Latest / Learn German with Fexingo / German Directions - Near and Far
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, ready for another episode? Today we're talking about distance—how to say something is near or far in German. Luna: Oh, that's useful! I always get lost, so knowing how to ask if something is close by would help a lot. Lucas: Exactly. So the key words are 'nah' for near and 'weit' for far. Let's start with 'nah'. Luna: Nah. That's short and sweet. Like 'nah' in English but with a softer 'h'? Lucas: Yeah, pretty much. Now let's put it in a sentence: 'Der Supermarkt ist nah.' The supermarket is near. Luna: Der Supermarkt ist nah. So if I'm looking for a store, I can ask if it's nah. Lucas: Right. And if it's far, you say 'weit'. For example: 'Der Bahnhof ist weit weg.' The train station is far away. Luna: Der Bahnhof ist weit weg. So 'weit' is far, and 'weg' adds 'away'. Lucas: Exactly. You can also just say 'weit' alone. But 'weit weg' emphasizes distance. Now, let's practice a question: 'Wie weit ist es?' How far is it? Luna: Wie weit ist es? That's a great question for when I'm wandering around. Lucas: And you might hear the answer: 'Es ist nicht weit.' It's not far. Luna: Es ist nicht weit. So 'nicht' makes it negative—not far. That's a handy phrase. Lucas: Yep. Let's do a little scene. Imagine you're in a German city and you ask someone: 'Entschuldigung, wo ist die Bäckerei?' And they say: 'Die Bäckerei ist nah.' What do you do? Luna: I'd say 'Danke!' and then walk a few steps because it's near. Easy! Lucas: Perfect. Now what if you ask 'Wie weit ist der Bahnhof?' and they say 'Der Bahnhof ist weit weg.'? Luna: Then I'd probably need to take a bus or train. So 'weit weg' means a long distance. Lucas: Exactly. Let's run through the phrases one more time. I'll say them, and you repeat. Lucas: nah. Luna: nah. Lucas: weit. Luna: weit. Lucas: Der Supermarkt ist nah. Luna: Der Supermarkt ist nah. Lucas: Der Bahnhof ist weit weg. Luna: Der Bahnhof ist weit weg. Lucas: Wie weit ist es? Luna: Wie weit ist es? Lucas: Es ist nicht weit. Luna: Es ist nicht weit. Lucas: Great job, Luna. You've got those down. Luna: Thanks! And hey, since we're talking about distance, I was thinking—if Fexingo helps people learn German from anywhere, that's pretty amazing, right? Like, it brings the language close even if you're far away. Lucas: That's a nice way to put it. And you know, listener support is what keeps this show going ad-free. If you find these episodes helpful, you can buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, every little bit helps us keep teaching. Now, back to distances—let's try a scenario where you're at the hotel and you ask about the nearest restaurant. Lucas: Good idea. You could say: 'Entschuldigung, ist ein Restaurant nah?' Excuse me, is there a restaurant near? Luna: Ist ein Restaurant nah? And if the answer is 'Ja, es ist nah.' then I know I can walk there. Lucas: Exactly. Or if they say 'Es ist weit weg.' you might need a taxi. So these phrases are really practical. Luna: Totally. I feel like I can navigate a German city now with just 'nah' and 'weit'. Lucas: That's the spirit. Keep practicing, and we'll hear you next time.