return journey
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return journey
The trip or journey back to the starting point.
Auf der Rückfahrt von Berlin nach München gerieten wir in einen langen Stau.
On the return journey from Berlin to Munich, we got stuck in a long traffic jam.
'Rückfahrt' (return journey) is a compound word made up of 'rück-' and 'Fahrt' (trip/journey). The part 'rück-' is a short form of 'zurück' (back) and always indicates movement toward the starting point.
Die Hinfahrt zum Urlaubsort war schön, aber die Rückfahrt war sehr anstrengend.
The journey there to the holiday destination was nice, but the return journey was very tiring.
When you see 'Rück-' at the beginning of a word related to movement, it almost always means 'back'. Further examples are 'der Rückflug' (return flight), 'der Rückweg' (way back), or 'die Rückkehr' (return).
Der Rückflug von New York nach Frankfurt dauert etwa acht Stunden.
The return flight from New York to Frankfurt takes about eight hours.
To describe that something happens during the return journey, German uses the preposition 'auf' with the dative: 'auf der Rückfahrt' (on the return journey).
Auf der Rückfahrt haben wir noch bei meinen Großeltern angehalten.
On the return journey, we also stopped by my grandparents' place.
way back
'der Rückweg' and 'die Rückfahrt' both describe movement back to the starting point. 'Rückweg' puts more emphasis on the route or the way itself. You can do it on foot, by bike, or in a vehicle. 'Rückfahrt' emphasizes that you are traveling by vehicle, for example by car, bus, train, or ship. For that reason, the words are not always interchangeable. Learners may confuse them because both mean 'back'. If the type of movement is important and a vehicle is being used, 'Rückfahrt' fits. If it is generally about the route back, 'Rückweg' fits.
Wegen des Schnees dauerte die Rückfahrt mit dem Bus fast zwei Stunden.
Because of the snow, the return journey by bus took almost two hours.
Der Rückweg durch den Wald war kürzer als der Weg zum Dorf.
The way back through the forest was shorter than the way to the village.