nördlich
northern
Describes a position or direction that lies in the north or points north.
EXAMPLE
Flensburg liegt im nördlichsten Teil von Deutschland.
Flensburg is located in the northernmost part of Germany.
nördlich
northern
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Meanings
nördlich von
north of
Used as a preposition or adverb to indicate a location relative to another place: on the north side of something.
EXAMPLE
Unser Hotel befindet sich etwas nördlich vom Stadtzentrum.
Our hotel is located a little north of the city center.
Usage tips
Word family
The adjective 'nördlich' (northern) is derived directly from the noun 'der Norden' (the north). The ending '-lich' is a typical way to form adjectives from nouns, as in 'südlich' (southern), 'östlich' (eastern), and 'westlich' (western).
EXAMPLE
Der Kompass zeigt immer in die nördliche Richtung.
The compass always points in the northern direction.
Use as an adjective
When 'nördlich' (northern) comes directly before a noun, it describes its geographical quality. It is then declined like any other adjective.
EXAMPLE
Die nördliche Küste der Insel ist sehr felsig.
The northern coast of the island is very rocky.
Position with 'von'
To indicate a position relative to another place, the construction 'nördlich von' (north of) + dative is usually used. This structure is very common in everyday language.
EXAMPLE
Kiel liegt nördlich von Hamburg.
Kiel is north of Hamburg.
Position with genitive
In more formal contexts or in written language, 'nördlich' (north of) can also be used with the genitive to describe a position. The 'von' is then omitted.
EXAMPLE
Das Gebiet liegt nördlich des Flusses.
The area lies north of the river.
Compare with
nördlich vs nordwärts
northward
Both words can express a connection to the north. Nördlich mainly describes a location or, more generally, a northern direction, while nordwärts explicitly refers to movement toward the north. For a location, use nördlich; for movement in that direction, nordwärts is usually the better choice.
nördlich
Das Dorf liegt nördlich von der Stadt.
The village lies north of the city.
nordwärts
Die Wandergruppe ging am Morgen nordwärts weiter.
The hiking group continued northward in the morning.
In real life
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