Der Gang zur Kabine ist eng, aber die Rolltreppe am anderen Ausgang funktioniert wieder.

The aisle to the fitting room is narrow, but the escalator at the other exit works again.

Breakdown of Der Gang zur Kabine ist eng, aber die Rolltreppe am anderen Ausgang funktioniert wieder.

• sein: to be
• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• zu: to
• aber: but
• funktionieren: to work
• wieder: again
• an: at
• der: the; (feminine, dative)
• ander: other
• die Rolltreppe: the escalator
• der Ausgang: the exit
• der Gang: the aisle
• die Kabine: the fitting room
• eng: narrow

Questions & Answers about Der Gang zur Kabine ist eng, aber die Rolltreppe am anderen Ausgang funktioniert wieder.

What does zur mean, and why is it zur Kabine?

zur is the contraction of zu der.

• zu usually means to or toward
• der is the dative form of die for a feminine noun
• Kabine is feminine: die Kabine

So:

• zu der Kabine → zur Kabine

German uses this contraction very commonly.

Why is it am anderen Ausgang?

am is the contraction of an dem.

So:

• an dem Ausgang → am Ausgang

Here, Ausgang is masculine: der Ausgang. After an in this kind of location phrase, German uses the dative case, so dem Ausgang is correct.

Why does anderen end in -en?

Because it follows a definite article in the dative case.

In am anderen Ausgang:

• am = an dem
• dem is dative singular masculine
• after dem, the adjective ander- takes the ending -en

So:

• an dem anderen Ausgang

This is a very common pattern in German adjective endings.

What does Gang mean here?

Here der Gang means corridor, passage, or walkway.

This word can have several meanings in German depending on context, for example:

• corridor/passage
• gear in a car
• course in a meal
• gait or manner of walking

In this sentence, because it is zur Kabine and described as eng, the meaning is clearly passage/corridor.

Why is it Der Gang ist eng and not something like enge?

Because eng is a predicate adjective here.

After verbs like sein, werden, and bleiben, German adjectives usually do not take endings.

So:

• der enge Gang = the narrow corridor
  adjective before a noun → ending needed
• Der Gang ist eng = The corridor is narrow
  adjective after ist → no ending

Why is wieder at the end of the second clause?

German main clauses usually follow the verb-second rule:

• die Rolltreppe = first element
• funktioniert = finite verb in second position
• wieder comes later

So:

• die Rolltreppe funktioniert wieder

This is normal German word order. wieder often appears after the verb and near the end of the clause.

Why does the verb stay in second position after aber?

Because aber is a coordinating conjunction.

It joins two main clauses, and each clause keeps normal main-clause word order:

• Der Gang zur Kabine ist eng
• aber die Rolltreppe am anderen Ausgang funktioniert wieder

Compare that with a subordinating conjunction like weil, where the verb goes to the end:

• ..., weil die Rolltreppe am anderen Ausgang wieder funktioniert.

So aber does not send the verb to the end.

What is the difference between zur Kabine and in die Kabine?

This is a very useful distinction.

• zur Kabine = to/toward the cabin/booth
• in die Kabine = into the cabin/booth

So der Gang zur Kabine means the corridor or passage leading to the cabin, not necessarily going inside it.

German often uses zu for movement toward a destination, especially when the focus is the destination as a point rather than entering its interior.

Why is there a comma before aber?

Because in German, when two main clauses are joined by conjunctions like aber, a comma is normally used.

Here the two clauses are:

• Der Gang zur Kabine ist eng
• die Rolltreppe am anderen Ausgang funktioniert wieder

So the comma helps separate them clearly.

Why are the articles different: der Gang, die Rolltreppe, der Ausgang, die Kabine?

Because German nouns have grammatical gender, and each noun has to be learned with its article.

In this sentence:

• der Gang → masculine
• die Rolltreppe → feminine
• der Ausgang → masculine
• die Kabine → feminine

For an English speaker, this can feel arbitrary, because English does not do this with most nouns. The best habit is to learn each noun together with its article, not by itself.

Does wieder mean again or back here?

Here wieder means again: the escalator is functioning once more.

So the idea is:

• it was not working before
• now it works again

In other contexts, wieder can sometimes feel closer to back, but in this sentence again is the most natural understanding.

Why are all these words capitalized: Gang, Kabine, Rolltreppe, Ausgang?

Because in German, all nouns are capitalized.

That is why you see:

• der Gang
• die Kabine
• die Rolltreppe
• der Ausgang

This is one of the most noticeable differences from English spelling.