Breakdown of Entschuldigen Sie, wo ist der Bahnhof?
sein
to be
der Bahnhof
the train station
Entschuldigen Sie
excuse me
wo
where
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Questions & Answers about Entschuldigen Sie, wo ist der Bahnhof?
What does Entschuldigen Sie mean and when should it be used?
It translates to "Excuse me" in English. It is a formal phrase used to politely get someone’s attention, especially when speaking to someone you do not know well or in a professional setting.
Why is there a comma after Entschuldigen Sie in the sentence?
The comma separates the introductory polite expression from the main question. In German, it’s common to set off introductory phrases like Entschuldigen Sie with a comma to indicate a slight pause before the rest of the sentence.
What is the meaning of wo ist der Bahnhof and how is it structured grammatically?
wo ist der Bahnhof means "where is the train station". Here, wo is the interrogative for "where", ist is the verb "is", and der Bahnhof means "the train station". The structure demonstrates inversion, where the verb comes immediately after the question word, a typical feature in German questions.
How does the word order in this German question compare to that in English?
Both languages use an interrogative format. In English, one would say "Excuse me, where is the train station?" Similarly, the German sentence starts with a polite phrase followed by the question. However, German specifically uses inversion after the interrogative word (wo), which means the verb (ist) comes immediately after wo rather than following the subject as in a typical statement.
Why does the noun Bahnhof take the article der in this sentence?
In German, every noun has a gender. Bahnhof is a masculine noun, so it takes the definite article der in the nominative case. Since the sentence is in the form of a state-of-being question with the verb sein (to be), the complement remains in the nominative case.
Is Entschuldigen Sie formal or informal, and are there any casual alternatives?
Entschuldigen Sie is formal and is used when addressing strangers or in polite, professional contexts. In a more casual setting, you might use Entschuldigung (which functions more like a brief apology/excuse) or Entschuldige when speaking to someone with whom you are on informal terms.