die Überfahrt
crossing
A trip by ship or ferry across a body of water, such as a river, a lake, or the sea.
EXAMPLE
Die Überfahrt von Calais nach Dover dauert nur etwa 90 Minuten.
The crossing from Calais to Dover takes only about 90 minutes.
die Überfahrt
crossing
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is made up of the preposition 'über' (over/across) and the noun 'die Fahrt' (the trip/journey). It literally describes a trip that goes across a body of water.
EXAMPLE
Die Überfahrt über den See war sehr entspannend.
The crossing across the lake was very relaxing.
Use with prepositions
To name the starting point and destination, the structure 'die Überfahrt von [place] nach [place]' (the crossing from [place] to [place]) is used. The duration is expressed with the verb 'dauern' (to last/take).
EXAMPLE
Wir haben die Überfahrt von Deutschland nach Schweden für den Sommer gebucht.
We booked the crossing from Germany to Sweden for the summer.
Typical adjectives
The quality of the trip is often described with adjectives such as 'ruhig' (calm), 'stürmisch' (stormy), 'schnell' (quick), or 'lang' (long).
EXAMPLE
Wegen des starken Windes hatten wir eine sehr stürmische Überfahrt.
Because of the strong wind, we had a very stormy crossing.
Compare with
Überfahrt vs Passage
passage
Passage and Überfahrt can both refer to a journey by ship. Passage sounds somewhat more elevated and views the journey as a whole, whereas Überfahrt emphasizes crossing a body of water by ship or ferry.
Überfahrt
Die Überfahrt über den See dauerte zwei Stunden.
The crossing of the lake took two hours.
Passage
Die Passage über den Atlantik dauerte acht Tage.
The passage across the Atlantic lasted eight days.
In real life
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