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German Phrase

Ist ungefähr 10 Meilen weg.

/ɪst ˈʊŋɡəˈfɛːɐ̯ ˈtseːn ˈmaɪ̯lən ˈveːk/
Meaning"It’s about 10 miles away."
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Meaning

The sentence states that something is about ten miles away from the speaker’s current location. It is a short, factual way to give an approximate distance.

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When to use

Use this phrase when answering a question about how far a place is, especially in casual conversation or when you’re talking about distances in the United States or other English‑speaking countries where miles are the standard unit.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Istungefähr10Meilenweg

1

sein (ist)

The verb 'sein' in present tense, third person singular, is used to describe location or distance.

2

ungefähr

An adverb meaning 'approximately' or 'about', placed before the number it modifies.

3

Meilen (plural)

The plural of 'Meile' (mile). German usually uses kilometers, but 'Meilen' appears when talking about English‑speaking regions or in informal travel talk.

4

weg

An adverb meaning 'away' or 'off', often paired with a distance to indicate how far something is.

🗨In Conversation

A

Wie weit ist das Hotel von hier?

How far is the hotel from here?

Ist ungefähr 10 Meilen weg.

It’s about 10 miles away.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ist ungefähr 10 Meilen weit.

    ‘weit’ is an adjective that needs a noun (e.g., ‘weit entfernt’) or the adverb ‘weg’. Using ‘weit’ alone sounds incomplete.

  • Ist ungefähr 10 Meile weg.

    'Meile' must be plural when the number is greater than one.

  • Ist ungefähr zehn Meilen weg.

    While spelling out the number is fine, learners often forget to capitalize 'Meilen' as a noun.

↔Alternatives

  • Es ist etwa 10 Meilen entfernt.

    It is about 10 miles away.

  • Es liegt ungefähr 10 Meilen von hier.

    It lies roughly 10 miles from here.

  • Das ist rund 10 Meilen entfernt.

    That’s roughly 10 miles away.

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Cultural Tip

In Germany the metric system is standard, so distances are usually expressed in kilometers. Using 'Meilen' signals that you’re talking about an English‑speaking country, a tourist context, or that you’re borrowing the term from English. 'ungefähr' and 'etwa' are interchangeable, but 'ungefähr' sounds a bit more casual, while 'etwa' is slightly more formal.