Lieferwagen
masculine
The German word for van is Lieferwagen. Wiktionary also lists Transporter.
Meaning: a covered vehicle (noun)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lieferwagen | masculine | |
| Transporter | [tʁansˈpɔʁtɐ] (narrow) | masculine |
You might use Kleintransporter to refer specifically to smaller commercial vehicles used for transporting goods.
Which one should you use?
Lieferwagen is used when emphasizing the vehicle's role in delivery. In contrast, Transporter is a more general term for a vehicle used to transport goods or people.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both Transporter and Lieferwagen are masculine nouns.
Did you know?
- German speakers often use the brand name Bulli as a generic term for any classic Volkswagen van, regardless of whether the speaker is talking about a specific model.
- If you are looking for a passenger van rather than a cargo van, you would likely use the term Kleinbus instead of Lieferwagen.
- A person might call a large van a Kastenwagen, which literally translates to 'box car' or 'box vehicle'.
Examples in context
- Tom ist im Lieferwagen.Tom is in the van.This sentence shows how to say someone is inside the Lieferwagen.Tatoeba #9950470 by wolfgangth, translation #6440564 by CK
- Ich fahre einen Lieferwagen.I drive a delivery van.This sentence shows how to express driving a Lieferwagen.Tatoeba #2326077 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #11926817 by sundown
- Steig in den Lieferwagen ein!Get in the van.This sentence provides an imperative command to get into the Lieferwagen.Tatoeba #8347474 by manese, translation #1849377 by CK
- Julia und Lars haben sich einen Kleintransporter gekauft, um ihre Möbel zu transportieren.Julia and Lars bought a small transporter to move their furniture.
- Ich habe mir endlich einen alten Bulli zugelegt! Jetzt kann ich auf Roadtrips gehen.I finally got myself an old Bulli! Now I can go on road trips.
- Die Firma verwendet Lieferwagen, um ihre Produkte an die Kunden zu liefern.The company uses delivery vans to deliver their products to customers.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are moving furniture into a new apartment.
- JuliaWo ist der Lieferwagen?Where is the van?
- MaximilianEr steht direkt vor dem Haus.It is standing right in front of the house.
- JuliaGut, dann laden wir den Lieferwagen jetzt aus.Good, then we will unload the van now.
- MaximilianJa, ich helfe dir dabei.Yes, I will help you with that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “van” translations and entries Lieferwagen, Transporter, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
