Directions in German

Give and receive directions confidently, with German direction vocabulary.
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Giving & asking for directions in German is an essential skill for German learners who plan to visit Germany. After you have a grasp of basic German phrases, the most

essential idioms and a rough understanding of the rules of German pronunciation, you can quite easily learn the vocabulary needed to give & ask for directions.

Check out this dialogue, for example:

Entschuldigen Sie? Wissen Sie vielleicht, wo die U-Bahnstation 'Weinmeisterstraße' ist?
Excuse me? Do you know where the 'Weinmeisterstraße' subway station is, by any chance?
Ja, natürlich. Gehen Sie einfach weiter geradeaus und dann gleich rechts. Sie müssen dann noch einmal rechts und dann sehen Sie die Station auch schon.
Yes, of course. Just keep going straight ahead, and then turn right. Then turn right again, and you'll see the station.
Vielen Dank! Einen schönen Tag noch!
Thank you very much! Have a nice day!

In this dialogue, Tim is asking a passerby for directions to the U-Bahnstation (subway station) "Weinmeisterstraße" (that's a tube station here in Berlin). Muriel then gives him directions on how to get there.

As you can see, there are a few skills involved here: First, you need to know how to ask questions in German. But then you will also need to know the necessary vocabulary to understand the answer and follow the directions given to you, which includes adverbials of direction & movement, adverbs of time and nouns around the city. Let's do this!

How to Ask for Directions

When asking for directions in German, it can be helpful to provide details about where you are starting and where you are going. For example, you can use the phrase “Ich bin an der xxx und ich will zur xxx.” (I am at xxx and I want to go to xxx). This will help the person giving directions understand your situation better.

Another useful tip is to be polite and friendly when asking for directions. You can start by saying “Entschuldigen Sie” (Excuse me) or “Können Sie mir helfen?” (Can you help me?).

Excuse me ... ?

Entschuldigen Sie?
Excuse me?
Wissen Sie wo ... ist?
Do you know where ... is?
Können Sie mir den Weg zu ... zeigen?
Can you tell me the way to ...?
Können Sie mir helfen?
Can you help me?
Wo ist ...?
Where is ...?
Wohin soll ich gehen?
Where should I go?

Navigation - Places in a City

The next word list is helpful when you are trying to navigate a place or a city in German.

die Straße
street
der Platz
square
die Brücke
bridge
der Bahnhof
train station
die U-Bahnstation
subway station
der Busbahnhof
bus station

How to Give Directions

Adverbs of Direction

German adverbs of direction are words that indicate the direction in which an action is taking place. They can also indicate the direction in which someone or something is moving or facing.

Here is a list of the most important ones:

links
left
rechts
right
geradeaus
straight
hoch
up
runter
down
in der Nähe
near

Here's an example sentence using some of these words:

Du musst jetzt hier rechts abbiegen und dann immer weiter geradeaus fahren. Dann sofort links, und dann siehst du die Parkplätze des Museums.


Compass Directions

Apart from the standard directional adverbs used when navigating a city (like "right" & "left"), it can also sometimes be useful to know the points of the compass in German:

nördlich
north
südlich
south
östlich
east
westlich
west

You could, for example, say:

Das Museum ist nördlich von hier. Daher müssen wir mit der U-Bahn Richtung Norden fahren.


Directional Verbs

abbiegen
to turn
gehen
to go
fahren
to drive
laufen
to walk
nehmen
to take
zurückgehen
to go back
einen Umweg machen
to take a detour
die U-Bahn nehmen
to take the subway
den Bus nehmen
to take a bus
ein Taxi nehmen
to take a taxi

When giving directions in German, it can be helpful to think about the route you are describing. Try to be as detailed as possible, including landmarks and street names, to ensure that the person asking for directions can easily find their way.

It can also be helpful to give an estimated time frame for how long the route should take. For example, you can say “Gehen Sie 10 Minuten geradeaus und Sie sind da.” (Walk straight for 10 minutes and you will be there).

Finally, it is important to be polite and patient when giving directions. Asking the person if they understand your directions and repeating your instructions if necessary will help ensure that they arrive at their destination safely.

Conclusion

Asking for and giving directions in German can be a tricky task, but with the right vocabulary and useful tips, it can be made easier. We hope this blog post has provided you with the tools you need to navigate your way around German-speaking countries with ease.

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Download our free pdf for German learners, with 99 German words & idioms. Each idiom comes with an example, a translation & helpful vocabulary.

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