German Prepositions - All The Essentials

U a
Ultimate Guide to
German Prepositions
Mar 1, 2021 | Online German Grammar
If you are familiar with language

learning, you will know that German
diOers from many other languages
in terms of grammar, especially
when it comes to prepositions.
Read this ultimate guide to pick up
all the essentials! You can also Snd
some useful strategies to make
sure you know your way around
these small, yet tricky words.
– A preposition is a word which

connects two phrases together.
– All prepositions take diOerent

cases, most either the accusative or
the dative case.
– For some prepositions, the case is

determined by the context of the
sentence.
In order to learn which prepositions

take which cases, there are a few
tips and tricks that you can learn.
Usually, however, you are more
likely to get used to prepositions
and their diYcult nature after lots
of continuous practice.
Prepositions
taking the
accusative case
There are eight common
prepositions which take the
accusative case. You can remember
these by using the acronym
DOGWUFBE:
This means that if you are using

these prepositions, you will need to
change the noun which follows into
the accusative case:
Prepositions taking
the dative case
Prepositions which take the dative
case are usually a bit harder to
master, as the articles need to be
changed more than they do for the
accusative:
Here you see a table outlining all
the article changes you will need,
notice how the dative is slightly
diOerent:
List of prepositions taking the

dative case:
This means that if you are using any

of these prepositions, you will need
to change the noun whichfollows
into the dative case.
Prepositions taking
the genitive case
Prepositions which take the genitive
case are not used as much as those
which take the dative case, but it is
still essential to know when and
how to use them.
List of prepositions taking the

genitive case:
It may seem quite diYcult to use

these prepositions, because we
must also make a small change to
some nouns which follow.
If the noun is masculine or neuter,

we must add the letter ‘s’ or ‘es’
onto the end.
To remember how to do this, you

can follow a simple rule. The rule
does not apply every time, but if
you are ever unsure in an exam, it
will mean you have a good chance
of forming the noun correctly.
RULE: If the noun has one syllable

(e.g., Kind, Mann, Haus), you will
need to add ‘-es’ to the end of the
word, making the pronunciation
two syllables.
If the noun has two syllables (e.g.,
Fenster, Essen, Fahrrad), we only
need to add ‘-s’.
Take a look at the masculine and

neuter examples below:
Prepositions which
can take the dative
OR the accusative
case
Sometimes, it is possible that a
preposition can take either the
accusative case OR the dative case.
This usually depends on whether
the subject of the sentence is
moving towards the noun to which
the preposition is referring. If the
subject in a Sxed location, then we
use the dative. However if the
meaning of the preposition implies
movement, we use the accusative.
Auf – on / onto
If this preposition is referring to
someone putting something onto
something else (i.e. a movement is
taking place), we use the accusative.
However, if we are describing a
noun, which is in a set location and
is not moving, we use the dative.
For example:
Accusative: Er stellt die Flasche auf

den Boden – He is putting the bottle
on the hoor. (the bottle is being
transported)
Dative: Die Flasche steht auf dem

Boden – The bottle is on the hoor.
(the bottle is stationary)
Other prepositions which can take

either the accusative or the dative
case are:
an, hinter, in, neben, über, unter,

vor and zwischen.
Here are some examples:
Accusative Vs. Dative
IchgeheindenPark. IchbinindemPark.
ErhatdieGitarreandieWand DieGitarrehängtander
gehängt. Wand.
ErstelltseinFahrradvordas DasFahrradstehtvordem
Haus. Haus.
SielegtendasKabelunterdie DasKabellagunterder
Erde. Erde.
DerBärspringthinterden »DerBärstandhinterdem
Baum. Baum.
IchhängedasBildüberden DasBildhängtüberdem
Kamin. Kamin. DASAKADEMIE
Merging prepositions
with the article that
follows them
This is the last thing you need to
know:
Depending on the preposition and

the gender and case of the noun,
you can sometimes merge the
preposition and the article which
follows it.
In some cases, a set phrase causes

the merge to be obligatory, for
example expressing a date (an dem
= am) or a month (in dem = im).
The most common prepositions

which can be merged are an, bei, in,
von and zu:
an + dem = am
bei + dem = beim
in + dem = im
in + das = ins
von + dem = vom
zu + dem = zum
zu + der = zur
So, there we have it: Everything you

need to know about prepositions
and how to use them!
If you would like to know more

about grammar subjects like
prepositions and put them to use
more often, check out our Intensive
German Courses or Evening
German Courses if you have a busy
daytime schedule!
DAS Akademie
Torstr. 125
10119 Berlin
[email protected]
+49 178 728 32 44
Impressum
Privacy Policy
General Delivery Terms
  

German Prepositions - All The Essentials

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

German Prepositions - All The Essentials

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

German Prepositions - All The Essentials

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

U a

If you are familiar with language

– A preposition is a word which

– All prepositions take diOerent

– For some prepositions, the case is

In order to learn which prepositions

This means that if you are using

List of prepositions taking the

This means that if you are using any

List of prepositions taking the

It may seem quite diYcult to use

If the noun is masculine or neuter,

To remember how to do this, you

RULE: If the noun has one syllable

Take a look at the masculine and

Accusative: Er stellt die Flasche auf

Dative: Die Flasche steht auf dem

Other prepositions which can take

an, hinter, in, neben, über, unter,

Here are some examples:

Accusative Vs. Dative

Depending on the preposition and

In some cases, a set phrase causes

The most common prepositions

bei + dem = beim

von + dem = vom

So, there we have it: Everything you

If you would like to know more

+49 178 728 32 44

General Delivery Terms

You might also like