Wir warten an der U‑Bahn‑Haltestelle.

We are waiting at the subway stop.

Breakdown of Wir warten an der U‑Bahn‑Haltestelle.

• wir: we
• warten: to wait
• an: at
• die U-Bahn-Haltestelle: the subway stop

Questions & Answers about Wir warten an der U‑Bahn‑Haltestelle.

Why is warten an used here instead of warten auf?

In German, to express waiting at a location you use warten + an + dative (e.g. an der Haltestelle). The construction warten auf + accusative means “to wait for” a person or thing, not “to wait at” a place.

Why is an der Haltestelle and not in der Haltestelle?

an + dative is used with places seen as points or edges (like stops, stations, shores). in + dative indicates being inside an enclosed space (like a building or room). A Haltestelle is treated as a point where you stand, so you say an der Haltestelle.

Why is the article der used with Haltestelle?

Haltestelle is a feminine noun (base form die Haltestelle). With the preposition an indicating location, the noun must be in the dative case. The dative feminine form of die is der.

What does U‑Bahn‑Haltestelle literally mean, and why are there two hyphens?

U‑Bahn is an abbreviation of Untergrundbahn (“underground railway”), itself written with a hyphen. German then attaches Haltestelle (“stop”) to form a single compound noun, adding a second hyphen: U‑Bahn‑Haltestelle. Literally it’s “underground‑railway stop.”

Why is U‑Bahn written with a capital U and a hyphen?

All German nouns are capitalized. U‑Bahn is a fixed abbreviation where U stands for Untergrund and Bahn is the second noun, so you keep the capital U and connect them with a hyphen.

Could you say Wir warten an der U‑Bahn instead of U‑Bahn‑Haltestelle?

Not in standard German. U‑Bahn refers to the train system or the vehicle itself, not the platform or stop. To say “we’re waiting at the subway stop,” you need Haltestelle. Otherwise it sounds like you’re standing next to the train.

What case and number is U‑Bahn‑Haltestelle in this sentence?

It’s singular and in the dative case. Singular nominative would be die U‑Bahn‑Haltestelle, and with an for location it becomes dative singular: an der U‑Bahn‑Haltestelle.