Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Tickets im Zug.

The conductor checks the tickets on the train.

Breakdown of Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Tickets im Zug.

• der Zug: the train
• im: in the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• das Ticket: the ticket
• kontrollieren: to check
• der Schaffner: the conductor

Questions & Answers about Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Tickets im Zug.

Why is it Der Schaffner and not Den Schaffner or Dem Schaffner?

Der Schaffner is the subject of the sentence – he is the one doing the action (checking the tickets). Subjects in German take the nominative case.

• der Schaffner = nominative (subject)
• den Schaffner = accusative (direct object)
• dem Schaffner = dative (indirect object)

So you say:

• Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Tickets. – The conductor checks the tickets.
• Der Fahrgast sieht den Schaffner. – The passenger sees the conductor.
• Der Fahrgast gibt dem Schaffner sein Ticket. – The passenger gives the conductor his ticket.

In your sentence, because the conductor is doing the checking, der (nominative) is correct.

What exactly does Schaffner mean, and is it still used in modern German?

Schaffner means roughly conductor or ticket inspector, i.e. the person on a train (or tram, bus, etc.) who checks your tickets.

Usage notes:

• On trains, you’ll also hear Zugbegleiter or Zugbegleiterin (more modern / formal job title).
• In everyday speech, people still often say Schaffner (male) and Schaffnerin (female), especially informally.
• In some regions or companies, different job titles are common, but Schaffner will be widely understood.

Why is Schaffner capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized.

Schaffner is a noun (a job / person), so it must be written with a capital S:

• der Schaffner
• ein Schaffner
• die Schaffnerin
• der Zug
• das Ticket

Verbs, adjectives, and most other word types are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

What tense is kontrolliert, and does it also mean is checking (progressive)?

kontrolliert is 3rd person singular present tense of the verb kontrollieren:

• ich kontrolliere
• du kontrollierst
• er / sie / es kontrolliert
• wir kontrollieren
• ihr kontrolliert
• sie kontrollieren

German does not form a special present progressive like English is checking. The simple present covers both:

• Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Tickets.
  = The conductor checks the tickets.
  = The conductor is checking the tickets.

Context normally makes it clear whether it’s a general habit or a current action.

Does kontrollieren mean the same as English to control?

Not really. This is a false friend.

• English to control often means to have power over something or to steer something.
• German kontrollieren usually means to check, to inspect, or to verify.

Examples:

• Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Tickets. – The conductor checks the tickets.
• Die Polizei kontrolliert den Verkehr. – The police check / monitor the traffic.
• Kannst du meine Hausaufgaben kontrollieren? – Can you check my homework?

If you mean to control in the sense of steer / operate, German often uses steuern, regeln, bedienen, or kontrollieren only in specific contexts (e.g. eine Maschine kontrollieren = monitor / supervise).

Why is it die Tickets and not den Tickets?

die Tickets here is the direct object (what is being checked), so it is in the accusative case.

The definite article in the plural is:

• die for both nominative and accusative plural

So:

• Nominative plural: Die Tickets sind teuer. – The tickets are expensive.
• Accusative plural: Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Tickets. – The conductor checks the tickets.

den can be:

• masculine accusative singular: den Schaffner
• dative plural (with -n ending on the noun): mit den Tickets

But as direct plural objects, you use die Tickets, not den Tickets.

What gender and plural does Ticket have in German?

Ticket is:

• Gender: neuter
• Singular: das Ticket
• Plural: die Tickets

Examples:

• Ich habe ein Ticket. – I have a ticket.
• Wir brauchen zwei Tickets. – We need two tickets.
• Die Tickets sind gültig. – The tickets are valid.

Even though Ticket is borrowed from English, German assigns it a gender (neuter) and a regular German plural ending -s.

What is the plural of Schaffner, and how do I talk about female conductors?

Schaffner behaves like this:

• Masculine singular: der Schaffner
• Masculine plural: die Schaffner (same form as singular, article shows the difference)

For a female conductor:

• Feminine singular: die Schaffnerin
• Feminine plural: die Schaffnerinnen

Examples:

• Die Schaffner kontrollieren die Tickets. – The conductors check the tickets.
• Die Schaffnerin kontrolliert die Tickets. – The (female) conductor checks the tickets.
• Die Schaffnerinnen sind sehr freundlich. – The (female) conductors are very friendly.

Why is it im Zug and not in den Zug?

This is about case after the preposition in.

in can take either dative (location) or accusative (movement into):

• Wo? (Where? – location) → dative
  
  • im Zug = in dem Zug – in the train (somebody is inside the train)
• Wohin? (Where to? – direction) → accusative
  
  • in den Zug – into the train (movement from outside to inside)

Your sentence describes an action happening inside the train, so it answers Wo? → dative:

• Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Tickets im Zug.
  The conductor checks the tickets in the train (while on board).

What exactly is im? Is it always written that way?

im is a contraction of:

• in + dem → im

You use it when in takes the dative and the noun is masculine or neuter:

• in dem Zug → im Zug
• in dem Bus → im Bus
• in dem Haus → im Haus

The contracted form im is much more common in everyday language and in writing.
The full form in dem is correct but sounds more formal or is used for emphasis.

Why is Zug in the dative after im, and not in the accusative?

Because here in describes a location, not a direction.
As noted earlier:

• in
  • dative → location (Wo?)
• in
  • accusative → direction (Wohin?)

Your sentence answers Where does he check the tickets? → in the train:

• im Zug = in dem Zug → dative masculine singular

If you were talking about getting into the train, then:

• Er steigt in den Zug. – He gets into the train. (direction, accusative)

Can I change the word order, for example: Im Zug kontrolliert der Schaffner die Tickets?

Yes. German word order is more flexible than English as long as the conjugated verb stays in second position in main clauses.

Some correct variants:

• Der Schaffner kontrolliert die Tickets im Zug. (neutral)
• Im Zug kontrolliert der Schaffner die Tickets. (emphasis on on the train)
• Die Tickets kontrolliert der Schaffner im Zug. (emphasis on the tickets)

All of these are grammatical. The differences are mostly about what you want to emphasize. The basic structure remains:

1. One element (subject or another part)
2. Conjugated verb (kontrolliert)
3. The rest of the sentence

Is there a difference between Ticket and Fahrkarte in German?

Both can mean ticket, but there are nuances:

• Fahrkarte is the traditional German word for a travel ticket (train, bus, tram).
• Ticket is an English loanword, now very common, especially:
  • in modern transport marketing
  • for simple or cheap offers (Schülerticket, Semesterticket, etc.)
  • for other events: Konzertticket, Kinoticket

On trains, you might hear:

• Fahrkarte, bitte. (more traditional)
• Tickets, bitte. (completely normal nowadays)

In your sentence, die Tickets is perfectly normal modern German.

How do you pronounce Schaffner and what is the difference between sch and ch sounds?

Schaffner is pronounced roughly like:

• Schaffner → SHAFF-ner (with short a, like in English cup)

Key points:

• sch in German is like English sh:
  • Schaffner, Schule, stehen
• ch in other words (not in Schaffner) can be:
  • the ich-sound (soft, like in ich, milch)
  • or the ach-sound (harder, like in Bach, machen)

In Schaffner, you only have sch, not ch, so you just need the sh sound at the beginning.