die  Station

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/staˈt͡si̯oːn/

🚉 What does "die Station" mean?

The word die Station (feminine) has several meanings in German, often related to a place of stopping, staying, or a phase:

• Transportation: A place where trains, buses, or subways stop for passengers to board and alight (e.g., Bahnhof - train station, U-Bahn-Station - subway station). Similar to der Bahnhof (more for trains) or die Haltestelle (more for buses/trams, often smaller).
• Medicine: A ward or department in a hospital specialized for certain patients or treatments (e.g., die Intensivstation - intensive care unit, die chirurgische Station - surgical ward).
• Phase/Stage: A section or stage in a process, development, or journey (e.g., die nächste Station im Projekt - the next stage in the project, eine Station im Leben - a stage in life).
• Research/Technology: A place for scientific observation or technical purposes (e.g., die Wetterstation - weather station, die Raumstation - space station).
• Other places: Can also refer to other places where one stays or a specific function is performed (e.g., die Polizeistation - police station, sometimes die Tankstelle - gas station, though "Stelle" is common here).

⚠️ Pay attention to the context to understand the correct meaning!

🧐 Grammar of "die Station"

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

📝 Example Sentences

• Transport: Der Zug hält an der nächsten Station. (The train stops at the next station.)
• Medicine: Meine Großmutter liegt auf Station 3. (My grandmother is on ward 3.)
• Phase: Nach dem Studium war mein Auslandsjahr eine wichtige Station in meinem Leben. (After university, my year abroad was an important stage in my life.)
• Research: Die Raumfahrer arbeiten auf der internationalen Raumstation. (The astronauts work on the International Space Station.)

💡 How to use "die Station"

• Context is Key: The meaning of "Station" is almost always clear from the context. If you're talking about travel, it usually means a train station or stop. In a hospital context, it refers to a ward.
• Station vs. Haltestelle: In public transport, die Station often refers to larger stops, especially for subways (U-Bahn-Station) or urban trains (S-Bahn-Station), while die Haltestelle is more common for buses and trams and can be smaller. Der Bahnhof typically refers to a train station.
• Figurative Meaning: Figuratively, "Station" is often used for stages in life, career steps, or phases in projects ("die nächste Station auf der Karriereleiter" - the next step on the career ladder).
• Compound Words: "Station" is part of many compound words that specify the type of station: Raumstation (space station), Polizeistation (police station), Wetterstation (weather station), Krankenstation (infirmary/medical ward), Hauptstation (main station), Endstation (terminus/end station).

🧠 Mnemonics for "Station"

• Article Mnemonic (die): Think of a female announcer's voice saying "Die nächste Station ist..." (The next station is...). Many places where you stop or are served are feminine in German (die Haltestelle, die Tankstelle, die Post). Associate die Station with these feminine places.
• Meaning Mnemonic: A "Station" is a place for being stationary or stationed – whether it's the train, a patient in the hospital, a researcher at an observation post, or yourself at a certain stage in life. It comes from the Latin "statio" (standing, location).

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words:

• die Stelle: Can sometimes be used similarly to Station (Tankstelle, Haltestelle), but is more general for a place or position (Arbeitsstelle - job position).
• der Stand: Refers more to a stall (like a market stall) or a state/status.

😄 A Little Joke

Patient zum Arzt: "Herr Doktor, ich habe solche Angst vor der Operation auf Ihrer Station!"
Arzt: "Keine Sorge, das ist meine erste Operation, ich bin auch ganz aufgeregt!"

Patient to doctor: "Doctor, I'm so scared of the operation on your ward!"
Doctor: "Don't worry, this is my first operation too, I'm also very excited!" 😱

📜 Poem about the Station

Die Station, ein Ort des Kommens, Gehens,
Züge rauschen, Menschen man sieht stehen.
Im Krankenhaus, ein Zimmer, still und weiß,
die Station ein Teil der Lebensreis'.
Ob Forschungsposten, fern im Eis,
oder Lebensabschnitt, auf seine Weis',
die Station, sie markiert ein Ziel,
ein Haltepunkt im großen Lebensspiel.

The station, a place of coming, going,
Trains rush by, people you see standing, knowing.
In hospital, a room, quiet and white,
The station a part of life's long flight.
Be it research post, far in ice,
Or life's own chapter, in its own device,
The station, it marks a goal anew,
A stopping point in life's big game for you.

🧩 Riddle

Ich habe Gleise, doch fahr' nie allein.
Ich habe Betten, doch schlaf' nicht darin ein.
Ich messe Wetter, doch fühl' keinen Wind.
Ich bin ein Abschnitt, wo Neues beginnt.

Was bin ich? ... Die Station

I have tracks, but never travel alone.
I have beds, but never sleep therein.
I measure weather, but feel no wind.
I am a section where new things begin.

What am I?
... The station (die Station)

🌐 Further Information

• Word Origin: The word "Station" comes from the Latin word statio, meaning "standing", "stay", "location", or "outpost". This reflects the core meaning of a place to stop or stay.
• International: The word is similar in many languages (English: station, French: station, Spanish: estación, Italian: stazione).
• Famous Stations: Famous examples include the ISS (Internationale Raumstation), Grand Central Terminal in New York (although "Terminal" is more common than "Station"), or the research stations in Antarctica (Forschungsstationen in der Antarktis).