German Phrase
Welche Linie fährt in die Innenstadt?
Meaning
The sentence asks which public‑transport line (bus, tram, U‑Bahn, etc.) goes to the city centre. It is a typical information‑seeking question you would ask at a station, on a map, or to a local.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are in a German‑speaking city and need to know the correct line to reach the downtown area – for example at a ticket counter, on a platform display, or when asking a passer‑by for directions.
✦Grammar Breakdown
WelcheLiniefährtindieInnenstadt?
Welche (interrogative determiner)
‘Welche’ matches the gender, number and case of the noun it modifies; here it is feminine nominative because ‘Linie’ is feminine.
Linie (feminine noun, nominative)
‘Linie’ means ‘line’ (as in a bus or tram line) and is the subject of the sentence, so it stays in the nominative case.
fährt (verb ‘fahren’)
Third‑person singular present of ‘fahren’; used for vehicles that travel on a route.
in die Innenstadt (prepositional phrase)
‘in’ + accusative indicates direction. ‘die Innenstadt’ is feminine accusative, meaning ‘into the city centre’.
die (definite article, accusative feminine)
The article changes to ‘die’ in the accusative because ‘Innenstadt’ is a feminine noun.
Innenstadt (noun, accusative)
Literally ‘inner city’; used for the central business district of a German‑speaking city.
🗨In Conversation
Welche Linie fährt in die Innenstadt?
Which line goes to the city centre?
Die Linie 5 fährt direkt in die Innenstadt, und die Linie 12 kommt in 5 Minuten.
Line 5 goes directly to the city centre, and line 12 arrives in five minutes.
✕Common Mistakes
Welcher Linie fährt in die Innenstadt?
‘Welcher’ is masculine; the noun ‘Linie’ is feminine, so the correct form is ‘Welche’.
Welche Linie fährt nach die Innenstadt?
‘nach’ is used with cities and countries, not with ‘Innenstadt’; you need ‘in die’ for direction.
Welche Linie fährt zu die Innenstadt?
‘zu’ would require dative and sounds unnatural for a transport line; use ‘fährt in die’.
Welche Linie fährt in Innenstadt?
Dropping the article makes the phrase sound incomplete; the accusative article ‘die’ is required.
↔Alternatives
Welche Buslinie fährt in die Innenstadt?
Which bus line goes to the city centre?
Welche Straßenbahn fährt in die Innenstadt?
Which tram line goes to the city centre?
Wie komme ich in die Innenstadt?
How do I get to the city centre?
Cultural Tip
In German cities ‘Linie’ can refer to a bus, tram (Straßenbahn), U‑Bahn (subway) or S‑Bahn (regional train). If you need to be specific, say ‘U‑Bahn‑Linie U2’ or ‘S‑Bahn‑Linie S1’. The term ‘Innenstadt’ is used for the historic or commercial core; some cities also call it ‘Stadtzentrum’. When asking for directions, it’s polite to start with ‘Entschuldigung’ or ‘Bitte’.