Questions & Answers about Wir gehen zum Bahnhof.
Where does the word zum come from?
zum is a combination of the preposition zu (to) and the word dem (the). The preposition zu always forces the following noun into the dative case. Because Bahnhof (train station) is a masculine noun (der Bahnhof), the word for "the" changes from der to dem in the dative case. Instead of saying zu dem Bahnhof, it is shortened to zum Bahnhof.
Could I just say Wir gehen zu dem Bahnhof instead of using zum?
You will almost always hear native speakers use the contraction zum. Saying zu dem is grammatically correct but usually sounds unnatural unless you are specifically emphasizing that particular train station (like saying "We are going to that train station"). For everyday speech, always use zum.
I've learned that nach also means "to." Why do we use zu here?
In German, the word for "to" changes depending on where you are going. You use zu (or its combined forms like zum and zur) when going to a specific building, place, or person within a town, like a train station. You use nach when traveling to most cities, countries, or continents (for example, Wir gehen nach Berlin).
The English translation says "We are going." Why is there no word for "are" in the German sentence?
German doesn't have an "-ing" form like English does. The single verb gehen covers both "go" and "are going." Saying Wir sind gehen (translating "We are going" word-for-word) is a common trap for English speakers, but it is incorrect in German!
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