It’s what slows you down on the Autobahn, fills the U-Bahn at rush hour, and sometimes brings entire cities to a halt. In German, it’s der Verkehr. This is your German word of the day, and it’s essential for life in any modern place with roads, people, and movement.
The noun Verkehr means traffic, transportation, or intercourse—and yes, that last one can be confusing in the right (or wrong) context. It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, and it appears constantly in daily life.
It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Verkehr (want to stop guessing article genders? Our easy-to-follow video lesson will finally make it stick: https://deutschable.com/course/lesson-3-3/).
Pronunciation
Verkehr is pronounced [fer-KEHR].
Ver like “fair,”
kehr rhymes with “bear” but with a throaty, breathy r,
Stress is on the second syllable: ver-KEHR
It sounds fast, forward-moving—just like traffic itself.
Example sentences:
Morgens ist der Verkehr immer schlimm.
Traffic is always bad in the morning.
Der Zugverkehr wurde wegen des Wetters eingestellt.
Train service was suspended due to the weather.
Nuance and usage tips
Verkehr usually refers to:
Street or train traffic
Straßenverkehr – road traffic
Bahnverkehr – rail traffic
Transport system or circulation
öffentlicher Verkehr – public transportation
Verkehrsnetz – transport network
Intercourse / contact (formal or euphemistic usage)
geschlechtlicher Verkehr – sexual intercourse
geschäftlicher Verkehr – business dealings
Don’t worry—it’s almost always about transportation unless you’re in a medical, legal, or humorous context.
How does this word come up in real conversations?
Verkehr shows up constantly in everyday German:
“Ich stecke im Verkehr fest.” – I’m stuck in traffic.
“Wie ist der Verkehr heute?” – How’s traffic today?
You’ll also hear it in public announcements:
“Wegen Bauarbeiten kommt es zu Einschränkungen im Verkehr.” – Due to construction, there will be disruptions in traffic.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Jan: Warum bist du zu spät?
Tina: Der Verkehr war die Hölle!
Jan: Autobahn wieder voll?
Tina: Total. Nichts ging mehr.
Jan: Why are you late?
Tina: The traffic was hell!
Jan: Autobahn jammed again?
Tina: Completely. Nothing was moving.
Grammatical case examples:
Nominative:
Der Verkehr nimmt jeden Morgen zu.
Traffic increases every morning.
Accusative:
Ich hasse den Verkehr in der Innenstadt.
I hate the traffic downtown.
Dative:
Mit dem Verkehr in Berlin muss man leben.
You have to live with Berlin traffic.
Genitive:
Die Entwicklung des Verkehrs ist ein großes Thema.
The development of traffic is a major topic.
Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des
Word variations and language tidbits
Related compound words:
Verkehrsunfall – traffic accident
Verkehrsmittel – means of transport
Verkehrsregeln – traffic rules
Verkehrschaos – traffic chaos
Nahverkehr / Fernverkehr – local / long-distance transport
Verkehrspolizei – traffic police
Fun fact: German compound nouns let you get very specific. You can build words like Wochenendverkehr, Berufsverkehr, or Flugverkehr to describe all kinds of movement.
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Verkehr
🎥 Learn Verkehr and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course: https://deutschable.com/nouns/
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