Bahn

noun
train, railway
A1

'Bahn' (die) mainly means 'train' or 'railway' (e.g. die Bahn = national rail). Feminine noun with plural 'Bahnen'. Common collocation: 'mit der Bahn' (by train). Regular declension; no irregular plural. Frequently appears in compounds (S‑Bahn, Bahnsteig), especially to indicate rail transport.

Examples

Ich fahre gern mit der Bahn.
I like travelling by rail.
Die Bahn hat heute Verspätung.
The train is delayed today.
Die Verspätung der Bahn ärgerte die Pendler sehr, sodass viele ihre Pläne änderten.
The train's delay annoyed the commuters a lot, so many changed their plans.

Details

PluralBahnen

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
nominativedie Bahndie Bahnen
genitiveder Bahnder Bahnen
dativeder Bahnden Bahnen
accusativedie Bahndie Bahnen

Mnemonics

👁️Picture rails forming a big letter 'B' for 'Bahn'.
👂Sounds like English 'bahn' — imagine a 'bahn' sign at a train station.
⚧️die — imagine a female conductor waving on the railway (die Bahn).

Notes

Bahn can mean the train itself or the railway system. When referring to a service/company it's also 'die Bahn' (e.g., Deutsche Bahn).

Category

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