Fusions of prepositions in German. German prepositions (general information)

German prepositions of place (NPM) are representatives of the official parts of speech. Their task is to link words in sentences. Being connecting elements, they govern different cases. NPM are one of the largest groups of prepositions in German. In addition to them, there are also abstract ones - NPAs that express abstract connections.

Pretext	Question	Controlled case	Example with translation
bis	where?	accusative	bis München – to Munich
durch	where?	AT	durch den Tunnel - through the tunnel
gegen	where?	AT	gegen den Hunger - against hunger
um	where?	AT	um die Burg - around the castle
an…entlang	where?	AT	an das Flüsschen entlang - along the river
um…herum	where?	AT	um die Garage herum - around the garage
nach	where?	dative	nach Italien - to Italy
zu	where?	D	zu der Festung - to the fortress
ab	where?	D	die Lieferung ab Werk - delivery from the factory
bei	where?	D	bei der Tante - at the aunt's
gegenüber	where?	D	gegenüber der Schwimmhalle - in front of the pool
aus	where?	D	aus der Hauptstadt - from the capital
von	where?	D	von dem linken Ufer - from the left bank
innerhalb	where?	genitive	innerhalb der Berliner Mauer - inside the Berlin Wall
ausserhalb	where?	genitive	außerhalb der Siedlung - outside the village

There are NPMs whose management may vary. To determine the case in a particular case will help, first of all, the questions “where? / where?" - dative / accusative and the study of material about the features of the management of individual NPMs.

Pretext	Question	Controlled case	Example with translation
an	where?	AT	an die Haustür - to the front door
an	where?	D	an der Haustür - near the front door
auf	where?	AT	auf den Sessel - on an armchair
auf	where?	D	auf dem Sessel - on an armchair
hinter	where?	AT	hinter das Auto - per car
hinter	where?	D	hinter dem Auto - behind the car
in	where?	AT	in die Bibliothek - to the library
in	where?	D	in der Bibliothek - in the library
neben	where?	AT	neben den Küchentisch - next to the kitchen table (moving in direction)
neben	where?	D	neben dem Küchentisch - next to the kitchen table
unter	where?	AT	unter das Regal - under the shelf
unter	where?	D	unter dem Regal - under the shelf
uber	where?	AT	über das Fenster - (in direction) above the window
uber	where?	D	über dem Fenster - above the window
vor	where?	AT	vor die Treppe - (in direction) in front of the stairs
vor	where?	D	vor der Treppe - in front of the stairs
zwischen	where?	AT	zwischen die Zeitschriften - (in direction) between magazines
zwischen	where?	D	zwischen den Zeitschriften - between magazines

Some NPMs are not quite conventional in their management. For example, "gegenüber" can come after or before a noun, but when used with a pronoun it will always take place after it:

• Unser Hotel liegt dem Dom gegenüber. = Unser Hotel liegt gegenüber dem Dom. Our hotel is located opposite the cathedral.
• Unser Hotel liegt ihm gegenüber. Our hotel is located opposite it.

Of particular note is the "entlang" NPM, which can manage three cases in different situations:

• Wir bummelten den Kai entlang. - We wandered along the embankment (accusative).
• Der Strand wurde entlang dem Kai eingerichtet. – The beach was equipped along the embankment (dative).
• Der Strand wurde entlang des Kais eingerichtet. – The beach was equipped along the promenade (parental).

The NPMs that set the direction are presented in the table below.

Pretext	Control	Example with translation	Note
bis	accusative	Dieser Bus fährt bis Adler. – This bus goes to Adler. Dieser Bus fährt bis zum Bahnhof. This bus goes to the station.	If this NPM is used with a noun before which there is an article, then “zu” is added to it.
durch	accusative	Ich kann durch die Wände nicht sehen. “I can't see through walls.	Indicates movement through or through something.
entlang	genitive dative accusative	Ein paar Minuten lang gingen sie den hohen Zaun entlang. For several minutes they walked along the high fence.	Characterizes movement or location parallel to something (see examples above).
gegen	accusative	Peter hat gegen einen Felsen angesegelt. - Peter came across a rock (while sailing on a ship).	Characterizes movement, the result of which is contact with something.
um	accusative	Sie ritten um die Festung. They rode horses around the fortress.	Describes movement around something.
nach	dative	Die Touristen fahren nach Bergen. – Tourists go to (city) Bergen. Die Touristen fliegen nach Norwegen. Tourists fly to (country) Norway.	Geographical objects of the middle gender (countries, settlements, etc.) are after this NPM without articles.
zu	dative	Heute wandern wir zum Bergdorf. Today we will go on a hike to a mountain village.	Indicates movement towards a goal.
an	accusative	Olga fährt wieder an den Nordsee. Olga is going to the North Sea again. Stelle die Leiter an die Wand im Flur! - Put the ladder against the wall in the hallway!	Indicates movement towards a vertical surface, a trip to a reservoir.
auf	accusative	Auf die Post gehe ich heute nicht, ich fahre auf die Datscha. - I won’t go to the post office today, I’m going to the dacha. Diesmal fliegt er auf Sizilien. This time he is flying to Sicily.	Indicates movement to regions and islands, institutions, etc.
in	accusative	Petra geht in die Sportschule sehr gern. – Petra goes to sports school very willingly. Klaus flog gestern in die Schweiz. – Klaus flew to Switzerland yesterday. Sie sind ins Restaurant gegangen. - They went to a restaurant.	Indicates visits to institutions, countries, regions, trips to mountains, moving in and out of buildings and premises.

NPMs that indicate a location anywhere are listed in the following table.

Pretext	Control	Example with translation	Note
an…entlang	dative	Am Fluß entlang gibt es viele Felder. There are many fields along the river.	Indicates a location along something, parallel to something.
an	dative	Ihr findet uns an der Brücke. – You will find us at the bridge. Monika hat sich wieder am Roten Meer erholt. Monica was vacationing on the Red Sea again.	Indicates stay, being on some kind of reservoir, in an institution, near something, etc.
ab	dative	Ab Düsseldorf fuhr sie mit einem Schnellzug weiter. – From Düsseldorf, she went on a fast train.	Indicates the point of departure.
bei	dative	Dieses Dorf lag bei Hamburg. – This village was located near Hamburg. Klaus ist bei seiner Cousine gewesen. – Klaus was with his cousin.Wer arbeitet bei Karstadt? – Who works in Karstadt?	Indicates the presence or location near something, at something, near something.
um	accusative	Unsere Kinder wollten um den geschmückten Tannenbaum tanzen. Our children wanted to dance around the decorated Christmas tree.	Mismatch with Russian management.
gegenüber	dative	Das Ehepaar saß uns gegenüber. A married couple was sitting across from us.	See above for the specifics of using this NPM.
von… aus	dative	Von der Aussichtsplattform aus kann man die ganze Stadt sehen. - From the observation platform you can see the whole city.	Contains an indication of the starting point, the beginning of something.
ausserhalb	genitive	Der Parkplatz ist ausserhalb des Bauplatzes. – Parking is located outside the construction site.	Indicates being outside of some limited space.
innerhalb	genitive	Der Parkplatz befindet sich innerhalb des Baugeländes. – Parking is located on the territory of the construction site.	Indicates being in the territory, within, within something.
auf	dative	Olga hat den Koffer auf dem Bahnhof vergessen. Olga forgot her suitcase at the station.	Indicates stay in regions, islands, institutions, etc.
in	dative	Petra hat drei Monate im Iran gearbeitet. – Petra worked in Iran for three months. Sie ist in der Vorlesung eingeschlafen. – She fell asleep at the lecture. Im Ferienheim bleiben wir zehn Tage. We will stay at the rest house for ten days.	Indicates being in different institutions, buildings, in enclosed spaces, regions, countries of the female gender.

NPMs indicating movement from somewhere.

Pretext	Russian equivalents	governs case	Usage examples
an	on (on a vertical surface)	wo? - Dative	Das Bild hängt an der Wand. The painting hangs on the wall.
		what? - Accusative	Er hängt das Bild an die Wand. He hangs a picture on the wall.
	to	what? - Accusative	Die Jungen gingen ans Meer. The boys went to the sea.
	at (near)	wo? - Dative	An der Brücke hielt das Auto. At (near) the bridge the car stopped.
auf	on (on a horizontal surface)	wo? - Dative	Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. The book is on the table.
		what? - Accusative	Der Schüler legt das Buch auf den Tisch. The student puts the book on the table.
	on	Accusative	Erschlug auf den Tisch. He hit the table. Auf seinen Befehl begann der Angriff. On his orders, the attack began.
aus	from	Dative	Er las mir eine Stelle aus diesem Brief. He read me one passage from that letter. Anzüge aus Wolle sind warm. Wool suits are warm.
ausser	besides (other than)	Dative	Außer uns war dort keiner. Apart from us, there was no one there.
ausserhalb	outside	Genitive	Seine Wohnung lag ausserhalb der Stadt. His apartment was located outside the city.
bei	at	Dative	Der Kranke war beim Arzt. The patient was at the doctor's.
	under, near (before the name of the city)		Wir erholten uns bei München. We rested near Munich.
	at (during)		Beim Lesen benutzte er die Brille. When reading, he uses glasses.
binnen	during	Genitive or Dativ	Binnen einer Woche bereitete er sich auf die Prüfung vor. During the week he was preparing for the exam.
diesseits	this side	Genitive	Diesseits des Flusses erstrecken sich Wiesen. On this side of the river there are meadows.
durch	through (through)	Accusative	Durch das Fenster wehte kalter Wind. A cold wind blew through (through) the window.
	on		Demonstranten zogen durch die Stadt. The demonstrators marched through the city.
	through (thanks to)		Wir wurden durch einen Zufall bekannt. We met by chance.
entlang	along	Accusative*	Das Ufer entlang führt eine Autostraße. The highway runs along the coast.
fur	for	Accusative	Wir arbeiten fur die Zukunft. We are working for the future.
	behind		Wir kämpfen für europäische Werte. We are fighting for European values.
	on (about time)		Ich leihe diese Bücher für eine Woche. I take these books for a week.
gegen	against	Accusative	Wir sind gegen dieses Abkommen. We are against this agreement. Es geschah gegen seinen Willen. It happened against his will.
	about (approximately)		Gegen zwei Uhr hörte der Regen auf. The rain stopped around two o'clock.
gegenüber	against	Dative	Die Haltestelle befand sich gegenüber dem Haus. (Or: ... dem Haus gegenüber.) The stop was in front of the house.
	towards (someone)		Mir gegenüber war er immer freundlich. He was always friendly towards me.
gemäss	according to (according to)	Dative	Wir handelten gemäß der Vorschrift. We acted according to instructions.
hinter	behind, behind	wo? - Dative	Hinter dem Haus war ein Garten. Behind the house was a garden. (There was a garden behind the house.)
		what? - Accusative	Erversteckte sich hinter den Baum. He hid behind a tree.
in	in (inside)	wo? - Dative	In der Handtasche liegen Bücher und Hefte. The bag contains books and notebooks.
	in (inside)	what? - Accusative	Die Kindergehen in die Schule. Children go to school.
	through (about time, with a verb in present or future time)	wann? - Dative	In einer Woche beendet er diese Arbeit. He will finish this work in a week.
infolge	due to	Genitive	Infolge dieses Fehlers stimmte die ganze Rechnung nicht. As a result of this error, the entire calculation was incorrect.
innerhalb	inside	Genitive	Innerhalb der Stadt herrschte noch reges Leben. The interior of the city was still animated.
	during		Innerhalb einer Stunde veränderte sich völlig die Lage. Within one hour the situation had completely changed.
jenseits	on the other side	Genitive	Jenseits des Flusses sang jemand. On the other side of the river, someone was singing.
langs	along	Genitive	Wirgehen längs des Flusses. We are walking along the river.
laut	according to	Genitive	Laut dieser Meldung hatte der Wissenschaftler nie Erfolg. According to this report, the scientist was never successful.
mit	with	Dative	Ich las mit Intereste. I read with interest. Er sprach mit seinen Freunden. He spoke with his friends.
	(creates. fall. without preposition)		Er fliegt nach dem Süden mit dem Flugzeug. He flies south by plane.
mittels	through	Genitive	Mittels mehrfacher Kreuzung erhielt man diese Pflanze. This plant was obtained through multiple crosses.
nach	after	Dative	Nach der Arbeit begaben sich alle in das Lokal. After work, everyone went to a restaurant.
	in, on (before geographical names)		Ich fahre heute nach Munich. I'm going to Munich today. Mein Freund fliegt morgen nach dem Ural. My friend is flying to the Urals tomorrow.
	by (according to)		Wir wurden nach der Reihe ausgerufen. We were called in turn. Wir arbeiten nach dem Plan. We are working according to plan.
	through (about time, with the verb in the past tense)		Nach einer Woche versammelten sie sich wieder. A week later they met again.
neben	around (beside)	wo? - Dative	Neben dem Tisch stand ein Sessel. There was an armchair near the table.
		what? - Accusative	Er stellte den Sessel neben den Tisch. He placed a chair near the table.
	along with (besides)	Dative	Neben den Berufsfächern studierte er auch Fremdsprachen. Along with special subjects, he also studied foreign languages.
oberhalb	higher	Genitive	Oberhalb der Bergsohle hörte der Wald auf. Above the foot of the mountain the forest ended.
Ohne	without	Accusative**	Er verstand schon alles ohne Wörterbuch. He already understood everything without a dictionary.
seat	since, already (since some time)	Dative	Er arbeitete in unserem Betrieb seit dem Jahre 2001. He has been working in our factory since 2001. Seit einem Jahr leben wir in München. We have been living in Munich for a year now.
statt	instead of	Genitive	Statt der Zeichenstunde hatten wir Mathematik. Instead of a drawing lesson, we had math.
trotz	in spite of, in spite of	Genitive (Dative)	Trotz aller Schwierigkeiten hat sie das Lachen nicht verlernt. Despite all the difficulties, she did not forget how to laugh.
uber	above	wo? - Dative	Uber dem Platz erschienen Flugzeuge. Planes appeared over the area.
		what? - Accusative	Er hängte das Bildüber den Tisch. He hung the picture over the table.
	through	Accusative	Der Weg führte über die Brücke. The road went over the bridge.
	on		Sie gingen über den Viktualienmarkt. They walked along the Viktualienmarkt (market in the center of Munich).
um	around, about	Accusative	Um die Stadt gibt es viele Gärten. There are many gardens around the city.
	at (when indicating the hour)		Das Konzert begann um 7 Uhr. The concert started at 7 o'clock.
	on (when indicating quantity)		Sein Bruder ist um 2 Jahre alter. His brother is two years older.
unter	under	wo? - Dative	Die Kinder saßen unter dem Baum. The children were sitting under a tree.
		what? - Accusative	Die Kinder setzten sich unter den Baum. The children sat under a tree.
	among	Dative	Unter unseren Schülern gibt es viele gute Sportler. There are many good athletes among our students.
	at		Nur unter dieser Bedingung kann die Aufgabe erfüllt werden. Only under this condition can the task be completed.
	below (before)		Kinder unter 16 Jahren werden nicht zugelassen. Children under 16 are not allowed.
unterhalb	below	Genitive	Ein Kilometer unterhalb der Brücke gab es einen Bootsverleih. There was a boat station one kilometer below the bridge.
unweit	close to (near)	Genitive	Unweit des Dorfes war ein Wald. There was a forest near the village.
von	from	Dative	Heute bekam ich von ihm einen Brief. Today I received a letter from him.
	with		Von dem Dach sah man alles gut. Everything was visible from the top.
	from		Einer von den Zuhorern stellte mehrere Fragen. One of the listeners asked a few questions.
vor	before	wo? - Dative	Vor dem Haus ist ein Brunnen. There is a well in front of the house.
		what? - Accusative	Er stellte den Tisch vor das Fenster. He placed the table in front of the window.
	before (before), ago	wann?- Dativ	Vor dem Schlafen geht sie baden She takes a bath before bed. Vor drei Jahren war diese Gegend noch unbewohnt. Three years ago this area was still deserted.
	from (about the reason)	Dative	Die Kinder tanzten vor Freude. The children danced for joy.
wahrend	during	Genitive	Während einer Parlamentssitzung schlief ein Minister ein. During the meeting of Parliament, one minister fell asleep.
Wegen	due to	Genitive	Wegen der Kälte gingen die Kinder nicht in die Schule. Because of the cold, the children did not go to school.
	for the sake of		Wegen ihrer Kinder unternahm sie diesen Schritt. For the sake of her children, she took this step.
wider	against	Accusative	Er tat das wider seinen Willen. He did it against his will.
zu	to, to (about direction)	Dative	Heute kommt zu mir ein Freund. Today a friend will visit me. Abends gehen wir zum Konzert. In the evening we go to a concert.
	for (about purpose)		Er kaufte ein Buch zum Lesen. He bought a book to read.
zufolge	due to	Genitive	Zufolge dieses Vorfalls kam der Zug mit Verspätung. As a result of this incident, the train arrived late.
zwischen	between	wo? - Dative	Zwischen den beiden Dörfern gab es eine tiefe Schlucht. There was a deep ravine between the two villages.
		what? - Accusative	Er stellte sich zwischen die beiden Streitenden. He stood between the two disputants.

* Sometimes entlang precedes the corresponding noun and governs the dative case in this case.

In this step, we will return to prepositions. These are words such as “on”, “in”, “y”, “under”, “for”, etc. In I talked about prepositions, which can also be part of the verb. In this step, we will talk about them as independent words and analyze prepositions of place in German.

The main prepositions indicating the place:

in- in
an- on, at
auf- on the
vor- before
hinten- behind
uber- above
unten- under
neben- near
zwischen- between

An and auf means "on".

• auf denotes a horizontal surface - on the table, on the bed, on the floor.
• an- vertical surface - on the wall, on the window, on the door. Also an can mean "y" in phrases such as: I'm standing at the door. I'm waiting outside the building.

How to use prepositions of place? First of all, you need to decide on the question - where? or where?

1) If the preposition answers the question where? , then we use the article in the dative case (Dativ).

Der Tisch steht neben dem Bett.— The table is next to the bed. (Where is the table?)
Das Auto Steht in der Garage.— The car is in the garage. (Where is the car parked?)
Der Brief liegt auf dem Tisch.— The letter is on the table. (Where is the letter?)
Die Couch steht zwischen dem Schrank und der Stehlampe. The sofa is between the closet and the floor lamp. (Where is the sofa?)

Word order matters:
preposition → article → word.
neben → dem → Bett
in → der → Garage
auf → dem → Tisch

Some prepositions are combined with the article der and das in one word:
In + dem = im
An + dem = am

Der Tisch Steht im Raum. — The table is in the room.
Die Tasche liegt am Tisch. — The bag is on the table.
Er hat die Tasche im Buro vergessen. He left his bag in the office.

2) If the preposition answers the question where?, then we use the article in the accusative case ( Accusative).

Ich stelle den Tisch neben das Bett. — I put a table next to the bed. (Where do I put the table?)
Er hat den brief auf den Tischgelegt. He put the letter on the table. (Where did he put the letter?)
Ich hange das Bild an die wand. — I hang a picture on the wall. (Where do I hang the picture?)

Prepositions an and in here they are also combined with the article das.
An + das = ans
In + das = ins

In colloquial German, other prepositions are combined with these articles - aufs, furs, ubers etc.

Ich stelle den Tannenbaum ans Fenster. - I'll put a tree by the window.
Er hat die Bucher ins Regal Gelegt. He put the books on the shelf.

One moment

When we say “home” or “home”, the following prepositions are used here:

zu Hause- at home (Ich bin zu Hause. - I'm at home.)
nach house- home (Ich gehe nach Hause. - I'm going home.)

Topic exercises:

Do you have any questions about this topic? Write in the comments.

Lesson 24: Prepositions of place in German was last modified: November 1st, 2018 by Ekaterina

German prepositions (prev.), as well as Russian ones, and prev. in other languages, refer to the official parts of speech. Despite this, it is from before. depends on which case (pad.) of the noun to use.

There are several classifications of German prepositions, for example, according to the meaning (, time, reason, etc.) or according to the cases with which they are used. This is the approach we recommend.

All prev. can be divided into several groups:

• always requiring Dative (Dat.) falling;
• requiring an accusative fall.;
• those that can be used with both Dat. and Accusative;
• those that, as a rule, are used with Genitive (Gen.) falling;

Prepositions with the Dative case

We suggest teaching them with the help of a small rhyme:

Mit, nach, aus, zu von, bei

Just give Dativ.

These prev., regardless of their value, always require Dates. fall:

Ich komme aus der Ukraine (place).

Aus diesem Grund muss ich leider auf den Deutschkurs verzichten (reason).

Ich fahre morgen mit dem Zug nach Berlin (instrument).

Ich bin seit 10 Jahren mit Karl befreundet (jointness).

Beim Spielen sieht er sehr konzentriert aus (time).

Bei der Schule gibt es einen schönen Spielplatz (place).

This also includes pre. seit and gegenüber, entgegen, entsprechend and less commonly used fern, getreu, mitsamt, nahe, zuliebe.

Previous nach, gegenüber, entsprechend, getreu and entgegen can come after a noun:

Meiner Meinung nach ist Aishwarya Rai die schönste Schauspielerin der Welt.

Unser Haus steht dem Krankenhaus gegenüber.

Seinen Gewohnheiten getreu hat er sich zum Vorstellungsgespräch verspätet.

Meinem Rat entgegen studiert sie Philosophie.

Er hat sich dem Maskenball entsprechend verkleidet.

Prepositions with accusative case

To this group before. relate: gegen, für, durch, wider, um, ohne, bis, je, kontra (contra), betreffend, via. At the same time, it doesn’t matter what meaning they have in the sentence, but they always require the Accusative Fall next to them ..

Die Demonstranten protestieren gegen die Atomkernenergie.

Aus Zorn schlug er mit der Bein gegen die Wand.

Er hat sein Auto gegen 3000 € verkauft.

Ich bin gestern gegen 10 Uhr aufgestanden.

Previous betreffend can also be in postposition:

Diese Frage betreffend habe ich nichts Neues zu sagen.

Prepositions with accusative and dative cases

This group includes primarily places: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen. Date pad. is used to express a place (the question is where?), and the Accusative is used to express the direction (the question is where?).

Die Brille liegt auf dem Tisch. - Wo liegt die Brille? — Dative

Ich habe meine Brille auf den Tisch gelegt. – Wohin habe ich meine Brille gelegt? – Accusative.

Ich war gestern nicht in der Schule. – wo war ich nothing? – Dative.

Ich gehe heute nicht in die Schule. – wohin gehen ich nicht? – Accusative.

Previous an, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen can also be used with adverbs of time. In this case, they are used from Date. fall:

Unter der Woche habe ich keine Zeit für die Hausarbeit. — Wann? – Dative.

Im Sommer ist es sehr schön in der Krim.

Ich habe ihn vor drei Jahren kennengelernt.

With two pads. used before. entlang. However, it always has a spatial meaning (along, parallel to the street, river, terrace, etc.). Pad. the noun in this case depends on the position of the previous one itself: if it precedes the noun, then it requires Date. pad., if it stands after it - Accusative:

Entlang dem Fluss gibt es einen Fahrradweg. — Dative

Den Fluss entlang gibt es einen Fahrradweg. – Accusative.

Prepositions with Genitive

This is the most numerous and the most “problematic” group, since a change in the language norm is currently taking place, and the previous ones, which until recently required Genus next to them. pad., can be used with the Dative.

So, with Rod. pad. used before: außerhalb, innerhalb, während, abseits, jenseits, diesseits, inmitten, oberhalb, unterhalb, unweit, angesichts, anlässlich, aufgrund, bezüglich, dank, hinsichtlich, infolge, mangels, trotz, um…willen, wegen, zwecks, laut, anhand, anstatt, laut, mithilfe, mittels.

The whole problem in studying these pre. is that they can also be used with Dat. (usually with plural nouns that do not have an article or adjective, since the Genitive pad. form is not obvious in this case). These same pre. can be used together with the previous von and Dative case:

Während dieser Woche (pronoun indicates Gen. case)

Während 10 Tagen (ending n in a noun indicates Dat. fall.).

Mithilfe meiner Eltern (the pronoun indicates the Rod. fall.).

Mithilfe von Peters Eltern (we can't determine the noun from the noun, so we use von + Dativ).

Innerhalb eines Jahres (Gen. case is indicated by the article and the ending of the noun)

Innerhalb 2 Monaten/ von 2 Monaten(In Gen. case, it would have to be innerhalb 2 Monate, but this form does not contain markers that clearly express the Genitive case, so 2 variants of the D. case are used).

Trotz unserer Unterstützung verlor die Mannschaft das Spiel (Gen. dep. expresses a pronoun).

Trotz Beweisen wurde Verdächtige freigesprochen (in Rod. Pad., trotz Beweise would be correct, but due to lack of markers, Date. Pad. is used).

Studying the German prev., It is necessary to dwell on the following aspect. Some pre. always merge with the definite article:

Ich sitze am Tisch.

Ich gehe ins Theatre.

Beim Putzen höre ich immer Musik.

Exception! If a subordinate clause is attached to the noun with which the prev is used, then pre. do not merge with the article:

Ich sitze an dem Tisch, den mein Opa selbst gemacht hat.

Ich gehe in das Theatre, in dem mein Freund heute Hamlet spielt.

Exercises for German prepositions

If you want to learn German prepositions quickly and easily, then this topic is for you!

Now you will have advantages over other German learners!

German prepositions have their pitfalls. The biggest problem is that prepositionspretty abstract. In addition, there are no explicit indicationsto use with the preposition of the correct case.

Of course, there are many suggestions. Here I would like to tell you about the main ones, knowing which, you will be able to express yourself quite freely.

After about 6 months of learning German, you should know the following prepositions:

Prepositions used with Akkusativ
durch, bis, fur, ohne, entlang, gegen, um

Prepositions used with Dative
bei, mit, seit, aus, zu, nach, von

Prepositions that are not used with any specific case:
hinter, an, neben, auf, unter, zwischen, vor, in, über

With which case to use the last group of prepositions depends on what the preposition from this group describes: a state of rest or action. You can determine this state by asking a question. The question "Where?" determines the state of the action, the question "Where?" - a state of rest.

Perhaps you once learned this rule in the following way:

To the question "Where?" (Wohin?) Akkusativ should be used,
to the pig "Where?" (Wo?) Dativ

For most German learners, prepositions that are not used with any specific case seem to be not such an easy thing to understand. And all because these rules are too abstract and overflowing with information.

Now you will see that this rule can be remembered much faster and easier!

Here you will find three ways to learn German prepositions:

Songs
Paints
Mnemonic pictures

Let's start with the songs.

How songs work for memorizing German prepositions, I will now show by the example of a song about prepositions used with Akkusativ. Let's list these prepositions again: durch, bis, für, ohne, entlang, gegen, um

Find any song you like and whose melody you can easily remember. It can be any song. Put the prepositions in such order that you can sing them to this melody.

In this example, I would like to introduce you to serious German culture, so I took the German folk song "Laurentia". Ask your teacher or German teacher, they know this song for sure

I rearranged the order of these prepositions so that I could sing them to this tune. Here's what happened:

And this is how the Akkusativ song sounds:

Do the same with prepositions used with Dative and with prepositions without a definite case. Just find a catchy tune, put the prepositions in order to sing to that tune, sing a few times, and you will see that it will be much easier and faster to remember these prepositions this way.

No desire to invent yourself? No problem! I have prepared two more songs especially for you.(Songs are included in the "Learn German Grammar With Mnemonics" kit)

By the way, why did I write the prepositions used with Akkusativ in blue (on the music sheet)?

When you are learning German prepositions, use a different color for each case.

Colors can be a powerful tool when it comes to understanding the German case system. Especially when it comes to prepositions, the help of colors can bring order and understanding to the chaos of cases with which these prepositions are used.

So my advice is:

Use blue color for Accusative and red color for Dative. Why these particular colors? Of course, you can also use completely different colors. I chose these colors for my kit"Learn German with mnemonics" for certain reasons and on the basis of these colors he created an extensive system.

So, write down all the prepositions used with Akkusativ in your dictionaries or flashcards. blue color. You will quickly remember the correspondence of color to case and then you will easily remember that this preposition is used with Akkusativ:

Do the same with prepositions using Dative, but take red Colour:

In the case of prepositions with the indefinite case, you will really see what a powerful tool color is. When writing these prepositions, you need to use both colors: and red, and blue. How exactly to use them - depends on your imagination. For example, it might look like this:

now we will use colors along with mimics.

If you are already impressed with the use of colors in learning German prepositions, you will be happy to learn about the possibility of combining color and mnemonics. So, let's see an example for the preposition hinter (behind, behind):

So which case should you use in this situation?
Right? You correctly thought that Dativ?