map
Loading your saved state.
map
A reduced-scale graphic representation of part of the Earth's surface that shows geographic features such as countries, cities, rivers, or roads.
Früher benutzte man auf Reisen eine Landkarte aus Papier, heute hat fast jeder ein Navigationsgerät.
In the past, people used a paper map when traveling; today almost everyone has a navigation device.
The word is simple in structure and very logical. It is made up of 'das Land' (the land/country) and 'die Karte' (the map/card). So a Landkarte is literally a map of a country or landscape.
Auf der Landkarte suchten wir den schnellsten Weg nach Berlin.
We looked for the fastest route to Berlin on the map.
To describe a position on a map, the preposition 'auf' (on) with the dative is always used. You look for, find, or show something 'auf der Landkarte' (on the map).
Kannst du mir auf der Landkarte zeigen, wo genau wir sind?
Can you show me on the map exactly where we are?
Common verbs used with 'Landkarte' (map) describe how you handle it. These include 'eine Landkarte lesen' (to read a map), 'studieren' (to study), 'aufschlagen' (to open), or 'zusammenfalten' (to fold up).
Mein Großvater kann sehr gut Landkarten lesen.
My grandfather is very good at reading maps.
plan
'der Plan' and 'die Landkarte' can both be a graphic representation of a place. 'die Landkarte' shows part of the Earth's surface, for example countries, cities, rivers, or roads. 'der Plan' is more general and often more precise for a specific purpose, for example a 'Stadtplan' (city map), 'Bauplan' (building plan), or 'Fahrplan' (timetable). They can be confused because a city map looks like a map. For larger geographic areas, people tend to say 'Landkarte'. For a city, a building, or a technical drawing, 'Plan' is more appropriate.
Für die Reise durch Italien haben wir eine große Landkarte gekauft.
We bought a large map for the trip through Italy.
Am Bahnhof hängt ein Plan der ganzen Innenstadt.
There is a map of the entire city center hanging at the train station.