längs
along
Used as a preposition to describe movement or orientation parallel to the longer side of something; along.
EXAMPLE
Wir spazierten längs des Flusses.
We walked along the river.
längs
along / lengthwise
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Meanings
längs
lengthwise
Used as an adverb to indicate that something happens or is arranged in the lengthwise direction.
EXAMPLE
Bitte schneide das Baguette längs und nicht quer durch.
Please cut the baguette lengthwise and not crosswise.
Usage tips
Word family
The word 'längs' (along/lengthwise) is derived directly from the adjective 'lang' (long). It describes an orientation that follows the length of something.
EXAMPLE
Der Radweg führt längs der Hauptstraße.
The bike path runs along the main road.
Context clue
You can tell whether 'längs' (along/lengthwise) is a preposition or an adverb from the sentence structure. If it stands before a noun, e.g. 'längs des Weges' (along the path), it is a preposition. If it stands alone and describes an action, e.g. 'etwas längs schneiden' (to cut something lengthwise), it is an adverb.
EXAMPLE
Wir sind längs der Küste gewandert.
We hiked along the coast.
Preposition with genitive
As a preposition, 'längs' (along) takes the genitive in standard German. In colloquial speech, however, the dative is very often used.
EXAMPLE
Längs des Zaunes wachsen viele Blumen.
Many flowers grow along the fence.
Typical usage
As an adverb, 'längs' (lengthwise) is often used in instructions to describe the direction of an action. Common verbs are 'schneiden' (to cut), 'falten' (to fold), or 'teilen' (to divide).
EXAMPLE
Der Tischler sägte das Brett längs durch.
The carpenter sawed the board lengthwise.
Compare with
längs vs entlang
along
Entlang and längs can describe movement parallel to a path or river. In everyday language, entlang is the neutral and more common choice, while längs sounds more formal and less common and can emphasize the longitudinal direction more strongly. In normal conversations, entlang is therefore usually the better choice.
längs
Das Boot fuhr längs des Flusses.
The boat traveled along the river.
entlang
Wir gingen den Fluss entlang.
We walked along the river.
In real life
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