die  Schiene

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʃiːnə/

🛤️ What does "die Schiene" mean?

The German word die Schiene has several meanings:

1. In transport: A track made of steel for rail vehicles like trains or trams. Often used in plural, die Schienen, to refer to the pair of tracks.
   • Example: Der Zug fährt auf den Schienen. (The train runs on the rails.)
2. In medicine: A rigid support used to immobilize broken or injured limbs (e.g., arm or leg). This is called a splint in English.
   • Example: Nach dem Bruch musste er eine Schiene am Bein tragen. (After the fracture, he had to wear a splint on his leg.)
3. In technology & crafts: A bar or strip (often metal) that serves as a guide or mounting element.
   • Example: Die Schublade gleitet auf einer Schiene. (The drawer slides on a rail.)
   • Example: Eine Gardinenschiene an der Decke. (A curtain rail on the ceiling.)

🚨 Note: Although there are different meanings, the article is always die.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of "die Schiene"

"Schiene" is a feminine noun. The article is always die.

Declension

📝 Example Sentences

• Transport: Die glänzende Schiene reflektierte die Sonne. (The shiny rail reflected the sun.)
• Transport: Wir müssen die alten Schienen ersetzen. (We need to replace the old rails.)
• Medicine: Der Arzt legte dem Patienten eine Schiene an. (The doctor applied a splint to the patient.)
• Medicine: Die Schiene stabilisiert den gebrochenen Arm. (The splint stabilizes the broken arm.)
• Technology: Bitte montiere die Schiene für das Regal gerade. (Please mount the rail for the shelf straight.)
• Technology: Die Tür läuft leise in ihrer Schiene. (The door runs quietly in its track.)

💡 How to use "die Schiene"?

The usage of "Schiene" heavily depends on the context:

• In the transport context, common phrases are "auf Schienen fahren" (to travel on rails), "etwas auf die Schiene bringen" (to get something started/on track - also metaphorically), or "von der Schiene springen" (to derail). The word "Gleis" (track) is often used synonymously, but technically refers more to the entire track structure including sleepers, while "Schiene" refers specifically to the metal profiles.
• In the medical context, you use "eine Schiene tragen" (to wear a splint), "eine Schiene anlegen" (to apply a splint), or "die Schiene entfernen" (to remove the splint). It serves for immobilization.
• In the technical context, it usually relates to guiding or mounting, e.g., "Führungsschiene" (guide rail), "Montageschiene" (mounting rail), "Gardinenschiene" (curtain rail). Here, it describes a long, narrow component.

Metaphorically, "auf einer Schiene fahren" can also mean to follow a rigid, inflexible path.

🧠 Mnemonics for "die Schiene"

1. Article Mnemonic: Think of the sound: Die Schiene has a long 'ie' sound, similar to the article 'die'. Also, associate it with feminine things: women sometimes wear splints (die Schiene) - medical or dental ones. Feminine -> die.
2. Meaning Mnemonic: A Schiene always guides or supports something in a straight line, like it's 'shining' a path: the train's path, the bone's healing alignment, or the drawer's movement. It 'shines' the way or 'shins' up a leg (like a splint).

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words:

• Der Schein: Completely different meaning (bill/note, light, appearance). Don't confuse!
• Die Schippe: A tool for digging (shovel). Sounds vaguely similar.

😄 A Little Joke

DE: Warum hat der Zug Verspätung? Weil er sich eine Schiene gebrochen hat!

EN: Why is the train delayed? Because it broke a rail/splint!

(This is a pun playing on the medical meaning 'splint' and the railway meaning 'rail'. 'Sich etwas brechen' means 'to break something' [on oneself], like a bone.)

📜 Poem about the Schiene

DE:
Die Schiene, glatt und kühl und lang,
führt Züge fort mit lautem Klang.
Mal stützt sie fest ein krankes Bein,
mal lässt sie Schubladen gleiten fein.
Ein Band aus Stahl, ein starker Halt,
durch Stadt und Land, durch Wald.

EN:
The rail, smooth and cool and long,
leads trains along with noisy song.
Sometimes it firmly props an ailing leg,
sometimes lets drawers slide smoothly, I beg.
A band of steel, a sturdy hold,
through town and country, forest bold.

❓ Riddle

DE:
Ich liege oft im Paar bereit,
für schwere Last zu jeder Zeit.
Mal helf' ich heilen, kalt und fest,
mal führ' ich leis', was gleiten lässt.

Was bin ich?

EN:
I often lie ready in a pair,
for heavy loads anytime, anywhere.
Sometimes I help healing, cold and fast,
sometimes guide quietly what's gliding past.

What am I?

Solution: die Schiene (the rail / splint / guide)

🧩 Other Information

Word Compounds (Wortzusammensetzungen):

"Schiene" is often part of compound words in German:

• Transport: Eisenbahnschiene (railway rail), Straßenbahnschiene (tram rail), Hochschienenbahn (elevated railway)
• Medicine: Beinschiene (leg splint), Armschiene (arm splint), Zahnschiene (dental splint/guard), Gipsschiene (plaster splint)
• Technology: Führungsschiene (guide rail), Gardinenschiene (curtain rail), Montageschiene (mounting rail), Gleitschiene (slide rail)

Etymology:

The word "Schiene" comes from Middle High German "schin(e)", which originally meant "thin board", "splinter", or "bone fragment". The association with something long, narrow, and supportive/guiding has persisted.