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Breakdown of Der Weg zum Bahnhof ist lang.
sein
to be
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
zu
to
lang
long
der Bahnhof
the train station
der Weg
the path
Questions & Answers about Der Weg zum Bahnhof ist lang.
Why is Weg capitalized in Der Weg zum Bahnhof ist lang?
In German, all nouns are always written with an initial capital letter. Weg (meaning “way” or “path”) is no exception.
What does the article der tell us in der Weg?
der is the definite article for masculine singular nouns in the nominative case. It shows that Weg is a masculine noun and functions here as the subject of the sentence.
What exactly does zum mean in zum Bahnhof, and why isn’t it zu dem Bahnhof?
zum is a contraction of zu + dem. The preposition zu always takes the dative case, and for masculine/neuter singular nouns the dative article is dem. So zu + dem Bahnhof → zum Bahnhof (“to the train station”).
Why is Bahnhof in the dative case here?
Because the preposition zu always governs the dative case. Whenever you use zu to indicate direction toward someone or something, the following noun must be in dative.
Why isn’t lang inflected to lange or langen in this sentence?
Here, lang is used predicatively after the verb sein (“is”), so it remains in its base form. Predicative adjectives in German do not take endings. By contrast, attributive adjectives (before a noun) require endings, for example der lange Weg.
Can I use weit instead of lang, and what’s the difference between them?
- lang describes the length of something (the path’s extension).
- weit describes the distance between two points (how far you are from something).
So Der Weg ist lang emphasizes the path’s length. To say “it’s far to the station,” you’d use Es ist weit zum Bahnhof or Der Bahnhof ist weit.
How do I turn Der Weg zum Bahnhof ist lang into a yes/no question?
Move the verb ist to the beginning: Ist der Weg zum Bahnhof lang?
Can I drop the article and say Weg zum Bahnhof ist lang, like in English headlines?
In everyday German, singular countable nouns normally require an article, so dropping der sounds like a headline or note. In regular speech or writing, you would keep Der Weg zum Bahnhof ist lang.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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