Urban exploration is all about the thrill of discovering forgotten places. When describing your path through a ruin, you will often use the directional preposition entlang (along).
While entlang usually comes after the noun and takes the Accusative case (e.g., den Fluss entlang), it can also be placed before the noun. In this position, it requires the Genitive case (though the Dative is sometimes used in casual speech).
Feminine Nouns
To use entlang before a feminine noun like die Ruine, use the Genitive article der.
| We are looking for the thrill and walk carefully along the old ruin. | Wir suchen den Nervenkitzel und gehen vorsichtig entlang der alten Ruine. |
Masculine and Neuter Nouns
For masculine and neuter nouns, use the Genitive article des and add an -s or -es to the noun. For example, das Gelände (the premises) becomes entlang des Geländes.
| Whenever we run along the premises at night, we feel fear. | Sooft wir nachts entlang des Geländes laufen, spüren wir Angst. |
Notice how das Gitter (the grate) becomes des Gitters.
| We find rubble and rusty metal everywhere along the grate. | Wir finden überall Schutt und rostiges Metall entlang des Gitters. |
Masculine nouns like der Schacht (the shaft) follow the exact same rule.
| We crawl quietly along the dark shaft into the vault. | Wir kriechen leise entlang des dunklen Schachts in das Gewölbe. |
Watch Your Step!
Whether you are moving along a masculine floor (des morschen Bodens) or a feminine wall (der morschen Wand), remember to use the Genitive case immediately after entlang.
| I dropped my cellphone onto the rubble along the rotten floor! | Mir ist das Handy entlang des morschen Bodens auf den Schutt gefallen! |
| Do not walk along the rotten wall of this ruin! | Geh nicht entlang der morschen Wand dieser Ruine! |