Finding an accessible route at a station | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Entschuldigung, gibt es einen barrierefreien Weg zum richtigen Bahnsteig?

   Excuse me, is there an accessible way to reach the correct platform?

   Entschuldigung

   Excuse me

   gibt es

   is there

   barrierefreien

   accessible

   Weg

   way

   zum

   to the

   richtigen

   correct

   Bahnsteig

   platform

   More detail

   Entschuldigung is the noun Entschuldigung (“apology” or “excuse”), used here as a polite standalone way to get someone’s attention: “Excuse me.” It is not part of the grammatical question that follows. gibt es uses geben in the third-person singular present form gibt together with es. In the pattern Gibt es ...?, es is an unstated/expletive subject and the construction asks whether something exists or is available: Gibt es einen Eingang? — “Is there an entrance?” barrierefreien comes from the adjective barrierefrei, “accessible” or literally “free of barriers.” It describes Weg here. Because Weg is masculine singular and is the accusative object after einen, the adjective has the ending -en: einen barrierefreien Weg. The related adjective zugänglich can also mean “accessible,” but it is a different word. Weg is a masculine noun meaning “way,” “route,” or “path.” In this sentence it is the accusative singular object of the question: einen Weg, “a way.” A useful contrast is der Weg (nominative) and den Weg (accusative), while the form after zum would be dative: dem Weg. zum is the contraction of zu dem. The preposition zu takes the dative, so zum richtigen Bahnsteig means “to the correct platform.” The contraction is fixed as one written word in this sentence; it does not mean a quantity. richtigen is the adjective richtig, “correct” or “right,” describing Bahnsteig. Its -en ending marks the dative masculine singular form after zum (zu dem richtigen Bahnsteig). This is the intended platform, rather than an arbitrary platform. For example, Ich gehe zum richtigen Ausgang. — “I am going to the correct exit.” Bahnsteig is a masculine noun meaning “platform” in a railway station. Here it is dative singular because it follows zu: zu dem Bahnsteig → zum Bahnsteig. The plural is Bahnsteige, as in Die Bahnsteige sind dort. — “The platforms are over there.” Together, Gibt es einen barrierefreien Weg zum richtigen Bahnsteig? asks whether an accessible route to the correct platform exists. The indefinite article einen introduces a possible route; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. With the opening Entschuldigung, the complete utterance is: “Excuse me, is there an accessible way to reach the correct platform?” This is a polite, practical question suitable for asking for directions.

2. Der nächstgelegene Aufzug ist gerade wegen Wartungsarbeiten geschlossen.

   The closest elevator is closed for maintenance at the moment.

   nächstgelegene

   closest

   Aufzug

   elevator

   gerade

   at the moment

   wegen

   because of; for

   Wartungsarbeiten

   maintenance work

   geschlossen

   closed

   More detail

   nächstgelegene means “closest” here. It is the inflected form of nächstgelegen, a compound adjective meaning “nearest/closest.” With the masculine singular noun Aufzug after the definite article der, it takes the ending -e: der nächstgelegene Aufzug. This adjective describes which elevator is meant; it does not itself say that the elevator is open or closed. Aufzug is the masculine noun “elevator.” Its plural is Aufzüge, with an umlaut and the plural ending -e. Example: Der Aufzug ist dort. — “The elevator is there.” gerade is an adverb meaning “at the moment” in this sentence. It places the situation in the present time. The same word can have other uses, such as “straight,” but that is not its meaning here. wegen introduces a cause or reason and commonly takes a noun phrase in the genitive: wegen Wartungsarbeiten means “because of/for maintenance work.” In this sentence it explains why the elevator is closed. Wartungsarbeiten is the plural noun “maintenance work” or “maintenance tasks.” It is built from Wartung (“maintenance”) and Arbeiten (“works/tasks”), but the complete compound is the useful expression here. Example: Wegen Wartungsarbeiten bleibt der Eingang geschlossen. — “The entrance remains closed because of maintenance work.” geschlossen means “closed” here. It is the past participle of schließen (“to close”), but after ist it describes the elevator’s current state: ist geschlossen — “is closed.” The sentence presents the result or state, not an explicit statement about who closed it. The related forms are schließen (base form), schloss (simple past), and geschlossen (past participle). Together, Der nächstgelegene Aufzug identifies the closest elevator, ist ... geschlossen says that it is currently closed, gerade adds “at the moment,” and wegen Wartungsarbeiten gives the reason. The complete meaning is: “The closest elevator is closed for maintenance at the moment.”

3. Das könnte mit meinem schweren Koffer schwierig sein.

   That might be difficult with my heavy suitcase.

   Das könnte

   that might

   mit

   with

   meinem

   my

   schweren

   heavy

   Koffer

   suitcase

   schwierig

   difficult

   sein

   be

   More detail

   Das könnte starts the sentence with das, a neuter singular form that here serves as the subject for the situation expressed by the sentence. könnte is the form used with a third-person singular subject for the subjunctive II of können; in this sentence it expresses possibility, naturally “might.” The same form is also used with first-person singular subjects, so its shape alone does not identify the person. It is not the ordinary present kann (“can” or “is able to”). Example: Das könnte helfen. — “That might help.” mit means “with” and takes the dative case. It introduces what the situation involves here: the speaker’s suitcase. meinem is the dative masculine singular form of the possessive determiner mein (“my”). Its form reflects the grammatical case and gender/number of Koffer, not a numerical claim about the suitcase. Compare mein Koffer in the nominative with mit meinem Koffer after mit. schweren means “heavy” here. It is the inflected form of the adjective schwer. Because it comes before the masculine singular dative noun Koffer after the possessive determiner meinem, it has the ending -en: mit meinem schweren Koffer. As a predicative adjective, it does not take this ending: Der Koffer ist schwer. — “The suitcase is heavy.” Koffer is a masculine noun meaning “suitcase.” Its plural is also Koffer, so the form itself does not show a plural ending; here meinem shows that the noun phrase is masculine singular dative. Example: Ich trage meinen Koffer. — “I am carrying my suitcase.” schwierig means “difficult” here. It is a predicative adjective after sein, so it remains uninflected: Das ist schwierig. — “That is difficult.” The related noun is Schwierigkeit (“difficulty”), but the sentence uses the adjective. sein is the infinitive of sein (“to be”). It appears at the end because könnte is the finite modal verb and the modal construction places the other verb in the infinitive at the end. Compare Das könnte schwierig sein. — “That might be difficult.” Together, Das könnte ... sein means “That might be ...,” while mit meinem schweren Koffer specifies the circumstance: “with my heavy suitcase.” The complete utterance therefore means, “That might be difficult with my heavy suitcase.”

4. Benutzen Sie den Aufzug am nördlichen Eingang. Das bedeutet einen kurzen Fußweg.

   Use the elevator by the north entrance. It adds a short walk.

   Benutzen Sie

   use (formal instruction)

   Aufzug

   elevator

   nördlichen

   northern

   Eingang

   entrance

   bedeutet

   means; entails

   kurzen

   short

   Fußweg

   walk

   More detail

   Benutzen Sie uses benutzen (“to use”) in a formal command. Sie is the formal second-person subject form, and the verb form used with it is also benutzen. An informal command to one person would be Benutze ..., which is a different form and register. Aufzug means “elevator” here. Its base form is the masculine noun der Aufzug. In den Aufzug, the noun phrase is accusative because it is the direct object of benutzen. nördlichen is the adjective nördlich (“northern”). In the observed phrase am nördlichen Eingang, it has the weak masculine singular ending -en: am is short for an dem, and this is a stationary-location phrase with dative case. The ending belongs to nördlich, not to Eingang. Eingang is the masculine noun der Eingang (“entrance”). am nördlichen Eingang means “at/by the northern entrance.” The phrase identifies the location associated with the elevator. bedeutet is the third-person singular present form of bedeuten (“to mean”). Its subject is Das, referring to the preceding instruction or situation as a whole. In this context, Das bedeutet einen kurzen Fußweg says that following the instruction entails a short walk; the fixed translation expresses this as “It adds a short walk.” kurzen is the adjective kurz (“short”). In einen kurzen Fußweg, it has the -en ending because it modifies a masculine singular accusative noun phrase after einen. It describes the length of the walk. Fußweg is the masculine noun der Fußweg, meaning “walk” or “walking route.” In einen kurzen Fußweg, it is the accusative object of bedeutet. The phrase describes a short walk; einen marks the form of this masculine singular noun phrase rather than asserting a numerical count. Together, Benutzen Sie den Aufzug gives the formal instruction “Use the elevator.” am nördlichen Eingang specifies the elevator’s location: by the northern entrance. Das bedeutet einen kurzen Fußweg states that this entails or adds a short walk. The complete meaning is: “Use the elevator by the north entrance. It adds a short walk.”

5. Könnten Sie mir die Richtung zeigen, oder kann ich den Schildern leicht folgen?

   Could you point me toward it, or are the signs easy to follow?

   Könnten Sie

   could you

   mir

   to me

   Richtung

   direction

   zeigen

   show; point out

   kann ich

   can I

   Schildern

   signs

   leicht

   easily

   folgen

   follow

   More detail

   Könnten Sie is the polite formal “could you” form. Könnten is the subjunctive II form of können (“can”); here it softens a request rather than describing past ability. Sie is the formal “you,” written with a capital letter. Example: Könnten Sie das wiederholen? — “Could you repeat that?” mir means “to me.” It is the dative form of the first-person singular pronoun ich: ich (“I”) becomes mir when the person is the recipient or beneficiary. Example: Zeigen Sie mir den Weg. — “Show me the way.” Richtung means “direction.” It is a feminine noun, so the full noun phrase here is die Richtung; the selected form Richtung itself has no visible case ending. German nouns are capitalized. Example: Welche Richtung ist richtig? — “Which direction is correct?” zeigen means “to show” and, in this setting, “to point out” or “indicate.” It is the infinitive after the modal verb könnten: könnten ... zeigen, not a finite verb form. Example: Können Sie mir den Eingang zeigen? — “Can you show me the entrance?” kann ich means “can I.” kann is the present-tense form of können for ich; ich is the subject. In a yes-or-no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kann ich ...? Example: Kann ich hier warten? — “Can I wait here?” Schildern means “signs” in this sentence. The singular is das Schild, and the plural is die Schilder; after folgen, the plural has dative marking: den Schildern. The final -n is therefore on the noun form used in the dative plural. Example: Ich folge den Schildern. — “I follow the signs.” leicht means “easily” here. It is an adverb modifying folgen, so it describes how easily the signs can be followed; it is not an inflected adjective modifying Schildern. Example: Sie können den Weg leicht finden. — “You can easily find the way.” folgen means “to follow.” German folgen normally takes the dative for what is followed, hence den Schildern, not an accusative form. It is the infinitive after kann: kann ... folgen. Example: Folgen Sie diesem Weg. — “Follow this way.” The sentence presents two alternatives joined by oder (“or”). In the first, Könnten Sie mir die Richtung zeigen? asks politely whether the formal addressee can point the speaker toward the intended destination. In the second, kann ich den Schildern leicht folgen? asks whether the speaker can easily follow the signs. Together: “Could you point me toward it, or are the signs easy to follow?”

6. Gehen Sie an den Fahrkartenautomaten vorbei und folgen Sie dann den blauen Schildern.

   Go past the ticket machines, then follow the blue signs.

   Gehen

   go

   an … vorbei

   past

   Fahrkartenautomaten

   ticket machines

   dann

   then

   folgen

   follow

   blauen

   blue

   Schildern

   signs

   More detail

   Gehen is the base verb “to go.” Here it appears in a formal command: Gehen Sie means “Go,” addressing one or more people formally. The same pattern is reusable with other verbs, such as Warten Sie (“Wait”) or Nehmen Sie (“Take”). Sie is the formal second-person form and is also used with plural formal addressees. an ... vorbei is a reusable way to say “past.” In this sentence, an den Fahrkartenautomaten vorbei means “past the ticket machines.” The noun phrase is placed between an and vorbei; vorbei comes after it. With this directional use, an takes the dative here: den Fahrkartenautomaten. Fahrkartenautomaten means “ticket machines.” Its singular base form is der Fahrkartenautomat; the plural is die Fahrkartenautomaten. After den in this phrase, the form is dative plural, which is also Fahrkartenautomaten. The compound combines Fahrkarte (“ticket”) and Automat (“machine”), but the complete compound is the useful noun for this direction. dann means “then” and marks the next step in the sequence. It connects the first instruction with the instruction that follows it. folgen means “to follow.” In the command folgen Sie, it is again the infinitive used with formal Sie. German folgen takes a dative object, so den blauen Schildern means “the blue signs,” with the signs in the dative. This is a useful contrast with English, where “follow” does not show that case distinction. blauen is the adjective form of blau (“blue”). It is blauen because it describes a definite plural noun in the dative phrase den blauen Schildern. The adjective agrees with the noun phrase’s case and number here; blauen itself is the inflected adjective, not a form of Schildern. Schildern means “signs” here. Its base form is das Schild; its plural is die Schilder. In the dative plural, it becomes Schildern, adding -n. Thus den blauen Schildern is literally structured as “to the blue signs,” while the natural instruction is “follow the blue signs.” Together, Gehen Sie an den Fahrkartenautomaten vorbei gives the first formal instruction, “Go past the ticket machines.” und folgen Sie dann den blauen Schildern adds the next one, “then follow the blue signs.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Go past the ticket machines, then follow the blue signs.”

7. Werde ich den Zug noch erreichen, bevor er abfährt?

   Will I still reach the train before it leaves?

   Werde ich

   will I

   den … Zug

   the train

   noch

   still

   er

   it

   erreichen

   reach

   bevor

   before

   abfährt

   leaves

   More detail

   Werde ich is the question opening for the future construction: werden is the first-person singular present form of werden, and ich is the nominative subject. Here werden is an auxiliary, not the separate verb meaning “become.” In a yes/no question, the conjugated auxiliary comes first, while the infinitive goes to the end: Werde ich morgen kommen? — “Will I come tomorrow?” den Zug means “the train” here. Zug is a masculine noun; the definite article is der in the nominative but den in the accusative. The accusative marks the train as the thing reached. For example, Ich sehe den Zug. means “I see the train.” noch means “still” in this question: the speaker is asking whether reaching the train will remain possible at that time. Its position can vary with emphasis, but here it appears after the object: Er ist noch da. — “He is still there.” er is a third-person singular masculine pronoun in the nominative. In this utterance, the fixed translation identifies it as “it,” referring to the masculine noun Zug; German grammatical gender determines the pronoun form, even though the English translation uses “it.” erreichen is the infinitive “to reach.” Its useful forms include ich erreiche — “I reach” and er erreicht — “he reaches.” After the future auxiliary werden, the infinitive remains unchanged and appears at the end of the main clause: Ich werde den Bahnhof erreichen. — “I will reach the station.” bevor introduces a subordinate clause meaning “before.” In a German subordinate clause introduced by bevor, the conjugated verb goes to the end. It connects the main event with the earlier time limit: Ruf mich an, bevor du gehst. — “Call me before you leave.” abfährt means “leaves” here, specifically that the train departs. The base verb is the separable verb abfahren; in a main clause, its parts separate: Der Zug fährt ab. — “The train leaves.” In the bevor clause, the conjugated form stays together at the end: bevor der Zug abfährt — “before the train leaves.” er is the subject of this clause, and abfährt is third-person singular present. Together, Werde ich den Zug noch erreichen asks whether the speaker will still manage to reach the train. bevor er abfährt sets the deadline: before the train leaves. The complete utterance therefore means, “Will I still reach the train before it leaves?”

8. Wenn Sie jetzt losgehen, sollten Sie dort noch genug Zeit haben.

   If you leave now, you should get there with time to spare.

   Wenn Sie

   if you

   losgehen

   leave; set off

   sollten Sie

   you should

   dort

   there

   noch

   still

   genug

   enough

   Zeit

   time

   haben

   have

   More detail

   Wenn Sie introduces a condition: “if you …”. Sie is the formal second-person pronoun, written with a capital letter; it does not identify a particular person beyond the formal “you” supported by the sentence. In a clause beginning with wenn, the finite verb normally goes to the end, so the full conditional clause is Wenn Sie jetzt losgehen. losgehen means “to set off” or “to leave.” It is a separable verb in finite forms: Sie gehen los (“you set off”), but its infinitive remains together after a modal verb or in other infinitive contexts. Here it is the infinitive used in the wenn clause, with Sie as its understood subject. jetzt means “now,” making the condition specifically about leaving at this time. sollten Sie expresses a recommendation or expectation here: “you should.” sollten is the form of sollen used with formal Sie in this construction. In the main clause, the finite verb comes second, so the clause begins with sollten, followed by the subject Sie: sollten Sie …. The meaning is softer than a direct command and fits the fixed translation’s “should.” dort means “there,” referring to the destination understood in the fixed exchange. It is a location word, not the direction “to there”; German uses a different form, dorthin, when explicitly expressing movement toward a place. noch means “still” here. It indicates that, if the person leaves now, the relevant amount of time will remain available at the destination. Its position before genug Zeit connects it with the remaining availability of time in this sentence. genug means “enough” and expresses sufficiency. It can modify a noun directly: genug Zeit means “enough time.” For example, Wir haben genug Wasser. means “We have enough water.” Zeit is the noun “time.” In genug Zeit, it names what is sufficient; the phrase does not state a numerical amount. Zeit is feminine, as shown by forms such as die Zeit, but no article is needed in this quantity expression. haben means “have.” It is the infinitive selected after the modal verb sollten: Sie sollten genug Zeit haben means “you should have enough time.” In the present-tense finite form, the same verb is Sie haben (“you have”). Together, Wenn Sie jetzt losgehen sets the condition “if you leave now.” The main clause sollten Sie dort noch genug Zeit haben says that, under that condition, you should still have enough time there. The complete utterance therefore means: “If you leave now, you should get there with time to spare.”

9. Ich mache mich jetzt auf den Weg dorthin.

   I'll head that way now.

   Ich

   I

   mache mich … auf den Weg

   set off; head out

   jetzt

   now

   dorthin

   that way; there

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person setting off. Compare du (“you,” singular informal) and Sie (“you,” formal), which refer to different participants. mache mich auf den Weg is the reusable German construction sich auf den Weg machen, meaning “to set off” or “to head out.” In this sentence, mache is the present-tense first-person singular form of machen (“to make”), and mich is the matching reflexive pronoun for ich: literally, the speaker “makes himself/herself” get on the way. The reflexive form changes with the subject: ich mache mich, but du machst dich (“you set off”) and sie macht sich (“she sets off”). auf den Weg is part of the construction, not a separate claim that a specific road is being placed somewhere. jetzt means “now.” It places the setting-off in the present situation. For example, Ich gehe jetzt. means “I’m leaving now.” dorthin is a directional adverb meaning “there” or “to that place.” It points toward the destination understood in the conversation. It is different from dort, which means “there” as a location without expressing movement toward it: Ich bin dort means “I am there,” whereas Ich gehe dorthin means “I am going there.” Together, Ich mache mich jetzt auf den Weg dorthin means “I’ll head that way now.” The speaker says that they are setting off now and heading toward the place indicated by dorthin. The present tense describes the immediate planned action; German does not need a separate future form for this context.

10. Fragen Sie das Personal am Zugang, wenn Sie unterwegs Hilfe brauchen.

    Ask the gate staff if you need help on the way.

    Fragen Sie

    ask

    Personal

    staff

    Zugang

    access point

    unterwegs

    on the way

    Hilfe

    help

    brauchen

    need

    More detail

    Fragen Sie is the formal imperative of fragen (“to ask”). The verb stays in its infinitive form, while capitalized Sie marks the formal addressee; this form can address one person or several people. Example: Fragen Sie den Fahrer. — “Ask the driver.” Personal means staff or personnel as a collective noun. It is normally used as a mass noun rather than as an ordinary plural for individual employees. Example: Das Personal hilft den Gästen. — “The staff helps the guests.” Zugang means access or an access point. It is a masculine noun: der Zugang. In am Zugang, am is the contraction of an dem, giving the location meaning “at the access point.” The noun itself is not an adjective or a verb form; its plural is Zugänge. Example: Der Zugang ist dort. — “The access point is there.” unterwegs means “on the way” or “out and about,” describing someone’s situation while travelling or going somewhere. It is an adverb and does not change for person or number. Example: Ich bin noch unterwegs. — “I’m still on the way.” Hilfe means help or assistance. It is a feminine noun: die Hilfe. It can refer to assistance generally, without asserting a particular amount or number. Example: Wir brauchen Hilfe. — “We need help.” brauchen means “to need.” Here it is the present-tense form used with Sie in the subordinate clause: Sie brauchen — “you need.” Its ordinary base form is also brauchen; unlike a form such as du brauchst, this Sie form has no added -st. Example: Sie brauchen eine Pause. — “You need a break.” The sentence combines the formal request Fragen Sie with the location phrase am Zugang: “Ask the staff at the access point.” The wenn clause gives the condition for asking: wenn Sie unterwegs Hilfe brauchen, literally “if you need help while on the way.” In this subordinate clause, brauchen comes at the end, as is typical for a German clause introduced by wenn. Together, the utterance means: “Ask the gate staff if you need help on the way.”