Prepositions and Their Cases
Accusative Prepositions | Bis | Durch | Für | Gegen | Ohne | Um | Dative Prepositions | Aus | Außer | Bei | Gegenüber | Mit | Nach | Seit | Von | Zu | Genitive Prepositions | Statt | Trotzt | Während | Wegen | Two-way Prepositions | An | Auf | Hinter | In | Neben | Über | Unter | Vor | Zwischen | Motion Cannot Be Applied
German has four different kinds of prepositions. Prepositions are words which describe where something is located or is going. On, under, between, and next to are all examples of prepositions in English. German has different prepositions for every case except the nominative, and as you will see, there is a set that is governed by two cases.
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| Accusative Prepositions: the noun that follows this preposition will be in the accusative case:
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bis: till, until, by (before an expression of time), as far as (before an expression of place), or, and to (with numerals):
Also, auf Wiedersehen - bis nächsten Freitag! - Goodbye then - till next Friday!
Wir fahren bis Frankfurt. - We're going as far as Frankfurt.
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durch: through, by means of, and by the agency of:
Sie gucken durch das Schlüsselloch. - They are peeping through the keyhole.
Die Stadt wurde durch ein Erdbeben zestört. - The town was destroyed by an earthquake.
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für: for (in a wide range of sense), sometimes as:
Er arbeitet für seinen Bruder. - He works for his brother.
Sie nahm das für eine Beleidigung. - She took that as an insult.
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gegen: against, in return for, approximately, towards, and compared with:
Er schwimmt gegen den Strom. - He is swimming against the current.
Gegen seinen Onkel ist er arm. - Compared with his uncle he is poor.
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ohne: without (the indefinite article and possessive adjectives are omitted when used with):
Ohne Löffel kann ich die Suppe nicht essen. - I can't eat the soup without a spoon.
Ohne mich! - Count me out!
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um: around, at (expressing time), it occurs in idioms with a sense of deprivation; it can be strenghtened by rings and herum:
Das Geschäft ist gleich um die Ecke. - The shop is just around the corner.
Wir standen rings um den Tisch. - We stood around the table.
Die Kinder laufen um den Teich herum. - The children are running around the pond.
Er ist um sein ganzes Geld gekommen. - He has lost all his money.
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| Dative Prepositions: the noun following this preposition will always be in the dative case:
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aus: out of and from:
Sie kam aus dem Haus. - She came out of the house.
Ich bin aus München. - I am from Munich.
Sie war aus guter Familie. - She was from a good family.
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außer: with the exception of:
Ich hasse alle außer Hans. - I hate them all with the exception of Hans.
Er ißt gern alles außer dem Kuchen.
Außer dem kleinen Mädchen sieht alle gut aus. - Everyone looked nice except for the small girl.
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bei: near, by, at the house of, with:
Es gibt eine Telefonzelle bei der Kirche. - There is a telephone booth near the church.
Er wohnt bei seiner Tante. - He lives with his aunt.
Ich habe leider kein Geld bei mir. - Unfortunately I have no money with me.
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gegenüber: opposite, with regard to; normally it follows the word that it is governing, although it may precede it:
Mir gegenüber saß ein älterer Herr. - Opposite me sat an elderly man.
Gegenüber diesen Tatsachen war ich machtlos. - Faced with these facts I was powerless.
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mit: all straightfoward meanings of with and often renders by:
Ich esse zu Mittag mit meinen Kollegen. - I have lunch with my colleagues.
Das habe ich mit der Post geschickt. - I sent that by post.
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nach: after, to (specific), according to:
Wir werden nach dem Konzert essen. - We shall eat after the concert.
Ich fliege morgen nach New York. - I'm flying to New York tomorrow.
Ich wähle nicht nach dem Preis, sondern nach der Ovalität. - I choose according to the quality, not according to the price.
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seit: since, for (with expressions of time):
Seit dem Tod meines Vaters wohne ich hier. - I've lived here since my father died.
Ich arbeite hier seit zwei Jahren. - I've been working here for two years.
*Note the use of the present tense with the use of this preposition.
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von: from, of, by:
Ich habe ein neues Buch von meinem Bruder. - I have a new book from my brother.
Ein Mann von russicher Abstammung. - A man of Russian descent.
Er wurde von dem Lehrer gelobt. - He was praised by the teacher.
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zu: to (non-specific), at, in:
Ich gehe zu seiner Mutter. - I'm going to his mother.
J.S. Bach wurde zu Eisenach geboren. - J.S. Bach was born in Eisenach.
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| Genetive Prepositions: the noun following this preposition will always be in the genitive case:
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statt: also appears as anstatt; instead of:
Statt eines Briefes schrieb er nur eine Karte. - Instead of a letter he only wrote a card.
Anstatt der Tochter kam die Mutter. - The mother came instead of the daughter.
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trotz: this can take the dative on occasion; in spite of, despite:
Trotz des Regens haben wir Fußball gespielt. - We played soccer in spite of the rain.
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während: during:
Während des Krieges war mein Vater in der Schule. - During the war my father was at school.
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wegen: on account of, because of:
Wegen des schlechten Wetters bleibe ich zu Hause. - Because of the bad weather I'm staying in.
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| Two-way Prepositions: when indicating motion these prepositions are followed by the accusative case. When indicating location they are dative case:
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an: at, on (a vertical surface), to:
Accusative:
Ich schreibe an meinen Bruder. - I am writing to my brother.
Dative:
Das Bild hängt an der Wand. - The picture hangs on the wall.
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auf: on (a horizontal surface), to:
Accusative:
Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. - I put the book on the table.
Dative:
Das Buch ist auf dem Tisch. - The book is on the table.
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hinter: behind:
Accusative:
Das Baby kriecht hinter das Sofa. - The baby crawls behind the sofa.
Dative:
Das Dorf liegt hinter diesem Berg. - The village lies behind this mountain.
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in: in, at, into:
Accusative:
Ich gehe jetzt in den Garten. - I'm going into the garden now.
Dative:
Ich wohne in diesem Haus. - I live in that house.
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neben: next to, near, beside:
Accusative:
Ich stelle den Bücherschrank neben die Tür. - I'll put the bookcase next to the door.
Dative:
Da steht sie, neben der Tür. - There she is, standing beside the door.
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über: over, above, about:
Accusative:
Sie gehen über die Brücke. - They're going across the bridge.
Dative:
Über dem Tisch hängt eine Lampe. - Above the table hangs a lamp.
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unter: under, among:
Accusative:
Das Messer ist unter den Tisch gefallen. - The knife has fallen under the table.
Dative:
Unter meinem Fenster wächst eine Rose. - A rose grows underneath my window.
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vor: in front of, before:
Accusative:
Er trat vor den General hin. - He stepped up to the general.
Dative:
Er stand vor dem General. - He stood before the general.
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zwischen: between:
Accusative:
Er setzte sich zwischen die beiden Jungen. - He sat down between the two boys.
Dative:
Sie saß zwischen ihren Eltern. - She was sitting between her parents.
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| In other contexts, if the notion of rest or movement can't be figuratively applied then auf and über take the accusative case, and the rest take the dative case.
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