Ich gehe zur Post.

Ich gehe zur Post.
I go to the post office.

Breakdown of Ich gehe zur Post.

ich
I
gehen
to go
zu
to
die Post
the post office
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Questions & Answers about Ich gehe zur Post.

Why do we say zur Post instead of zu die Post or zu der Post?
  • The preposition zu always takes the dative case in German.
  • Post is feminine (die Post), so its dative form is der Post.
  • German contracts zu der into zur, so zu der Post becomes zur Post.
  • You never use zu die because that would be the nominative form, not the required dative.
What does Post mean here? Is it “mail” or “post office”?
  • Post can mean both “mail” (the letters and parcels) and “post office” (the building).
  • In Ich gehe zur Post, it means “to the post office” – the place where you send and receive mail.
  • To talk about the mail itself you might say Die Post ist da (“The mail has arrived”).
Could I say Ich gehe auf die Post instead of zur Post?
  • No. German idiomatically uses zu
    • dative for going to institutions (shops, offices, post office).
  • auf die Post sounds unnatural here. Stick with zur Post for “to the post office.”
If I take the bus or drive, can I still say Ich gehe zur Post?
  • gehen literally means “to walk” or “go on foot.”
  • If you go by vehicle, you use fahren: Ich fahre zur Post (“I’m driving/going by bus to the post office”).
How do I ask someone “Where are you going?” in German?
  • Use Wohin gehst du? (informal) or Wohin gehen Sie? (formal).
  • Wohin means “to where?” and gehst is the second‑person singular of gehen.
Can I also say Ich gehe ins Postamt?
  • Yes. Postamt (neuter) is a more formal term for “post office.”
  • With in, you use the accusative for motion: in das Postamt → ins Postamt.
  • In everyday speech, however, most people say zur Post.
Why do we use the simple present ich gehe to mean “I am going”?
  • German does not have a separate present‑continuous tense.
  • The simple present (ich gehe) covers both “I go” (habit) and “I am going” (right now).
  • Context or time expressions tell you which meaning is meant.
How is zur pronounced?
  • zur is pronounced [tsuːɐ̯]. The z sounds like ts in “cats,” and -ur like “oor” in “poor” with a soft r.
  • It’s just a quick contraction of zu der, said as one syllable.