01
das Downtown
downtown
A term borrowed from English for the city center or business district, especially in North American cities.
example
Wir haben ein Hotel direkt in Downtown Chicago gebucht.
We booked a hotel right in downtown Chicago.
das Downtown
downtown
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Meanings
Usage tips
Anglicism
'Downtown' is a word borrowed directly from English. In German, it is often used without an article, especially with the preposition 'in'.
EXAMPLE
Er arbeitet in Downtown in einem großen Bürogebäude.
He works downtown in a large office building.
Context: North America
This word is used almost exclusively for the city centers of North American cities. Other terms are common for German cities.
EXAMPLE
In ihrem Urlaub haben sie die Wolkenkratzer in Downtown Toronto besichtigt.
On their vacation, they visited the skyscrapers in downtown Toronto.
Sentence structure
When 'Downtown' is used as a place reference, it often comes after the preposition and functions like a proper name, for example 'in Downtown' (in downtown) or 'nach Downtown' (to downtown).
EXAMPLE
Am Abend fahren wir nach Downtown, um ins Kino zu gehen.
In the evening, we're going downtown to go to the movies.
Compare with
Downtown vs Zentrum
center
'das Zentrum' and 'das Downtown' can both refer to the central part of a city. 'das Zentrum' is the normal German word and fits almost any city. 'das Downtown' is borrowed from English and sounds natural mainly for North American cities, often when talking about the business district. Learners may confuse the words because both point to the city center. In a normal German sentence, however, you usually say 'Zentrum' or 'Innenstadt'; 'Downtown' is more appropriate for cities like New York, Toronto, or Chicago.
Downtown
In Toronto liegt unser Hotel direkt im Downtown.
In Toronto, our hotel is right downtown.
Zentrum
Am Samstag fahren wir ins Zentrum, weil dort der Markt ist.
On Saturday we're going to the city center because the market is there.
In real life
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