Der Zug fährt gleich ab.

the train

Breakdown of Der Zug fährt gleich ab.

• gleich: about to
• abfahren: to leave

Questions & Answers about Der Zug fährt gleich ab.

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

Because der Zug is the subject of the sentence — it is the thing doing the action.

In German, the article changes depending on the noun’s role in the sentence:

• der Zug = nominative, used for the subject
• den Zug = accusative, usually for a direct object
• dem Zug = dative, often for an indirect object or after certain prepositions

Here, the train is the one that departs, so nominative is needed: der Zug.

What form is fährt?

Fährt is the 3rd person singular present-tense form of fahren.

The verb fahren means to drive / to go / to travel, and in transport contexts it is also used for things like trains, buses, and cars moving.

Its present-tense forms are:

• ich fahre
• du fährst
• er/sie/es fährt
• wir fahren
• ihr fahrt
• sie/Sie fahren

Since der Zug is grammatically he/it in German, the correct form is fährt.

Why does fahren change to fährt with an umlaut?