Deutsch · A1 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Places in town
Ask where a place is and locate it relative to a landmark.
Understand the choice
Town nouns should form a mental map. Learn their articles and position phrases so a question about Bahnhof or Apotheke leads naturally to a route rather than an isolated translation.
Core rule: Zwischen takes dative for a fixed location: zwischen der Bank und dem Bahnhof.
Notice it in context
Die Apotheke ist zwischen der Bank und dem Bahnhof.
The pharmacy is between the bank and the train station.
Ist marks location; zwischen governs dative der Bank and dem Bahnhof.
Der Supermarkt ist gegenüber der Post.
The supermarket is opposite the post office.
Gegenüber commonly takes dative; der Post is feminine dative.
Hinter dem Museum beginnt der Park.
The park begins behind the museum.
Hinter dem Museum is fronted; beginnt remains second.
What to remember
- Die Bank can mean a bank or a bench; location and article do not disambiguate without context.
- Bahnhof is masculine; Rathaus is neuter.
Common trap: Do not assume all place prepositions take accusative. A static map location uses dative with two-way prepositions.