The idea
Use die Bahn for the nominative singular, die Bahn for the accusative, der Bahn for the dative, and der Bahn for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Bahnen.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Bahn | die Bahnen |
| Akkusativ | die Bahn | die Bahnen |
| Dativ | der Bahn | den Bahnen |
| Genitiv | der Bahn | der Bahnen |
Meaning and useful combinations
Bahn can name a railway system, a service or a track. Deutsche Bahn is a company name, not the meaning of every use of Bahn.
Useful combinations: mit der Bahn reisen; die Straßenbahn; eine freie Bahn. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
das Bahndie BahnThis check asks for the nominative singular: die Bahn. In the meaning taught here, Bahn is feminine. The nominative plural is die Bahnen. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Die Bahn ist für diese Strecke eine gute Möglichkeit.Rail is a good option for this route.
- Wir nehmen die Bahn bis zur Endstation.We take the train to the final stop.
- In der Bahn lese ich meistens ein Buch.I usually read a book on the train.
- Die Haltestellen der Bahn sind auf dem Plan markiert.The line's stops are marked on the map.
- Die Bahnen zum Stadion fahren häufiger als sonst.The trains to the stadium run more often than usual.
- In den Bahnen werden die nächsten Haltestellen angesagt.The next stops are announced on the trains.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic German voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
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Watch out
Do not transfer the gender of a translated word into German. The basic learning pair is die Bahn — die Bahnen. Bahn can name a railway system, a service or a track. Deutsche Bahn is a company name, not the meaning of every use of Bahn.
Try it yourself
___ Bahn (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
die
die: Bahn is feminine.
Plural: die Bahn → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Bahnen
Bahnen: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Bahn (dem / der)
Show answer or example answer
der
der: mit takes the dative, giving mit der Bahn.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Bahn (der / die / das)
Plural: die Bahn → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Bahn (dem / der)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Read the six situations, identify Bahn and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.