Breakdown of Der Flughafen ist zwanzig Kilometer entfernt.
sein
to be
der Flughafen
the airport
zwanzig
twenty
der Kilometer
the kilometer
entfernt
distant, away
Questions & Answers about Der Flughafen ist zwanzig Kilometer entfernt.
Why doesn't Kilometer have a plural ending here since there are twenty of them?
What case is the phrase zwanzig Kilometer in?
It is in the accusative case. German uses the accusative without a preposition to express definite measurements like distance, weight, or duration. Because Kilometer doesn't change its form here, it looks exactly like the nominative, but it is grammatically accusative.
How could I expand this sentence using one of the spatial genitive prepositions from this lesson, like abseits?
You can use the measurement to specify how far away something is relative to a boundary. For example, to say the airport is twenty kilometers away from the main road, you would drop entfernt and say Der Flughafen ist zwanzig Kilometer abseits der Hauptstraße. The measurement phrase goes right before the spatial preposition.
Could I use the word weg instead of entfernt?
Yes, in everyday spoken German, you will frequently hear Der Flughafen ist zwanzig Kilometer weg. Using entfernt is slightly more formal and is the standard written way to express that something is a certain distance away.
Learn Der Flughafen ist zwanzig Kilometer entfernt 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