Ich nehme den Bus in die Stadt.

I take the bus to the city.

Breakdown of Ich nehme den Bus in die Stadt.

• ich: I
• die Stadt: the city
• der Bus: the bus
• in: to
• nehmen: to take

Questions & Answers about Ich nehme den Bus in die Stadt.

Why do we use nehmen in Ich nehme den Bus instead of fahren?

In German, den Bus nehmen is an idiomatic way to say “to take the bus.” Although you can also say Ich fahre mit dem Bus (“I go by bus”), native speakers often prefer nehmen when talking about choosing or boarding a specific vehicle. Both are correct, but den Bus nehmen is very common in everyday speech.

Why is Bus preceded by den rather than der?

Bus is a masculine noun (der Bus in the nominative). When it functions as a direct object, it shifts into the accusative case. The masculine singular article der becomes den in the accusative, so you say ich nehme den Bus.

Why is it in die Stadt (accusative) instead of in der Stadt (dative)?

The preposition in can govern either dative or accusative, depending on whether it indicates location (dative) or direction/motion (accusative). Here you’re going into the city, so you use the accusative: in die Stadt. If you were already inside and talking about being there, you’d use the dative: Ich bin in der Stadt.

Why can’t I say Ich nehme den Bus nach die Stadt?

The preposition nach is used with place names (cities, countries) but never takes an article (nach Berlin, nach Hause). You cannot combine nach with die Stadt. To express movement “to the city,” you must use in + accusative: in die Stadt.

Could I also say Ich fahre mit dem Bus in die Stadt?

Yes—Ich fahre mit dem Bus in die Stadt is grammatically correct and means the same thing. It literally means “I go by bus into the city.” The choice between den Bus nehmen and mit dem Bus fahren is largely a matter of style or personal preference.

Why is nehme in the second position of the sentence?

German main clauses follow the Verb‑Second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second slot, regardless of what comes first. Here the subject Ich is in the first slot, so the conjugated verb nehme follows directly in the second slot.