Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug.

We get on the train at the train station.

Breakdown of Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug.

• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• wir: we
• in: into
• der Zug: the train
• der Bahnhof: the train station
• den: the; (masculine, accusative)
• an: at
• steigen: to climb

Questions & Answers about Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug.

Why is it am Bahnhof and not im Bahnhof or auf dem Bahnhof?

am Bahnhof is a very common way to say “at the station” in German.

• am = an + dem (preposition an
  • dative article dem)
• Bahnhof is masculine: der Bahnhof → dative: dem Bahnhof → contracted: am Bahnhof

Nuances:

• am Bahnhof – neutral “at the station” (could be outside, on the platform, in front of it, etc.)
• im Bahnhof – specifically inside the building
• auf dem Bahnhof – technically possible, but sounds unusual in modern standard German for “at the station”; it can appear regionally or historically.

So am Bahnhof is the default everyday expression for “at the station.”

Why is it in den Zug and not in dem Zug or im Zug?

Because the sentence describes motion into the train. In German, the preposition in takes:

• accusative for movement into something (direction)
• dative for location (no movement)

Here we have motion:

• in (into) + der Zug (masculine)
• Accusative masculine: den Zug
• → in den Zug

If you were already inside the train, you’d use dative:

• Ich bin im Zug. = I am in the train.
  (im = in + dem, dative)

So:

• Wir steigen in den Zug. – We are getting into the train (movement, accusative).
• Wir sind im Zug. – We are in the train (location, dative).

Why is it den Zug and not dem Zug or der Zug?

Zug is masculine:

• Nominative: der Zug (subject)
• Accusative: den Zug (direct object)
• Dative: dem Zug

In Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug, Zug is the destination of movement, so it takes accusative after in:

• in
  • den (accusative masculine) + Zug

That’s why it’s den Zug, not dem Zug or der Zug.

Why is am Bahnhof in the dative case, but in den Zug in the accusative case?

Two different rules are at work:

1. Preposition “an” with location → dative

   • an (at) + masculine noun for location (no movement)
   • der Bahnhof → dem Bahnhof → am Bahnhof (an + dem)

   Being “at the station” is a location, so dative.

2. Preposition “in” with movement into something → accusative

   • in
     • movement into a place = accusative
   • der Zug → den Zug
   • in den Zug = into the train

So the sentence combines:

• location: am Bahnhof (dative)
• direction/movement: in den Zug (accusative)

Could I say Wir steigen im Bahnhof in den Zug?

Grammatically, yes, but the meaning changes slightly:

• am Bahnhof – at the station (general location)
• im Bahnhof – inside the station building

Wir steigen im Bahnhof in den Zug suggests you are inside the station building when you get on the train, which sounds a bit odd in most real situations, because you normally board the train on the platform, which is often conceptualized as am Bahnhof.

People almost always say am Bahnhof in this kind of sentence.

Can I change the word order to Wir steigen in den Zug am Bahnhof?

Yes, this is grammatically correct, but it sounds less natural.

Typical word order rules in German place more specific place phrases (like “into the train”) before more general place phrases (like “at the station”) or they put the general place first in the sentence.

Most natural options:

• Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug.
• Am Bahnhof steigen wir in den Zug.

Wir steigen in den Zug am Bahnhof is understandable, but a native would usually prefer one of the two versions above.

What is the difference between steigen in den Zug and in den Zug einsteigen?

einsteigen is a separable verb:

• infinitive: einsteigen
• main clause: Wir steigen in den Zug ein.

Differences:

• Wir steigen in den Zug. – correct and understandable; literally “We climb into the train.”
• Wir steigen in den Zug ein. – more idiomatic; this is the standard verb for “to get on / board” a vehicle.

In everyday German, einsteigen is the usual choice:

• Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug ein. – very natural
• Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug. – still okay, just a bit less typical in modern speech.

Why is it Wir steigen and not Wir steigen ein in this sentence?

It could be Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug ein; that would be even more natural.

The sentence Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug focuses on the combination steigen + in (“to climb/get into”). This construction is correct and often used, especially in more neutral or descriptive contexts.

But if you want to sound very idiomatic in conversation, adding ein (i.e. using the verb einsteigen) is common:

• Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug ein.

Does steigen always mean “to get on (a vehicle)”?

No. steigen has a broader meaning of “to climb / to step / to rise”:

• auf einen Berg steigen – to climb a mountain
• Die Temperatur steigt. – The temperature is rising.
• in den Zug steigen – to get into the train
• aus dem Zug steigen – to get out of the train

For public transport, German usually uses separable verbs with -steigen:

• einsteigen – to get on / board
• aussteigen – to get off
• umsteigen – to change (trains/buses, etc.)

So steigen by itself is more general, but in this sentence it’s used with in den Zug and means “to get into / onto.”

Is Bahnhof masculine, feminine, or neuter, and what are its main forms?

Bahnhof is masculine.

Important singular forms:

• Nominative: der Bahnhof – the station
• Accusative: den Bahnhof
• Dative: dem Bahnhof – e.g. am Bahnhof (an + dem)

Plural:

• die Bahnhöfe (nominative & accusative)
• Dative plural: den Bahnhöfen

In the sentence, Bahnhof is dative singular: dem Bahnhof → contracted to am Bahnhof.

Can Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug refer to the future, like “We’re going to get on the train at the station (later)”?

Yes. German present tense (Präsens) is often used for near future plans, similar to English “We are getting on the train at the station (tomorrow / later).”

Context or a time expression would clarify:

• Morgen steigen wir am Bahnhof in den Zug. – Tomorrow we’re getting on the train at the station.

So Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug can describe something happening now or something scheduled/planned in the near future, depending on context.

How would this sentence change if the subject were I instead of we?

You only change the verb ending and possibly the context; the cases and prepositions stay the same:

• Wir steigen am Bahnhof in den Zug. – We get on the train at the station.
• Ich steige am Bahnhof in den Zug. – I get on the train at the station.

Verb conjugation of steigen (present tense):

• ich steige
• du steigst
• er/sie/es steigt
• wir steigen
• ihr steigt
• sie/Sie steigen