Breakdown of Die Linie 8 fährt bis zum Bahnhof.
der Bahnhof
the train station
fahren
to drive, to travel
bis
until / to (as far as)
die Linie
the line, the route
Questions & Answers about Die Linie 8 fährt bis zum Bahnhof.
Why does the sentence start with Die when the English translation just says 'Line 8'?
In German, you almost always use the definite article (der, die, or das) before numbered public transport lines. So the sentence literally says 'The line 8'.
Why is it bis zum Bahnhof and not just bis den Bahnhof?
The preposition bis usually takes the accusative case, but when a location has a definite article, bis is almost always followed by zu. Because zu strictly requires the dative case, it changes the masculine der Bahnhof to dem Bahnhof. The words zu and dem then merge into zum.
Why do we use fährt here? Can I use geht since the line 'goes' to the station?
In English, a bus or train 'goes' somewhere, but in German, gehen strictly implies walking on foot. For any vehicle or public transport route, you must use fahren (to drive, ride, or run).
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