Questions & Answers about Wir steigen in den Zug.
Why is it in den Zug and not in dem Zug?
The preposition in can take either the accusative or the dative case, depending on the meaning:
- Accusative (movement → where to?): going into/onto something
- Dative (location → where?): being inside/on something
In Wir steigen in den Zug, you have movement into the train, so you ask:
- Wohin steigen wir? – In den Zug. → accusative
That’s why it is den Zug (accusative masculine) instead of dem Zug (dative masculine).
Why is it den Zug and not der Zug?
Zug is a masculine noun:
- Nominative: der Zug
- Accusative: den Zug
Because of the preposition in with movement (see previous answer), you need the accusative. So:
- Subject (doing the action): Der Zug fährt. – The train is going.
- Object with movement into it: Wir steigen in den Zug. – We get on the train.
So den is simply the accusative form of der for masculine nouns.
Why can’t I just say Wir steigen den Zug without in?