German Phrase
Das ist etwa zehn Minuten zu Fuß.
Meaning
The sentence tells the listener that the distance or route in question takes roughly ten minutes when walking. It is a neutral, factual way to give an estimate of travel time.
When to use
Use this phrase when giving directions, answering a question about how long a walk will take, or describing the length of a short route in everyday conversation.
✦Grammar Breakdown
DasistetwazehnMinutenzuFuß
Das (demonstrative pronoun)
Refers to a specific thing or situation previously mentioned; here it points to the travel time.
ist (verb sein)
The present‑tense form of 'sein' used to equate the subject with the predicate.
etwa (approximation adverb)
Means 'about' or 'approximately' and softens the exactness of the number.
zehn Minuten (cardinal number + plural noun)
‘zehn’ is a cardinal number; ‘Minuten’ stays plural regardless of the exact count.
zu Fuß (prepositional phrase)
Literally ‘by foot’; the standard way to say ‘on foot’ in German.
🗨In Conversation
Wie lange dauert es zu Fuß zum Bahnhof?
How long does it take on foot to the train station?
Das ist etwa zehn Minuten zu Fuß.
That’s about ten minutes on foot.
✕Common Mistakes
Das dauert etwa zehn Minuten zu Fuß.
Learners sometimes use ‘dauert’ with ‘etwa’, which is acceptable but changes the focus from a static description to a process.
Das ist etwa zehn Minuten zu Fußes.
Do not translate literally as ‘zu Fußes’; the correct idiom is ‘zu Fuß’.
Das ist circa zehn Minuten zu Fuß.
‘etwa’ and ‘ungefähr’ are interchangeable, but avoid using ‘circa’ which is not idiomatic in spoken German.
↔Alternatives
Das dauert ungefähr zehn Minuten zu Fuß.
That takes roughly ten minutes on foot.
Man braucht etwa zehn Minuten zu Fuß.
You need about ten minutes on foot.
Etwa zehn Minuten zu Fuß, das ist die Zeit.
About ten minutes on foot, that’s the time.
Cultural Tip
‘Zu Fuß’ is the most common way to say ‘on foot’ in German, but you’ll also hear ‘zu laufen’ in informal speech. When you want to sound especially polite or formal, keep the structure ‘Das ist etwa … Minuten zu Fuß.’ Avoid mixing English‑style time expressions like ‘in 10 Minuten’ for walking; the German idiom always uses ‘zu Fuß’ after the time estimate.