Breakdown of Wir warten auf dem Bahnsteig.
wir
we
warten
to wait
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
der Bahnsteig
the platform
Questions & Answers about Wir warten auf dem Bahnsteig.
I learned that warten auf means "to wait for". Does this sentence mean "We are waiting for the platform"?
No, and the secret is in the grammar case! When warten auf means "to wait for", the preposition auf must take the accusative case (for example, Wir warten auf den Zug = We are waiting for the train). Here, auf is followed by the dative case (dem Bahnsteig), so it acts as a normal preposition of location meaning "on".
Why do we use the dative case for dem Bahnsteig here?
auf is a "two-way" preposition. It takes the dative case when describing a fixed location (answering "Where?"), and the accusative case for movement toward a destination (answering "Where to?"). Since you are standing still in one place while waiting, it is a fixed location, so we use the dative.
What gender is Bahnsteig?
It is masculine: der Bahnsteig. Because we need the dative case here, the masculine article der changes to dem. As a vocabulary tip, German nouns ending in -steig (related to steigen, meaning "to step" or "to climb") are masculine.
Could I use das Gleis instead of der Bahnsteig here?
Not if you mean the place where you are standing! der Bahnsteig is the raised passenger platform. das Gleis means the actual train tracks. If you waited auf dem Gleis, you would be standing dangerously on the tracks themselves! However, train announcements in Germany will usually tell you that a train is arriving auf Gleis 3 (on track 3), rather than mentioning the platform.
Learn Wir warten auf dem Bahnsteig 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