German word

Wagen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈvaːgn̩/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncar

Example

Der Wagen steht vor dem Haus.

The car is parked in front of the house.

Illustration for Wagen (car)

More examples

Er sitzt im Wagen und wartet.

He sits in the car and waits.

Core concept

A wheeled vehicle carrying people or goods, from a horse-drawn cart to a modern car.

Common phrases

  • ein Wagen

    a car

  • im Wagen

    in the car

  • einen Wagen kaufen

    purchase a car

Similar words

Auto: A familiar everyday term for a passenger car.
Fahrzeug: A broad term for any vehicle used to carry people or goods.

Definition in German

ein Fahrzeug mit Rädern, das Personen oder Sachen von einem Ort zum anderen transportiert

Word origin

German Wagen comes from Old High German wagan and Proto-Germanic *wagnaz, the source also related to English wagon.

Usage tips

  • Wagen is masculine, and its plural is also Wagen; Auto is usually the more neutral everyday word for a car.

Other meanings

  • carriagenoun
  • cartnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word