train of thought
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train of thought
The way in which a person thinks and arrives at a conclusion or idea; a sequence of considerations.
Ich kann deinem Gedankengang nicht ganz folgen, kannst du das bitte noch einmal erklären?
I can't quite follow your train of thought; could you please explain it again?
The word is a figurative compound made up of 'Gedanke' (thought) and 'Gang' (walk/course). It describes the sequence of thoughts like a route or path that one can follow.
Ihr Gedankengang war brillant und führte zu einer einfachen Lösung.
Her train of thought was brilliant and led to a simple solution.
'Gedankengang' (train of thought) is frequently combined with verbs of understanding. Typical expressions are 'einem Gedankengang folgen' (to follow a train of thought), 'einen Gedankengang nachvollziehen' (to understand/retrace a train of thought), or 'einen Gedankengang erklären' (to explain a train of thought).
Es fällt mir schwer, seinen Gedankengang nachzuvollziehen.
I find it difficult to understand his train of thought.
The word is very often used with a possessive pronoun (mein, dein, ihr, sein... — my, your, her, his...) to make clear whose thinking process is meant.
Kannst du mir deinen Gedankengang dazu bitte erläutern?
Could you please explain your train of thought on that to me?
thought
'der Gedanke' and 'der Gedankengang' both belong to the area of thinking. 'Ein Gedanke' is more like a single idea, mental image, or intention. 'Ein Gedankengang' is the sequence of several considerations, in other words the path by which someone arrives at an idea or a result. You can confuse the words because both arise in the mind. In practical terms: a thought is a single point; a train of thought is the connection between several points.
Im Gespräch konnte ich seinen Gedankengang gut verstehen.
In the conversation, I could understand his train of thought well.
Heute Morgen hatte ich den Gedanken, mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit zu fahren.
This morning I had the idea of riding my bike to work.