A lot of German-speaking countries are famous for their öffentlichen Nahverkehr public transport, and especially Switzerland has an amazing network of trains. So let’s have a look today at how to navigate public transport in German.
We are going to have a look at departure and arrival times and some other essential phrases to make your journey smoother. As always, remember you can listen to even more examples and explanations in our podcast.
A useful phrase for any question
Let’s start with a very helpful phrase that you can use in almost any situation: Können Sie mir bitte sagen. This means ‘Can you please tell me’ and can be followed by any specific question. It’s a polite way to ask for information, and it’s perfect for asking about public transport schedules.
- Können Sie mir bitte sagen, wann der Zug ankommt? Can you please tell me when the train arrives?
- Können Sie mir bitte sagen, um wie viel Uhr der Zug abfährt? Can you please tell me at what time the train departs?
Notice the structure of the sentence. After Können Sie mir bitte sagen, a question word is used (wann, um wie viel Uhr) and the verb is put to the end of the clause. Also, keep in mind that you can use this phrase for almost all other questions that we covered in previous lessons.
- Können Sie mir bitte sagen, wann der Supermarkt heute schließt?
Talking about train and bus times in German
Now that you know the key phrase, let’s look at some essential vocabulary for public transport in German:
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- ankommen to arrive
- abfahren to depart
- der Zug the train
- der Bus the bus
- nach to/for
- von from
Knowing these few basic words for public transport in German, you can find out all relevant information für deine nächste Reise.
- Können Sie mir bitte sagen, um wie viel Uhr der Zug nach München abfährt? Can you please tell me at what time the train for Munich leaves?
- Können Sie mir bitte sagen, wann der Zug von Köln ankommt? Can you please tell me when the train from Cologne arrives?
- Können Sie mir bitte sagen, von wo der Bus nach Wien abfährt? Can you please tell me from where the bus to Vienna leaves?
Just remember you can of course also use this construction with any other form of public transport like die Straßenbahn tram or die U-Bahn subway. Make sure to try and ask for information the next time you are in a German-speaking country, just to practise your speaking and build your confidence, even if you have already found all the information online before.
To keep your learning journey on track, why not understand three different ways of asking when in German? This way, you’ll be able to ask when people are departing for a trip and schedule a coffee with friends.
