PREPOSITIONS

What is a preposition? A preposition is a word such as at, for, with, into or from, which is usually followed by a noun, pronoun or, in English, a word ending in -ing. Prepositions show how people and things relate to the rest of the sentence, for example, She’s at home; a tool for cutting grass; it’s from David.

Using prepositions

Prepositions are used in front of nouns and pronouns (such as me, him, the man and so on), and show the relationship between the noun or pronoun and the rest of the sentence. Some prepositions can be used before verb forms ending in -ing in English.

I showed my ticket to the inspector.
Come with me.
This brush is really good for cleaning shoes.

For more information on Nouns and Pronouns, see pages 1 and 69.

In English, a preposition does not affect the word or phrase it introduces, for example:

the inspector	to the inspector
me	with me
cleaning shoes	for cleaning shoes

In German, however, the noun following a preposition must be put into the accusative, genitive or dative case.

Tip

It is important to learn each preposition with the case or cases it governs.

Prepositions followed by the dative case

Some of the most common prepositions taking the dative case are: aus, außer, bei, gegenüber, mit, nach, seit, von, zu

• aus     out of, from

Er trinkt aus der Flasche.	He is drinking out of the bottle.
Sie kommt aus Essen.	She comes from Essen.

• außer     out of; except

Der Fahrstuhl war außer Betrieb.	The lift was out of order.
Der Patient ist jetzt außer Gefahr.	The patient is out of danger now.
Alle außer mir kamen zu spät.	All except me came too late.

• bei     at the home/shop/work etc of; near

Feiern wir bei uns?	Shall we celebrate at our house?
Bei uns in Schottland ist das kein Problem.	At home in Scotland that isn’t a problem.
Er ist noch beim Friseur.	He is still at the hairdresser’s.
Er wohnt immer noch bei seinen Eltern.	He still lives with his parents.
Riegel ist bei Freiburg.	Riegel is near Freiburg.

Note that bei plus the definite article can be shortened to beim.

For more information on Shortened forms of prepositions, see page 165.

• gegenüber      opposite; towards

Er wohnt uns gegenüber.	He lives opposite us.
Sie ist mir gegenüber immer	She has always been very
sehr freundlich gewesen.	friendly towards me.

Note that when used as a preposition, gegenüber is placed AFTER a pronoun, but can be placed BEFORE or AFTER a noun.

• mit     with

Er ging mit seinen Freunden spazieren.

He went for a walk with his friends.

• nach     after; to

Nach zwei Stunden kam er wieder.	He returned two hours later.
Sie ist nach London gereist.	She went to London.
Ihrer Sprache nach ist sie Süddeutsche.	From the way she talks I would say she is from southern Germany.

Note that when nach means according to, as in the last example, it can be placed AFTER the noun.

• seit     since; for (of time)

Seit er krank ist, spielt er nicht mehr Fußball.

He’s stopped playing football since he became ill.

Note that after seit, meaning for, we use the present tense in German, but the perfect tense in English.

Ich wohne seit zwei Jahren in Frankfurt.	I’ve been living in Frankfurt for two years.
Sie arbeitet seit acht Jahren bei uns.	She’s been working for us for eight years.

For more information on Tenses used with seit see page 94.

• von     from; about; by (when used in the passive tense)

Von Berlin sind wir weiter nach Krakau gefahren.	From Berlin we went on to Krakow.
Ich weiß nichts von ihm.	I know nothing about him.
Sie ist von unseren Argumenten überzeugt worden.	She was convinced by our arguments.

For more information on the Passive, see page 150.

Note that von can be used as a common alternative to the genitive case.

Die Mutter von diesen Mädchen ist Künstlerin.	The mother of these girls is an artist.
Sie ist eine Freundin von Alexander.	She is a friend of Alexander’s.

For more information on the Genitive case, see page 11.

• zu     to; for

Er ging zum Arzt.	He went to the doctor’s.
Wir sind zum Essen eingeladen.	We’re invited for a meal.

Note that zu plus the definite article can be shortened to zum or zur.

For more information on Shortened forms of prepositions, see page 165.

Grammar Extra!

Some of the above prepositions are also used as separable verb prefixes, that is the part at the beginning of a separable German verb.

aushalten	to endure
Ich halte es nicht mehr aus.	I can’t stand it any longer.
(jemandem) beistehen	to stand by (somebody)
Er stand seinem Freund bei.	He stood by his friend.
gegenüberstehen	to have an attitude towards
Er steht ihnen kritisch gegenüber.	He has a critical attitude towards them.
jemanden mitnehmen	to give somebody a lift
Nimmst du mich bitte mit?	Will you give me a lift, please?
nachmachen	to copy
Sie macht mir alles nach.	She copies everything I do.
zumachen	to shut
Mach die Tür zu!	Shut the door!

For more information on Separable verbs, see page 109.

Key points

gegenüber, aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu, außer are the most common prepositions used with the dative case.

Each of them has several different possible meanings, depending on the context they are used in.

aus, nach, mit, bei, gegenüber and zu can also be used as separable verb prefixes.

Prepositions followed by the accusative case

The most common prepositions taking the accusative case are: durch, entlang, für, gegen, ohne, um, wider

Tip

If you want an easy way to remember which prepositions take the accusative case, you could think of the word DOGWUF, which can stand for the prepositions durch ohne gegen wider um für.

• durch      through

Sie guckte durch das Loch.	She looked through the hole.
Durch Zufall trafen sie sich wieder.	They met again, by chance.

• entlang      along

Die Kinder kommen die Straße entlang.

The children are coming along the street.

Note that entlang comes AFTER the noun in this meaning.

• für      for; to

Ich habe es für dich getan.	I did it for you.
Das ist für ihn sehr wichtig.	That is very important to him.
Was für eins hat er?	What kind (of one) does he have?
Was für einen Wagen hat sie?	What kind of car does she have?
Was für Äpfel sind das?	What kind of apples are they?

• gegen      against; around

Stelle es gegen die Wand.	Put it against the wall.
Haben Sie etwas gegen Heuschnupfen?	Have you got something for hayfever?
Wir sind gegen vier angekommen.	We arrived at around four o’clock.

• ohne      without

Ohne sie gehts nicht.

It won’t work without her.

• um      (a)round, round about; at (with time); by (with quantity)

Der Bahnhof liegt um die Ecke.	The station is round the corner.
Es fängt um neun Uhr an.	It begins at nine.
Es ist um zehn Euro billiger.	It is cheaper by ten euros.

Note that um is used after certain verbs.

Sie baten um ein bisschen mehr Zeit.	They asked for a bit more time.
Es handelt sich um dein Benehmen.	It’s a question of your behaviour.

For more information on Verbs followed by prepositions, see page 145.

• wider      contrary to, against

Das geht mir wider die Natur.

That’s against my nature.

Grammar Extra!

Some of the above prepositions are also used as separable verb prefixes, that is the part at the beginning of a separable German verb.

durchmachen
Sie hat viel durchgemacht in ihrem Leben.	She’s been through a lot in her life.
entlanggehen
Wir gingen die Straße entlang.	We went along the street.

um and wider are also used as separable or inseparable verb prefixes (variable verb prefixes), depending on the verb and meaning.

umarmen	inseparable	to hug
Er hat sie umarmt.		He gave her a hug.
umfallen	separable	to fall over
Sie ist umgefallen.		She fell over.
widersprechen	inseparable	to go against
Das hat meinen Wünschen widersprochen.		That went against my wishes.
(sich) widerspiegeln	separable	to reflect
Der Baum spiegelt sich im Wasser wider.		The tree is reflected in the water.

For more information on Separable verbs and Inseparable verbs, see page 109.

Key points

durch, entlang, für, gegen, ohne, um, and wider are the most common prepositions used with the accusative case.

Most of them have several different possible meanings, depending on the context they are used in.

durch, entlang and gegen can also be used as separable verb prefixes.

um and wider can also be used as variable verbal prefixes.

Prepositions followed by the accusative or the dative case

There are a number of prepositions which can be followed by the accusative or the dative case. You use:

• the accusative case when there is some movement towards a different place

• the dative case when a location is described rather than movement, or when there is movement within the same place

The most common prepositions in this category are: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen

You use an:

• with the accusative case

Die Lehrerin schrieb das Wort an die Tafel.	The teacher wrote the word on the board.
Ich habe einen Brief an meine Mutter geschrieben.	I wrote a letter to my mother.
Ich ziehe im Sommer an die Küste.	In the summer I move to the coast.

• with the dative case

Das Wort stand an der Tafel.	The word was written on the blackboard.
Wir treffen uns am Bahnhof.	We’re meeting at the station.

Note that an plus the definite article can be shortened to am.

For more information on Shortened forms of prepositions, see page 165.

You use auf:

• with the accusative case

Stell die Suppe bitte auf den Tisch.	Put the soup on the table please.
Wir fahren morgen aufs Land.	We’re going to the country tomorrow.
Er warf einen Blick auf das Buch.	He glanced at the book.

Note that auf plus the definite article can be shortened to aufs.

For more information on Shortened forms of prepositions, see page 165.

• with the dative case

Die Suppe steht auf dem Tisch.	The soup’s on the table.
Auf dem Land ist die Luft besser.	The air is better in the country.

You use hinter:

• with the accusative case

Stell dich hinter deinen Bruder.

Stand behind your brother.

• with the dative case

Sie saß hinter mir.

She was sitting behind me.

You use in:

• with the accusative case

Sie ging ins Zimmer.	She entered the room.
Er wollte nicht in die Schule gehen.	He didn’t want to go to school.

• with the dative case

Was hast du heute in der Schule gemacht?	What did you do at school today?
Im Zimmer warteten viele Leute auf ihn.	A lot of people were waiting for him in the room.

Note that in plus the definite article can be shortened to im or ins.

For more information on Shortened forms of prepositions, see page 165.

You use neben:

• with the accusative case

Stell dein Rad neben meines.

Put your bike next to mine.

• with the dative case

Dein Rad steht neben meinem.

Your bike’s next to mine.

You use über:

• with the accusative case

Zieh den Pullover über deinen Kopf!	Pull the jumper over your head!
Sie ging quer über das Feld.	She went across the field.
Flugzeuge dürfen nicht über dieses Gebiet fliegen.	Planes are not allowed to fly over this area.

• with the dative case

Die Lampe soll über dem Tisch hängen.

The lamp should hang over the table.

Note that when über means about, it is always followed by the accusative case, NOT the dative.

Wir haben viel über sie gesprochen.

We talked about her a lot.

You use unter:

• with the accusative case

Sie stellte sich unter den Baum.

She (came and) stood under the tree.

• with the dative case

Sie lebte dort unter Freunden.

She lived there among friends.

You use vor:

• with the accusative case

Stell den Stuhl vor das Fenster.

Put the chair in front of the window.

• with the dative case

Auf dem Foto stand sie vor dem Haus.	In the photo she was standing in front of the house.
Ich war vor ihm da.	I was there before him.
Vor dem Krankenhaus links abbiegen.	Turn left at the hospital.

You use zwischen:

• with the accusative case

Er legte es zwischen die beiden Teller.

He put it between the two plates.

• with the dative case

Das Dorf liegt zwischen den Bergen.

The village lies between the mountains.

Each of these prepositions can also be used with verbs and are then called prepositional objects.

abhängen von + dative	to depend on
Das hängt von dir ab.	That depends on you.
schmecken nach + dative	to taste of
Der Nachtisch schmeckt nach Zimt.	The dessert tastes of cinnamon.

When auf or an is used in this way, the case used depends on the verb – it’s much easier to learn such examples together with the case which follows them.

sich verlassen auf + accusative	to depend on
Ich verlasse mich auf dich.	I’m depending on you.
bestehen auf + dative	to insist on
Wir bestehen auf sofortiger Bezahlung.	We insist on immediate payment.
glauben an + accusative	to believe in
Sie glaubt an ihre Schwester.	She believes in her sister.
leiden an + dative	to suffer from
Er leidet an einer tödlichen Krankheit.	He is suffering from a terminal illness.
sich freuen auf + accusative	to look forward to
Ich freue mich auf die Sommerferien.	I’m looking forward to the summer holidays.
warten auf + accusative	to wait for
Er wartet jeden morgen auf den Bus.	Every morning he waits for the bus.

For more information on Verbs with prepositional objects, see page 145.

Grammar Extra!

Some of the above prepositions are also used as separable or inseparable verb prefixes.

anrechnen	separable	to charge for
Das wird Ihnen später angerechnet.		You’ll be charged for that later.
aufsetzen	separable	to put on
Er setzte sich die Mütze auf.		He put his cap on.
überqueren	inseparable	to cross
Sie hat die Straße überquert.		She crossed the street.

For more information on Separable verbs and Inseparable verbs, see page 109.

Key points

an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor and zwischen are the most common prepositions which can be followed by the accusative or dative case.

Most of them have several different possible meanings, depending on the context they are used in.

Each of them can also be prepositional objects of certain verbs.

Many of them can also be used as verb prefixes.

Prepositions followed by the genitive case

The following are some of the more common prepositions which take the genitive case:

außerhalb, infolge, innerhalb, statt, trotz, um … willen, während, wegen

• außerhalb      outside

Es liegt außerhalb der Stadt.

It’s outside the town.

• infolge      as a result of

Infolge des starken Regens kam es zu Überschwemmungen.

As a result of the heavy rain, there were floods.

• innerhalb      within, inside

Ich schaffe das nicht innerhalb der gesetzten Frist.

I won’t manage that within the deadline.

• statt      instead of

Sie kam statt ihres Bruders.

She came instead of her brother.

• trotz      in spite of

Trotz ihrer Krankheit ging sie jeden Tag spazieren.

In spite of her illness, she went for a walk every day.

• um … willen      for … sake, because of …

Ich komme um deinetwillen.	I’m coming for your sake.
Tun Sie das bitte um meiner Mutter willen.	Please do it, for my mother’s sake.

• während      during

Was hast du während der Ferien gemacht?

What did you do during the holidays?

• wegen      because of, on account of

Wegen des schlechten Wetters wurde die Veranstaltung abgesagt.

The event was cancelled because of bad weather.

Note that statt, trotz, während and wegen can also be followed by the dative case.

Statt dem Abendessen musste ich arbeiten.	Instead of having dinner, I had to work.
Trotz allem will ich weiterstudieren.	In spite of everything, I want to continue studying.
Während dem Vortrag schlief er ein.	He fell asleep during the lecture.
Wegen mir musste sie früh nach Hause.	She had to go home early because of me.

Grammar Extra!

There are some other prepositions which take the genitive case.

• beiderseits      on both sides of

Beiderseits des Flusses gibt es ein Ufer.

On both sides of the river there is a river bank.

• diesseits      on this side of

Diesseits der Grenze spricht man Polnisch und Deutsch.

On this side of the border Polish and German are spoken.

• … halber

Vorsichtshalber nehme ich heute meinen Regenschirm mit.	To be on the safe side I’m taking an umbrella today.
Sicherheitshalber verschließt er die Tür.	For safety’s sake he locks the door.

• hinsichtlich      with regard to

Hinsichtlich Ihrer Beschwerde habe ich Ihren Brief an die zuständigen Behörden geschickt.

With regards to your complaint, I have passed on your letter to the relevant authorities.

• jenseits      on the other side of

Das Dorf liegt 2 km jenseits der Grenze.

The village is 2km on the other side of the border.

Grammar Extra!

Special forms of the possessive and relative pronouns are used with wegen.

• meinetwegen

Hat er sich meinetwegen so aufgeregt?

Did he get so upset on my account?

• deinetwegen

Ich ging nicht deinetwegen nach Hause.

I didn’t go home because of you.

• seinetwegen

Ihr müsst seinetwegen nicht auf euren Urlaub verzichten.

You don’t have to do without your holiday for his sake.

• ihretwegen

Wir sind ihretwegen früher gegangen.

We went earlier because of them or her.

• unsertwegen

Sie musste unsertwegen Strafe zahlen.

She had to pay a fine because of us.

• euretwegen

Euretwegen durfte er nicht mitspielen.

Because of you he wasn’t allowed to play.

• Ihretwegen

Sollte es Ihretwegen Probleme geben, dann gehen wir alle nach Hause.

Should you cause any problems, then we’ll all go home.

For more information on Possessive pronouns and Relative pronouns, see pages 80 and 86.

Key points

außerhalb, beiderseits, diesseits, … halber, hinsichtlich, infolge, innerhalb, jenseits, statt, trotz, um … willen, während and wegen are the most common prepositions which take the genitive case.

statt, trotz, während and wegen can also take the dative case.

Special forms of possessive and relative pronouns are used with wegen.

Shortened forms of prepositions

After many German prepositions, a shortened or contracted form of the definite article can be merged with the preposition to make one word.

auf + das	→	aufs
bei + dem	→	beim
zu + der	→	zur

For more information on the Definite article, see page 25.

This can be done with all of the following prepositions:

Preposition	+ das	+ den	+ dem	+ der
an	ans		am
auf	aufs
bei			beim
durch	durchs
für	fürs
hinter	hinters	hintern	hinterm
in	ins		im
über	übers	übern	überm
um	ums
unter	unters	untern	unterm
vor	vors		vorm
von			vom
zu			zum	zur

Er ging ans Fenster.	He went to the window.
Wir waren gestern am Meer.	We were at the seaside yesterday.
Er ist beim Friseur.	He’s at the hairdresser’s.
Wir gehen heute Abend ins Kino.	We’re going to the cinema tonight.
Im Sommer lese ich gern im Garten.	In the summer I like reading in the garden.
Es ging immer ums Thema Geld.	It was always about the subject of money.
Der Hund lief unters Auto.	The dog ran under the car.
Der Ball rollte untern Tisch.	The ball rolled under the table.
Die Katze lag unterm Schreibtisch.	The cat lay under the desk.
Er erzählte vom Urlaub.	He talked about his holiday.
Sie fährt zum Bahnhof.	She drives to the station.
Er geht zur Schule.	He goes to school.

The following shortened forms are normally only used in informal, spoken German:

• aufs

Wir fahren morgen aufs Land.

We’re going to the country tomorrow.

• durchs

Sie flog durchs Abitur.

She failed her A-levels.

• fürs

Das ist fürs neue Haus.

That’s for the new house.

• hinters, hintern, hinterm

Er lief hinters Auto.	He ran behind the car.
Stell es hintern Tisch.	Put it behind the table.
Es liegt hinterm Sofa.	It’s behind the couch.

• übers, übern, überm

Sie legten ein Brett übers Loch.	They put a board over the hole.
Man muss das übern Kopf ziehen.	You have to pull it over your head.
Überm Tisch hängt eine Lampe.	There’s a lamp hanging over the table.

• unters, untern, unterm

Die Katze ging unters Bett.	The cat went under the bed.
Der Ball rollte untern Tisch.	The ball rolled under the table.
Der Hund liegt unterm Tisch.	The dog is lying under the table.

• vors, vorm

Stell den Stuhl vors Fenster.	Put the chair in front of the window.
Er stand vorm Spiegel.	He stood in front of the mirror.

Note that if you want to stress the article in a sentence, shortened forms are NOT used.

In dem Anzug kann ich mich nicht sehen lassen!

I can’t go out in that suit!

Shortened forms of prepositions can also be used:

• with personal pronouns representing inanimate objects, that is objects which are not living things

Sie war damit zufrieden.	She was satisfied with that.
Er hat es darauf angelegt, dass er die beste Note kriegen würde.	He was determined to get the best grade.

For more information on Personal pronouns, see page 70.

Key points

It is often possible to combine the definite article and a preposition to create a shortened form.

Some of these shortened forms should only be used in spoken German.