Prepositions I
Prepositions are frequently used words, such as ‘from’, ‘on’, ‘with’, that are followed by a noun or a pronoun to define how people and things relate to each other in a sentence.
The functions of prepositions in English and German are very similar. However, German prepositions are a bit more complicated than the English ones, due to the fact that they always require a certain case following them. Thus, whenever you use a preposition, you must be aware of the case that preposition governs and the changes this may imply.
German prepositions could be divided into groups, according to the case they require.
- Prepositions which take the accusative case
- Prepositions which take the dative case
- Prepositions which take the genitive case
- Prepositions which take either the accusative or the dative case
This lesson will discuss the first three groups.
Prepositions + Accuasative Case
The following German prepositions are always followed by the accusative case:
| Preposition | Definition |
|---|---|
| bis | until |
| durch | through |
| für | for |
| gegen | against |
| ohne | without |
| um | around, at |
|
Example |
Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich bleibe bis Morgen | I’m staying until tomorrow |
| Sie guckt durch das Loch | She’s looking through the hole |
| Danke für das Geschenk | Thank you for the gift |
| Gegen wen haben sie gekämpft? | Against whom did they fight? |
| Wir sind gegen vier angekommen | We arrived around four o’clock |
| Ich reise nie ohne meinen Wecker | I never travel without my alarm clock |
| Der Bahnhof ist um die Ecke | The station is around the corner |
| Es fängt um neun Uhr an | It starts at nine o’clock |
Note that ‘gegen‘ means ‘around‘ when used to refer to time, while ‘um‘ means ‘around‘ when used for directions.
Short Form
In some instances, the preposition and the definite article ‘das‘ are joined together.
- durch das = durchs
- für das = fürs
- um das = ums
Prepositions + Dative Case
The following German prepositions are always followed by the dative case:
| Preposition | Definition |
|---|---|
| aus | from, out of |
| außer | apart from |
| bei | at, near |
| gegenüber | opposite |
| mit | with |
| nach | after, to |
| seit | since, for |
| von | from |
| zu | to |
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Er kommt aus Berlin | He comes from Berlin |
| Sie trinkt aus der Flasche | She is drinking out of the bottle |
| Niemand kennt es außer meinem Bruder | Nobody knows it except my brother |
| Mein Onkel wird bei uns wohnen | My uncle is going to live at our house |
| Er ist noch beim Friseur | He is still at the hairdresser’s |
| Er wohnt uns gegenüber | He lives opposite to us |
| Ich spiele Schach mit ihm | I play chess with him |
| Nach dem Konzert gingen sie nach Hause | After the concert they went home |
| Seit seiner Kindheit wohnt sie in Frankfurt | Since her childhood she has been living in Frankfurt |
| Ich habe die Krankheit seit einem Jahr | I have had this illness for one year |
| Das Geschenk ist von meiner Schwester | The gift is from my sister |
| Ich muss zu Hause bleiben | I must stay at home |
Take note that ‘gegenüber‘ never precedes pronouns, it follows them. But it can either precede or follow a noun.
Also note that ‘seit‘ is only used for expressing time, and in German, it’s used with the present tense, unlike English, which uses ‘since‘ with the perfect tense (tenses will be discussed in detail in later lessons).
Short Form
In some instances, the preposition and the definite article are joined together.
- bei + dem = beim
- von + dem = vom
- zu + dem = zum
- zu + der = zur
Preposition + Genitive Case
The final group of German prepositions in this lesson is the one that always takes the genitive case.
| Preposition | Definition |
|---|---|
| trotz | despite, in spite of |
| während | during |
| wegen | because of |
| (an)statt | instead of |
You’ll probably use this type of German prepositions more frequently at a more advanced level.
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Er kommt trotz seiner Krankheit zur Schule | He’s coming to school in spite of his illness |
| Während unserer Ferien fahren wir nach Spanien | During our vacation we’re going to Spain |
| Wir konnten wegen ihrer Verspätung nicht gleich abfahren | We couldn’t depart immediately because of her delay |
| (An)statt seiner Schwester ist seine Tante gekommen | His aunt came instead of his sister |
This ends the first lesson on German prepositions. Make sure to solve this lesson’s exercise, and to clearly memorize the case of each preposition before heading onto the second part of the lesson.