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German Phrase

Ein Taxi ist in fünf Minuten da.

/aɪn ˈtaksi ɪst ɪn fʏnf ˈmiːnʊntən daː/
Meaning"A taxi will be here in five minutes."
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Meaning

Literally: ‘A taxi is here in five minutes.’ In everyday German the present tense ‘ist … da’ is used to convey a near‑future event, so the sentence means ‘A taxi will be here in five minutes.’

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When to use

Use this phrase when you want to reassure someone that a taxi is on its way and will arrive shortly, for example after you’ve called a cab or are waiting at a hotel entrance.

✦Grammar Breakdown

EinTaxiistinfünfMinutenda

1

Indefinite article (Ein)

‘Ein’ is the neuter indefinite article used before singular nouns like ‘Taxi’.

2

Verb ‘sein’ (ist)

‘ist’ is the 3rd‑person singular present of ‘sein’ and can express a near‑future situation.

3

Time preposition (in … Minuten)

‘in’ + time expression (e.g., ‘fünf Minuten’) indicates when something will happen.

4

Adverb ‘da’

‘da’ means ‘here/arrived’ and is often used to state that something will be present soon.

5

Word order

German main clauses follow a Subject‑Verb‑Object/Adverb order; the time phrase can appear after the verb.

🗨In Conversation

A

Wie lange dauert es, bis das Taxi kommt?

How long will it take for the taxi to arrive?

Ein Taxi ist in fünf Minuten da.

A taxi will be here in five minutes.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ein Taxi ist in fünf Minute da.

    ‘Minute’ must be plural when the number is greater than one.

  • Ein Taxi wird in fünf Minuten da sein.

    Using ‘wird … da sein’ is grammatically correct but sounds overly formal for everyday speech.

  • Ein Taxi ist in fünf Minuten hier.

    ‘Hier’ can replace ‘da’, but ‘da’ is the idiomatic choice when talking about an arriving vehicle.

↔Alternatives

  • Ein Taxi kommt in fünf Minuten.

    A taxi is coming in five minutes.

  • Das Taxi ist in fünf Minuten hier.

    The taxi will be here in five minutes.

  • In fünf Minuten kommt das Taxi.

    In five minutes the taxi arrives.

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Cultural Tip

Germans value punctuality, so giving an exact time frame (e.g., ‘in fünf Minuten’) sounds natural and trustworthy. The adverb ‘da’ is commonly used to signal that something will be present at a location, especially in transport‑related contexts.