German at the train station: tickets, delays and announcements

At a German train station you need a small set of words and phrases: das Gleis (the platform number), die Abfahrt and die Ankunft (departure and arrival), die Verspätung (delay), fällt aus (is cancelled) and umsteigen (to change trains). To buy a ticket, say Eine Fahrkarte nach Hamburg, bitte. Deutsche Bahn announcements follow a fixed pattern: the train, its destination, the planned time and what has changed. Once you know that pattern, you can catch the one word that matters.

#Which German words do you need at the station?

These are the words on the boards, the tickets and in the app. Learn them first, and the station becomes far less noisy.

Umsteigen, einsteigen and aussteigen are separable verbs, so the prefix jumps to the end of the sentence: Sie steigen in Fulda um (you change in Fulda). Separable verbs explains the pattern.

#How do you buy a train ticket in German?

Most people buy tickets in the Deutsche Bahn app or at the ticket machine, which you can switch to English. At the counter in the Reisezentrum, these sentences cover the conversation:

For local and regional travel, many people use the Deutschlandticket, a monthly ticket valid on buses, trams, the U-Bahn and S-Bahn and regional trains across Germany. It does not cover long-distance trains such as the ICE and the IC.

#What do German train announcements say?

Announcements sound fast, but they almost always follow the same order. Times use the 24-hour clock, so 14:32 is vierzehn Uhr zweiunddreißig; telling the time in German helps with the numbers.

A train arriving:

A delay, with the reason and the apology:

A change of platform or of the order of the coaches:

On the train itself:

#What do you say when your train is late or cancelled?

Delays and missed connections are part of travelling by train in Germany. Staff on the platform and on the train answer questions all day, and these sentences get you the information you need:

Some cheaper tickets are tied to one train (die Zugbindung). If you hear Die Zugbindung ist aufgehoben, you may take another train with that ticket. For long delays you can usually claim part of the fare back. The rules on passenger rights change from time to time, so check the current ones on bahn.de.

#How do you find your seat on a German train?

Long-distance trains show the order of the coaches on a board on the platform (der Wagenstandsanzeiger), with sections marked by letters. Find your coach number there and wait in the right section. On board, these phrases help:

#How does Linota help with German at the station?

Linota has a mission about a cancelled ICE: you deal with the situation in your own German, typed or spoken, from asking staff what happens now to finding another way, and every reply gets feedback. In Places you can walk through a station in 3D and tap the board, the ticket machine and the people around you to see what you might say, ask and hear there.

#The short version

• Learn the board words: Gleis, Abfahrt, Ankunft, Verspätung, fällt aus.
• Buy a ticket with Eine Fahrkarte nach ..., bitte and ask Muss ich umsteigen?
• Announcements follow one pattern; listen for your train, the Gleis and what changed.
• When things go wrong, ask staff Wie komme ich jetzt nach ...?
• Check passenger rights and ticket rules on bahn.de.

If you have just moved and are still sorting out the paperwork, start with the German for the Anmeldung. For calls to a hotline when things go wrong, see phone calls in German.

This post teaches the German for the situation. It is not legal, tax, medical or financial advice, and rules change: for your own case, ask the office, your employer, a doctor or a qualified adviser.