Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ich lese in der U-Bahn.
Why is in der U‑Bahn and not in die U‑Bahn?
The preposition in can take either the accusative or the dative case. When you talk about entering or moving into something, you use accusative (e.g. Ich gehe in die U‑Bahn – “I’m getting into the subway”). But for a static location (“reading while inside”), you use the dative. The feminine dative singular of die U‑Bahn is der U‑Bahn.
Why is in used here instead of auf, when in English we say “on the subway”?
German uses in for enclosed spaces or vehicles (“in der U‑Bahn”, “in der Straßenbahn”). English uses “on” for many transports, but in German you think of sitting inside the train, so in is correct.
Do I always need the article der before U‑Bahn, or can I say in U‑Bahn?
In German, most nouns after prepositions require an article plus the correct case ending. You cannot drop the article here. In U‑Bahn is ungrammatical; you must say in der U‑Bahn.
Why is U‑Bahn a feminine noun?
German compound nouns take the gender of their last (head) element. Here, Bahn (railway) is feminine (die Bahn), so U‑Bahn remains feminine.
Why is U‑Bahn capitalized and hyphenated?
All German nouns are capitalized. U‑Bahn is an abbreviation of Untergrundbahn (“underground railway”), and the hyphen shows the shortened form.
What does U‑Bahn stand for?
U‑Bahn is short for Untergrundbahn, literally “underground railway.” It refers to the metro or subway system.
Why does lesen appear without a direct object? In English I’d say “I read a book on the subway.”
You can omit the object if it’s understood from context (“reading” in general). If you want to specify, you can add Ich lese in der U‑Bahn ein Buch (“I’m reading a book”).
Can I change the word order to In der U‑Bahn lese ich?
Yes. German has a verb‑second rule. If you put In der U‑Bahn first, the verb lese still comes second, followed by the subject (ich). It’s a common style to foreground the location.
Can I contract in der to im here?
No. Im is a contraction of in dem (masculine or neuter dative). Since U‑Bahn is feminine, you need in der; there is no im form for feminine nouns.
What’s the difference between U‑Bahn and S‑Bahn?
The U‑Bahn (Untergrundbahn) is the subway/metro, usually underground. The S‑Bahn (Stadtschnellbahn or Schnellbahn) often serves suburban or regional routes and may run above ground. Both are part of public transit but cover different areas and distances.