the compounds much easier to remember, since Bahnhof is literally "train-station" and Bahnsteig is "train-mount/stand." Drill der Anschluss and die Verbindung together since they overlap in meaning but aren't interchangeable in every context, and practice umsteigen and entgleisen as verbs separately from the nouns, since their prefixes (um-, ent-) do real work: um- signals switching, ent- signals coming off or away from something.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bahnhof and Hauptbahnhof?
Bahnhof is any train station, while Hauptbahnhof is the main or central station in a city, usually the biggest one with the most connections. If a city has several stations, the Hauptbahnhof is the one long-distance trains stop at.
What is the difference between Gleis and Bahnsteig?
Das Gleis is the physical track the train runs on. Der Bahnsteig (or der Perron in Switzerland and southern Germany) is the platform you stand on to wait for it. An announcement will tell you the Gleis, but you walk to the Bahnsteig.
Is Anschluss always about trains?
No. Der Anschluss means connection in a broad sense, including a train or flight connection, but also a phone connection or joining an organization. Die Verbindung overlaps with it and is the more common word for a train connection or route link.
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