die
Einbahnstraße
🚦 What does "die Einbahnstraße" mean?
Die Einbahnstraße (noun, feminine) refers to a street where traffic is only allowed to flow in one direction. Driving in the opposite direction is forbidden and is usually indicated by specific traffic signs (typically a blue, rectangular sign with a white arrow – Zeichen 220 in the German traffic code, StVO).
There is only this one meaning for the word, and the article is always die.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-e/-ee → almost always feminine.
There are many -e nouns, many of which are feminine, but there are also some important exceptions.
📊 Grammar in Detail: Die Einbahnstraße
The word "Einbahnstraße" is a feminine noun. The definite article is always die.
Declension Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Einbahnstraße |
| Genitive | der | Einbahnstraße |
| Dative | der | Einbahnstraße |
| Accusative | die | Einbahnstraße |
Declension Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Einbahnstraßen |
| Genitive | der | Einbahnstraßen |
| Dative | den | Einbahnstraßen |
| Accusative | die | Einbahnstraßen |
📜 Example Sentences
- Pass auf, das ist eine Einbahnstraße! Du fährst in die falsche Richtung.
(Watch out, that's a one-way street! You're going the wrong way.) - Um zum Ziel zu kommen, müssen wir durch mehrere enge Einbahnstraßen fahren.
(To get to the destination, we have to drive through several narrow one-way streets.) - Die Einfahrt in diese Einbahnstraße ist nur von der Hauptstraße aus erlaubt.
(Entry into this one-way street is only permitted from the main road.) - In vielen Altstädten gibt es zahlreiche Einbahnstraßen, um den Verkehr zu regeln.
(In many old towns, there are numerous one-way streets to regulate traffic.)
🧭 How to use "Einbahnstraße"?
The term "Einbahnstraße" is primarily used in the context of road traffic and navigation.
- Giving directions: "Biegen Sie links ab, aber Achtung, das ist eine Einbahnstraße." (Turn left, but be careful, that's a one-way street.)
- Traffic rules: Discussing traffic flow, parking regulations (parking is often allowed only on one side), or speed limits in Einbahnstraßen.
- Urban planning: Describing traffic concepts in cities or residential areas.
- Metaphorically (rare): Sometimes used metaphorically to describe a situation with only one way out or which is irreversible (e.g., "eine politische Einbahnstraße" - a political one-way street), but this is less common than the literal meaning.
⚠️ Don't confuse it with "Sackgasse" (dead end), which is a street with no exit.
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Article Mnemonic (die)
Remember: Most German nouns ending in -straße are feminine (die Straße, die Hauptstraße). So, it's also die Einbahnstraße. Imagine a female driver ('die Fahrerin') having the lane ('die Spur') on the street ('die Straße') all to herself.
Meaning Mnemonic
Break down the word: Ein-Bahn-Straße. It's a street (Straße) with only one (Ein) lane/track (Bahn) or one permitted direction. The arrow on the sign shows you the one way. ➡️
↔️ Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning)
- Einrichtungsstraße: A slightly more formal or technical term, but means the same thing.
- (Colloquial): Sometimes simply called "die Einbahn".
Antonyms (Opposite Meaning)
- Zweirichtungsstraße: A street allowing traffic in both directions (two-way street).
- Straße mit Gegenverkehr: Literally 'street with oncoming traffic', same meaning as Zweirichtungsstraße.
Similar Terms (Careful!)
- Sackgasse: A dead-end street or cul-de-sac; a street with only one entry/exit point. Not to be confused with an Einbahnstraße, which usually allows passage through in one direction.
- Spielstraße (Verkehrsberuhigter Bereich): A 'play street' or 'traffic-calmed zone' with special rules where pedestrians have priority and vehicles must drive at walking speed.
😂 A Little Joke
Warum nehmen Geister keine Einbahnstraßen?
Weil sie durch Wände gehen können und keinen Verkehr fürchten! 👻
--- English Translation ---
Why don't ghosts use one-way streets?
Because they can walk through walls and aren't afraid of traffic! 👻
📜 Poem about the Einbahnstraße
Die Straße schmal, der Pfeil ganz klar,
Nur eine Richtung, wunderbar.
Kein Gegenwind, kein Frontalcrash,
Die Einbahnstraße, schnell und rasch.
Doch fahr nicht falsch, gib sorgsam Acht,
Sonst hat's ganz schnell "Bumm" gemacht!
--- English Translation ---
The street is narrow, the arrow clear,
Just one direction, wonderfully here.
No headwind blows, no frontal crash,
The one-way street, quick and dash.
But don't drive wrong, be careful now,
Or quickly things might go "Kapow"!
❓ Little Riddle
Ich bin eine Straße, doch anders als viele,
hab' ich für Autos nur eines der Ziele.
Fährst du verkehrt, gibt es meist schnell ein Ticket,
weil meine Richtung genau ist besticket.
Was bin ich?
(Lösung/Solution: die Einbahnstraße)
--- English Translation ---
I am a street, but unlike many,
For cars, I have just one goal, if any.
If you drive wrong, you'll often get a ticket fast,
Because my direction is precisely cast.
What am I?
(Solution: the one-way street / die Einbahnstraße)
🧩 Other Information
Word Composition
The word "Einbahnstraße" is a compound noun, composed of:
- Ein: Number word for "one", here meaning "single" or "only one".
- Bahn: Here means lane or track.
- Straße: Street or road for vehicles.
So literally: A street with only one (permitted) lane/direction.
Traffic Sign
The main sign is Traffic Sign 220 (square blue sign with a white arrow) according to the German Road Traffic Regulations (Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung - StVO), indicating the start of a one-way street. Sign 267 (round red sign with a white horizontal bar - 'Do Not Enter') is often placed at the other end to prevent entry from the wrong direction.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Einbahnstraße?
The correct article for Einbahnstraße is always die. It is a feminine noun: die Einbahnstraße (nominative/accusative singular), der Einbahnstraße (genitive/dative singular), die Einbahnstraßen (plural).