If you love science fiction, you’ll want today’s word in your German toolkit. The word Raumschiff literally means space ship — and it’s used just as often in German as in English when talking about interstellar travel, sci-fi movies, or futuristic dreams.

Raumschiff is a neuter noun, so the correct article is das — das Raumschiff. Want a shortcut to mastering noun gender in German? Our quick and super-useful 5-minute video will make der / die / das much easier to manage.

Real conversations where Raumschiff might come up

You’ll hear Raumschiff in stories, sci-fi shows, tech discussions — and even in jokes or metaphors.

– Hast du den neuen Sci-Fi-Film gesehen?
– Klar, das Raumschiff sah mega aus!
(“Did you see the new sci-fi movie?” – “Totally, the spaceship looked amazing!”)

Beginner sample dialogue

Lena: Was malst du da?
Ben: Ein Raumschiff! Es fliegt zum Mars.
Lena: Cool! Ich will mitfliegen!

(Lena: What are you drawing?
Ben: A spaceship! It’s flying to Mars.
Lena: Cool! I want to come along!)

Grammar in action: How to use Raumschiff

• Nominative: Das Raumschiff startet bald.
  (The spaceship is launching soon.)

• Accusative: Ich sehe das Raumschiff am Himmel.
  (I see the spaceship in the sky.)

• Dative: Mit dem Raumschiff fliegen wir zu den Sternen.
  (With the spaceship, we fly to the stars.)

• Genitive: Die Türen des Raumschiffs sind geschlossen.
  (The spaceship’s doors are closed.)

Need help sorting out these cases? Our grammar course explains German sentence structure in plain English — perfect if grammar isn’t your thing.

Other ways to talk about spaceships and space travel in German

• das Raumschiff – spaceship

• das Raumfahrzeug – space vehicle (technical)

• die Raumfähre – space shuttle

• das UFO – UFO (same as English)

• die Raumstation – space station

• die Raumfahrt – space travel

• der Astronaut / die Astronautin – astronaut

• die Galaxie – galaxy

Common phrases:

• ein bemanntes Raumschiff – a manned spacecraft

• mit Lichtgeschwindigkeit fliegen – to fly at the speed of light

• außerirdisches Raumschiff – alien spaceship

Word variations and tidbits

Raumschiff is a compound word made from:

• Raum = space (as in outer space)

• Schiff = ship

Just like in English, it's a ship that sails through the cosmos. German loves building words this way — if you can picture it, there’s probably a compound noun for it.

Fun phrase:
„Wir brauchen ein neues Raumschiff!“
(“We need a new spaceship!”) – Great for playing pretend or nerding out.

You’ll also hear Raumschiff Enterprise as the classic German title of Star Trek!

Duden entry:
https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Raumschiff

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