Breakdown of Die Post ist in der Nähe von dem Bahnhof.
sein
to be
der Bahnhof
the train station
die Post
the post office
in der Nähe von
near, close to
Questions & Answers about Die Post ist in der Nähe von dem Bahnhof.
Why does the word in use the article der here? Isn't Nähe a feminine noun?
Yes, Nähe (vicinity/nearness) is a feminine noun (die Nähe). Because we are describing a fixed location answering the question Where?, the two-way preposition in takes the dative case. In the dative case, the feminine article die changes to der.
Does der in in der Nähe refer back to die Post?
No, der belongs to Nähe. It might look confusing because Post is also feminine, but die Post is the subject of the sentence (so it stays die). The der is strictly because in forces die Nähe into the dative case.
What does in der Nähe von literally translate to?
It literally means 'in the nearness of' or 'in the vicinity of'. In English, we usually just say 'near'.
Why is it von dem Bahnhof?
The preposition von (of/from) is a strict dative preposition, meaning it always requires the dative case. Since Bahnhof is a masculine noun (der Bahnhof), its article changes to dem.
Can I shorten von dem?
Yes! In everyday German, von dem is almost always squeezed together into the contraction vom. So it is very natural to say ... in der Nähe vom Bahnhof.
Learn Die Post ist in der Nähe von dem Bahnhof and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free