A2 · 48 words
Travel and transport in German
Booking it, catching it, missing it — and the announcements you will actually hear.
Station announcements are the first real listening test most learners meet, and they use a small, fixed set of words: Gleis, Verspätung, voraussichtlich, Einfahrt, Anschluss. Knowing twenty of them turns an incomprehensible loudspeaker into information. The verbs of travelling are almost all separable and almost all take sein: ankommen, abfahren, einsteigen, aussteigen, umsteigen, losfahren. That is not a coincidence — they describe movement from one place to another, which is exactly the group that takes sein in the perfect.
The words
Verb (13)
reisento travelVerbA2
Takes "sein" in the perfect: ich bin gereist.
fliegento flyVerbA2
fliegen – flog – geflogen, with "sein".
einsteigento get on, to boardVerbA2
Separable, with "sein".
aussteigento get offVerbA2
Separable, with "sein".
packento packVerbA2
buchento bookVerbA2
reservierento reserveVerbA2
No ge- in the participle, because of -ieren.
abholento pick up, to collectVerbA2
Separable.
losfahrento set offVerbA2
Separable, with "sein".
parkento parkVerbA2
tankento fill up, to refuelVerbA2
kontrollierento check, to inspectVerbA2
Mostly to check; to control is usually steuern or beherrschen.
mitnehmento take along, to give a liftVerbA2
Separable: nimmt mit, nahm mit, mitgenommen. zum Mitnehmen: to take away (food).
Noun (32)
die Reisejourney, tripNounA2
Plural: die Reisen. "Gute Reise!" is what you say to somebody leaving.
die Fahrtjourney, rideNounA2
Plural: die Fahrten. A "Reise" is the whole trip, a "Fahrt" one leg of it.
der FlughafenairportNounA2
Plural: die Flughäfen.
das FlugzeugaeroplaneNounA2
Plural: die Flugzeuge. Literally "flying gear".
das Gleisplatform, trackNounA2
Plural: die Gleise. German counts tracks where English counts platforms.
die VerspätungdelayNounA2
Plural: die Verspätungen.
der AnschlussconnectionNounB1
Plural: die Anschlüsse. Also a telephone or power connection.
die Stationstop, stationNounA2
Plural: die Stationen. Also a hospital ward.
der KoffersuitcaseNounA2
Plural: die Koffer.
das GepäckluggageNounA2
No plural — a collective, like the English word.
das HotelhotelNounA1
Plural: die Hotels.
der SitzplatzseatNounA2
Plural: die Sitzplätze.
die Rückfahrkartereturn ticketNounA2
Plural: die Rückfahrkarten. One way is "einfach".
der Schaffnerconductor, ticket inspectorNounB1
Plural: die Schaffner. Officially "der Zugbegleiter".
der AusweisID cardNounA2
Plural: die Ausweise. Everyone in Germany is required to hold one.
der PasspassportNounA2
Plural: die Pässe. Also a mountain pass.
die GrenzeborderNounB1
Plural: die Grenzen. Also a limit.
die AutobahnmotorwayNounA2
Plural: die Autobahnen.
der VerkehrtrafficNounA2
No plural.
der Stautraffic jamNounA2
Plural: die Staus.
das BenzinpetrolNounA2
No plural. Diesel is "der Diesel".
der Führerscheindriving licenceNounB1
Plural: die Führerscheine.
die PannebreakdownNounB1
Plural: die Pannen. Also a mishap in general.
die UnterkunftaccommodationNounB1
Plural: die Unterkünfte.
die Ferienwohnungholiday flatNounB1
Plural: die Ferienwohnungen.
das Doppelzimmerdouble roomNounA2
Plural: die Doppelzimmer. Single is "das Einzelzimmer".
die RezeptionreceptionNounA2
Plural: die Rezeptionen.
der Lastwagenlorry, truckNounA2
Plural: die Lastwagen.
die RückkehrreturnNounB1
No plural.
die EntfernungdistanceNounB1
Plural: die Entfernungen. Also the removal of something.
der Bordboard (of a ship or plane)NounB1
No plural. Almost only in an Bord (on board), von Bord and über Bord (overboard).
der Wagencar; carriageNounA2
Plural: die Wagen. A slightly formal word for das Auto; on a train, a carriage.
Adjective (1)
fernfar, distantAdjectiveB1
Also the separable part of fernsehen and fernhalten (to keep away).
Adverb (2)
unterwegson the way, out and aboutAdverbA2
voraussichtlichexpected, estimatedAdverbB1
The word every German station announcement uses.
This list belongs to Transport and travel — 18 lists and 713 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
From these 48 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.