Prepositions II
Preposition + Accusative or Dative Case
Some prepositions in German take either the accusative or the dative case, depending on whether the emphasis of the sentence is on the position or the location, these prepositions are called ‘two-way prepositions‘.
The accusative case is used when the sentence expresses change of position or movement toward a place, while the dative case is used when the sentence expresses position or place within a fixed location.
The most common two-way prepositions are:
| Preposition | Definition |
|---|---|
| an | to, onto, at |
| auf | on, onto |
| hinter | behind |
| in | in, into |
| neben | next to |
| über | over |
| unter | under |
| vor | in front of |
| zwischen | between |
| Combination | Example | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| an + acc. | Sie hängt das Bild an die Wand | She is hanging the picture on the wall |
| an + dat. | Das Bild hängt an der Wand | The picture is hanging on the wall |
| auf + acc. | Sie legt das Messer auf den Tisch | She lays the knife on the table |
| auf + dat. | Das Messer liegt auf dem Tisch | The knife lies on the table |
| hinter + acc. | Er stellt die Schuhe hinter die Tür | He puts the shoe behind the door |
| hinter + dat. | Die Schuhe stellen hinter der Tür | The shoes are behind the wall |
| in + acc. | Die Kinder gehen in die Schule | The children go to school |
| in + dat. | Der Kinder sind in der Schule | The children are in school |
| neben + acc. | Ich stelle den Stuhl neben das Fenster | I place the chair next to the window |
| neben + dat. | Der Stuhl steht neben dem Fenster | The chair is (standing) next to the window |
| über + acc. | Der Junge klettert über den Zaun | The boy is climbing over the fence |
| über + dat. | Der Handtuch hängt über dem Zaun | The towel is hanging over the fence |
| unter + acc. | Der Ball rollte unter den Stuhl | The ball rolled under the chair |
| unter + dat. | Der Ball ist unter dem Stuhl | The ball is under the chair |
| vor + acc. | Stell den Stuhl vor das Fenster | Put the chair in front of the window |
| vor + dat. | Ich sitze vor dem Fernseher | I’m sitting infront of the TV |
| zwischen + acc. | Sie hat den Brief zwischen das Buch und die Zeitung gelegt | She placed the letter between the book and the newspaper |
| zwischen + dat. | Der Brief liegt zwischen dem Buch und der Zeitung | The letter is lying between the book and the newspaper |
In each of the accusative examples shown above, the verb shows movement from one place to another; thus the accusative case is used.
The dative examples however don’t indicate movement, instead they only describe location, they tell where someone or something is, thus the dative case is used.
Verbs Accompanied by Two-way Prepositions
Some verbs that don’t describe motion or position are accompanied by two-way prepositions. Most of these verbs require the accusative case, since they don’t indicate location; however, there are a few that require the dative case.
Some of the most common verbs are shown in the table below:
| Verb | Case | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| achten auf | acc. | pay attention to |
| sich beklagen über | acc. | complain about |
| denken an | acc. | think about |
| sich erinnern an | acc. | remind of |
| erkennen an | dat. | recognize by |
| sich freuen auf | acc. | look forward to |
| sich freuen über | acc. | be glad about |
| glauben an | acc. | believe in |
| hoffen auf | acc. | hope for |
| sich irren in | acc. | be wrong about |
| leiden an | dat. | suffer from |
| reden über | acc. | talk about |
| schreiben an | acc. | write to |
| schreiben über | acc. | write about |
| schützen vor | dat. | protect from |
| sprechen über | acc. | speak about |
| sterben an | dat. | die from |
| teilnehmen an | dat. | take part in |
| sich verlassen auf | acc. | rely on |
| sich verlieben in | acc. | fall in love with |
| warnen vor | dat. | warn against |
| warten auf | acc. | wait for |
Short Form
In some instances, the preposition and the definite article are joined together.
- an + das = ans
- an + dem = am
- auf + das = aufs
- in + das = ins
- in + dem = im
- hinter + das = hinters
- über + das = übers
- unter + das = unters
- vor + das = vors
Learning Tip
You probably feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of prepositions, however as a beginner you won’t use all of them. Also, it would be better if you try to learn them in context, so that you’ll know when to use them, and make sure that you know which prepositions take which cases.