Prepositions in German

Why Should You Master Prepositions?

Prepositions help you choose the correct case (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive) and make your sentences clear and easy to understand.

Even though they may seem difficult at first, with some practice, you can quickly learn how to use them correctly.

If you prefer to read this article in German or Spanish, then switch to: Präpositionen im Deutschen or Preposiciones en alemán.

What Are Prepositions in German?

Prepositions are small but important words in the German language.

They are notable because they are almost always used together with a noun or pronoun and are always written in lowercase.

Their main function is to clarify the relationships between different elements in a sentence.

For example:

• Indicating where something is located, e.g., in der Tasche (in the bag),
• Explaining when something happens, e.g., vor dem Unterricht (before the class),
• Describing how something occurs, e.g., ohne Schwierigkeiten (without difficulties),
• Stating the reason why something happens, e.g., trotz des Regens (despite the rain).

So, they help us to better understand the relationship between two things or people in a sentence.

What Types of Prepositions Are There?

There are different types of prepositions in German that express various relationships.

Here are the main categories, which I will explain in more detail below:

Local Prepositions:
These indicate where something is, e.g., in, unter, auf. (in, under, on).

Temporal Prepositions:
These specify when something happens, e.g., seit, nach, vor. (since, after, before).

Modal Prepositions:
These explain how something occurs, e.g., durch, ohne, mit. (through, without, with).

Causal Prepositions:
These express the reason for something, e.g., dank, aufgrund, wegen. (thanks to, due to, because of).

These terms will help you better understand the various functions of prepositions in German.

Local Prepositions (of place)

Local prepositions indicate where something is located or where something is moving to and help answer the question wo (where) or wohin (to where).

The most important local prepositions are:

➜ zwischen, an, vor, in, über, neben, hinter, auf, unter

Examples:

Ich stelle die Flasche zwischen die Gläser.
I place the bottle between the glasses.
Wohin? ➜ zwischen die Gläser

Das Plakat hängt an der Tür.
The poster is hanging on the door.
Wo? ➜ an der Tür

Der Hund liegt unter dem Sofa.
The dog is lying under the sofa.
Wo? ➜ unter dem Sofa

Er stellt den Spiegel vor das Regal.
He puts the mirror in front of the shelf.
Wohin? ➜ vor das Regal

Der Stift ist in der Schublade.
The pen is in the drawer.
Wo? ➜ in der Schublade

Das Bild hängt neben dem Fenster.
The picture is hanging next to the window.
Wo? ➜ neben dem Fenster

Das Fahrrad steht hinter der Garage.
The bicycle is behind the garage.
Wo? ➜ hinter der Garage

Sie stellt die Vase auf den Schrank.
She places the vase on the cupboard.
Wohin? ➜ auf den Schrank

Die Lampe hängt über dem Tisch.
The lamp is hanging over the table.
Wo? ➜ über dem Tisch

Er hängt die Lampe über den Tisch.
He hangs the lamp over the table.
Wohin? ➜ über den Tisch

Local Prepositions with Dative and Accusative

Did you notice that in the previous examples, I used dem Tisch (in the Dative) and then den Tisch (in the Accusative)?

Here is the explanation.

Dative (wo?)

When the preposition indicates where something is located, the noun is in the Dative case.

Der Teller liegt auf dem Tisch.
The plate is lying on the table.

Der Hund schläft unter dem Sofa.
The dog is sleeping under the sofa.

Das Poster hängt an der Wand.
The poster is hanging on the wall.

Accusative (wohin?)

When the preposition describes where something is moving to, the noun is in the Accusative case.

Ich lege den Teller auf den Tisch.
I place the plate on the table.

Der Hund rennt unter das Sofa.
The dog runs under the sofa.

Ich hänge das Poster an die Wand.
I hang the poster on the wall.

Temporal Prepositions (of time)

Temporal prepositions help to clarify questions about timing or duration, such as when or how long something happens.

The most important temporal prepositions are:

➜ während, ab, bis, für, seit, vor, nach, um, an, in

Examples:

Während der Ferien habe ich viel gelesen.
During the holidays, I read a lot.

Der Verkauf startet ab morgen.
The sale starts from tomorrow.

Ich bleibe hier bis zum nächsten Montag.
I’ll stay here until next Monday.

Ich bleibe für einen Monat in der Stadt.
I’ll stay in the city for a month.

Seit letzter Woche habe ich Kopfschmerzen.
Since last week, I’ve had headaches.

Ich frühstücke vor der Arbeit.
I have breakfast before work.

Wir gehen nach dem Essen spazieren.
We go for a walk after dinner.

Der Kurs beginnt um 9 Uhr.
The class starts at 9 AM.

Wir feiern an Silvester mit Freunden.
We celebrate with friends on New Year’s Eve.

Ich werde in einer Woche zurückkommen.
I will return in a week.

Modal Prepositions (of manner)

They help answer the question how or in what way.

The most important modal prepositions are:

➜ mit, ohne, gegen, per

Beispiele:

Er geht mit dem Hund spazieren.
He goes for a walk with the dog.

Sie arbeitet ohne Pause.
She works without a break.

Er kämpft gegen die Zeit.
He fights against the clock.

Die Nachricht wurde per E-Mail gesendet.
The message was sent by email.

This is how you can use modal prepositions to describe how or under what conditions something happens.

Causal Prepositions (of cause)

Causal prepositions introduce the answer to the question of the reason or cause, that is, why or for what reason something happens.

The most important causal prepositions are:

➜ wegen, aufgrund, dank, aus, vor

Examples:

Wegen des Regens wurde das Spiel abgesagt.
The game was canceled because of the rain.

Aufgrund der Verspätung verpassten wir den Zug.
Due to the delay, we missed the train.

Dank seiner Hilfe konnte das Projekt abgeschlossen werden.
Thanks to his help, the project could be completed.

Sie handelt aus Sorge um ihre Kinder.
She acts out of concern for her children.

Er zittert vor Angst.
He is trembling with fear.

With these prepositions, you can clearly express the reason or cause for an action or event. 

Prepositions with Multiple Functions

Some prepositions in German can fall into different categories depending on their meaning.

This depends on how they are used in the sentence.

For example:

in:

Lokal: Das Buch ist in der Tasche.
The book is in the bag.

Temporal: Wir treffen uns in einer Stunde.
We will meet in an hour.

vor:

Lokal: Der Baum steht vor dem Haus.
The tree is in front of the house.

Temporal: Ich bin vor 8 Uhr aufgestanden.
I got up before 8 o’clock.

Kausal: Er zittert vor Angst.
He is trembling with fear.

These prepositions can express different relationships depending on the sentence. Therefore, it is important to always pay attention to the context.

The 4 Cases and Prepositions

Prepositions often determine which case must be used in a sentence.

Here’s an overview:

Accusative Prepositions: Some prepositions always require the accusative case, e.g., durch, für, ohne, um, gegen, bis, entlang.

Dative Prepositions: Others require the dative case, e.g., mit, nach, von, aus, zu, bei, seit, gegenüber.

Genitive Prepositions: Some prepositions require the genitive case, e.g., während, wegen, trotz, (an)statt, außerhalb, innerhalb, oberhalb.

Nominative Prepositions: Do such prepositions even exist? (Answer below)

Two-way Prepositions: If you’ve read the sections on local prepositions carefully, you already know that they can require either the accusative or the dative case.

It depends on whether they describe a movement or a state. Examples include an, auf, in, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen.

It’s important to use the correct cases to accurately convey the meaning of your sentences. 

Declension of Articles in the 4 Cases

To help you better understand the following examples, take a look at the table below to see how the articles change in the four German cases:

Prepositions with Accusative

These prepositions, also known as accusative prepositions, require that the word following them (such as a noun or pronoun) or the words following them are in the accusative case.

➜ durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, bis

Ich gehe durch den Park.
I walk through the park.

Das Geschenk ist für dich.
The gift is for you.

Wir sind gegen den Plan.
We are against the plan.

Sie geht nie ohne ihren Hund spazieren.
She never goes for a walk without her dog.

Er läuft um das Haus.
He runs around the house.

Wir warten bis nächsten Freitag.
We are waiting until next Friday.

Prepositions with Dative

These prepositions, also known as dative prepositions, require that the word following them (whether a noun or pronoun) is in the dative case.

➜ mit, nach, bei, von, zu, aus, seit, gegenüber

Ich gehe mit meinem Bruder spazieren.
I go for a walk with my brother.

Wir spielen nach der Schule.
We play after school.

Die Katze ist bei mir.
The cat is with me.

Der Brief kommt von meiner Mutter.
The letter is from my mother.

Ich gehe zu meinem Freund.
I am going to my friend.

Der Geruch kommt aus der Küche.
The smell is coming from the kitchen.

Er wohnt seit einem Jahr in Deutschland.
He has been living in Germany for a year.

Die Bank ist gegenüber dem Supermarkt.
The bank is across from the supermarket.

Prepositions with Genitive

These prepositions require that the word following them, whether a noun or pronoun, is in the genitive case.

➜ während, wegen, trotz, (an)statt, außerhalb, innerhalb, oberhalb

Wir haben während des Unterrichts geschlafen.
We slept during the class.

Sie bleibt zu Hause wegen des schlechten Wetters.
She stays at home because of the bad weather.

Er ging spazieren trotz des Regens.
He went for a walk despite the rain.

Ich habe das Auto anstatt des Fahrrads genommen.
I took the car instead of the bicycle.

Wir treffen uns außerhalb ihrer Wohnung.
We are meeting outside of her apartment.

Das Büro befindet sich innerhalb des Gebäudes.
The office is located inside the building.

Das Bild hängt oberhalb der Tür.
The picture hangs above the door.

Are there any prepositions with the nominative case?

No, there are no prepositions in German that use the nominative case.

The reason for this is that the nominative case always marks the subject of a sentence – that is, the person or thing that is performing the action.

Prepositions, on the other hand, provide additional information, such as about place, time, reason, or manner.

Since the nominative case already establishes the subject of the sentence, we use other cases like the accusative, dative, or genitive for the additional information conveyed by prepositions.

These cases help to describe the relationship between the subject and the other parts of the sentence more precisely.

A sentence usually has only one subject, so the nominative case is already “occupied,” and prepositions must work with other cases.

Why “mit dir” but “ohne dich”?

As you have learned above, prepositions (except for two-way prepositions) determine the cases to be used.

Mit always requires the dative case because it expresses a connection or belonging.

➜ so mit dir

While ohne always demands the accusative case because it describes an absence or lack.

➜ so ohne dich

This assignment of cases to specific prepositions has developed over time and reflects the evolution of the German language over centuries.

To clarify this a bit further, take a look at the following table.

Combining Prepositions + Articles

In German, prepositions are often combined with articles to make sentences sound smoother and more natural.

Note: This combination of preposition and article only occurs with certain articles in the dative or accusative cases, namely only with: dem, der, or das.

For example:

an + dem = am
in + das = ins
zu + der = zur

Take a look at the table first.

Only the articles marked in orange can merge with prepositions.

Here are the articles that you can merge with prepositions, along with an example of how they are used in a sentence:

Neuter / Accusative: das¹

Sie geht ins Kino.
She goes to the cinema.
➜ in + das = ins

Masculine / Dative: dem²

Ich gehe zum Bäcker.
I am going to the bakery.
➜ zu + dem = zum

Feminine / Dative: der³

Wir fahren zur Schule.
We are driving to the school.
➜ zu + der = zur

Neuter / Dative: dem⁴

Der Schlüssel steckt im Schloss.
The key is in the lock.
➜ in + dem = im

If you want to learn more about the different prepositions and their usage in German, you can find additional explanations in the Grammatik-To-Go Wissensecke von PONS (article in German).

Tip

The correct use of prepositions in German can be challenging, especially because they determine which case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) is used.

 

It’s crucial to understand prepositions correctly in order to use the appropriate cases in German. Instead of just memorizing them, try to develop a natural feel for the language – and that’s exactly what you’ll achieve with my engaging audio stories and lessons in “LGE Premium.”

 

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