Commuting

For many, commuting to work is part of daily life. The verb for "to commute" in German is pendeln and a person who commutes is der Pendler or die Pendlerin. 

Er pendelt zwischen Paderborn, seinem Wohnort, und Hamburg, seinem Arbeitsplatz.

He commutes between Paderborn, where he lives, and Hamburg, his workplace.

Captions 60-61, Sportclub Story: In der Badehose durch die Weltmeere

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Many people in Germany do this using public transportation, whether it's by S-Bahn, U-Bahn, or bus within the city, or by regional train to a different town. Relatively recently, it became possible to go anywhere in Germany by regional train for just 49 euros a month!

Commuting can be quite seamless for the most part, but issues may arise, particularly when a route isn't direct.

Aber auch die Bahn bietet alle zwei Stunden eine Verbindung von München an.

But also the train offers a connection from Munich every two hours.

Caption 22, 48 h in Innsbruck Sehenswürdigkeiten & Tipps - Part 1

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Muss ich umsteigen, um in die Innenstadt zu fahren?

Do I have to change [trains or buses] to get to the city center?

Caption 67, Deutsch mit Eylin: Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel in Hamburg

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Ich muss mich beeilen, sonst verpasse ich den Bus.

I have to hurry or I'll miss the bus.

Caption 22, Deutsch mit Eylin: Reflexive Verben und Pronomen

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Ich hoffe, ihr habt nicht zu lange gewartet. Mein Flug hatte Verspätung.

I hope you haven't waited too long. My flight was late.

Caption 34, Die Wohngemeinschaft: Besuch

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While commuting by car doesn't have these problems, there is one constant problem that one will face:

Im Elbtunnel war Stau!

There was a traffic jam in the Elbtunnel!

Caption 22, Großstadtrevier: Nicht mit mir

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Und bleibt nicht im Stau stecken!

And don't get stuck in traffic!

Caption 11, Es war einmal ... das Leben: Die Zelle

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Further Learning
For a humorous take on commuting with the German train system, watch this video and this video from the comedy and satire series extra3 on Yabla German.