Word
Der Bahnhof ist nah, aber die Haltestelle ist näher.
Meaning
The train station is close, but the stop is closer.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Der Bahnhof ist nah, aber die Haltestelle ist näher.
sein
to be
aber
but
der Bahnhof
the train station
die Haltestelle
the stop
Questions & Answers about Der Bahnhof ist nah, aber die Haltestelle ist näher.
Is näher considered an irregular comparative?
Yes! While adding -er and an umlaut is common for short adjectives, nah is special because of its superlative form. The complete set is nah (close), näher (closer), and am nächsten (closest). Notice the letter 'c' that suddenly appears in the superlative! That makes it an irregular word you just have to memorize.
Why don't nah and näher have any adjective endings here?
Because they come after the verb ist rather than directly in front of a noun. In German, adjectives only take endings (like -e or -en) when they sit right before the noun they describe. When they stand alone on the other side of the verb, they always stay in their basic, uninflected form.
What is the difference between Bahnhof and Haltestelle?
A Bahnhof is specifically a train station, usually a larger building or complex for regional or intercity trains. A Haltestelle is a more general term for a smaller transit stop, typically used for local transit like a bus stop (Bushaltestelle) or a tram stop (Straßenbahnhaltestelle).
Why doesn't the word aber change the verb position in the second half of the sentence?