German Phrase
Geh die Main Street Richtung Norden.
Meaning
This is a direct, informal command telling someone to walk along Main Street heading toward the north. It combines a verb imperative with a street name and a compass direction, a common way to give quick navigation instructions in German.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are giving a friend or a fellow traveler a short, clear instruction on how to get to a place that lies north of the current location, especially in an urban setting where street names are known.
✦Grammar Breakdown
GehdieMainStreetRichtungNorden
Imperative (Geh)
‘Geh’ is the informal singular imperative of the verb ‘gehen’ (to go). It is used for giving a direct command to someone you address with ‘du’.
Definite article (die)
‘die’ is the accusative feminine article. Street names are feminine in German, so the article matches the case required by the verb ‘gehen’ (movement towards a place).
Foreign street name (Main Street)
When a street name is borrowed from English, it is kept as‑is and treated as a proper noun; the article still precedes it.
Direction noun (Richtung)
‘Richtung’ means ‘direction’ and is followed directly by the destination noun in the accusative (e.g., ‘Richtung Norden’). No preposition is needed.
Compass point (Norden)
‘Norden’ is the noun for ‘north’. In directional phrases it stays in the accusative, which looks identical to the nominative form.
🗨In Conversation
Entschuldigung, wie komme ich zum Bahnhof?
Excuse me, how do I get to the train station?
Geh die Main Street Richtung Norden, dann siehst du den Bahnhof auf der linken Seite.
Go Main Street towards the north, then you’ll see the station on the left.
✕Common Mistakes
Geh die Main Street nach Richtung Norden.
‘nach’ is a preposition and would require a different sentence structure (e.g., ‘Gehe nach Norden’). Using it directly after ‘Richtung’ is redundant.
Geht die Main Street Richtung Norden.
‘Geht’ is the 3rd‑person plural imperative; for a single person you need ‘Geh’ (or ‘Gehe’).
Geh der Main Street Richtung Norden.
The article must be accusative feminine ‘die’, not masculine ‘der’, because ‘Straße’ is feminine.
↔Alternatives
Gehe die Main Street nach Norden.
Walk Main Street northward.
Lauf die Main Street in Richtung Norden.
Run along Main Street in the direction of north.
Folge der Main Street nach Norden.
Follow Main Street north.
Cultural Tip
In German, street names are always feminine, so you’ll hear ‘die Hauptstraße’, ‘die Bahnhofstraße’, etc. When giving directions, Germans often use ‘Richtung + compass point’ rather than ‘nach + compass point’, especially in spoken, informal instructions. Also, the informal imperative ‘Geh’ is common among friends; in a more formal context you would say ‘Gehen Sie…’.