passenger car / coach
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passenger car
A motor vehicle designed primarily for transporting people; a car. The official abbreviation is PKW.
Für die Urlaubsreise mit der Familie mieteten sie einen geräumigen Personenwagen.
For the family vacation trip, they rented a spacious passenger car.
The word is a compound of 'Personen' (people; plural of Person) and 'Wagen' (car/coach). So it literally describes a vehicle intended for transporting people.
Ein Personenwagen bietet in der Regel Platz für vier bis fünf Leute.
A passenger car usually has room for four to five people.
You can clearly tell which meaning is intended from the context. In connection with 'Zug' (train), 'Bahn' (railway), or 'Gleisen' (tracks), it always means a railway coach. In the context of 'Straße' (road), 'Verkehr' (traffic), or 'fahren' (to drive), it means a car.
Der Zug bestand aus einem Speisewagen und sieben Personenwagen.
The train consisted of a dining car and seven passenger coaches.
In the meaning 'Auto' (car), 'Personenwagen' (passenger car) is a formal, official term. It is rarely used in everyday language. The abbreviation 'PKW' or 'Pkw' is very common in official texts.
Bitte geben Sie im Formular die Marke Ihres Personenwagens an.
Please enter the make of your passenger car on the form.
In a railway context, the word is often used with verbs such as 'einsteigen' (to get on), 'aussteigen' (to get off), or 'durchqueren' (to pass through). People also speak of 'Personenwagen der ersten oder zweiten Klasse' (first- or second-class passenger coaches).
Die Reisenden stiegen in die bereits wartenden Personenwagen ein.
The travelers boarded the passenger coaches that were already waiting.
car
'das Auto' and 'der Personenwagen' can both mean a vehicle that mainly transports people. 'Auto' is the normal word in everyday language. 'Personenwagen' sounds more official or technical and is often used in forms, insurance contexts, or rules; you also often see the abbreviation 'PKW'. Important: in another context, 'Personenwagen' can also mean a passenger coach on a train, but here it refers to the road vehicle. In conversation, people usually just say 'Auto'.
Für die Anmeldung muss der Kunde angeben, ob es sich um einen Personenwagen handelt.
For the registration, the customer must state whether it is a passenger car.
Vor der Reise kontrolliert David, ob das Auto genug Öl hat.
Before the trip, David checks whether the car has enough oil.