German prepositions and cases¶
After a preposition, the noun takes a specific case. For some prepositions, the case depends on the meaning. These are the Wechselpräpositionen (two-way prepositions): an, auf, über, in and others. When the phrase answers wohin? (where to?), they take Akkusativ: Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. (I put the book on the table.) When it answers wo? (at which place?), they take Dativ: Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (The book is lying on the table.) Movement alone doesn't decide the case. Er läuft im Park. (He runs in the park.) has movement but no direction, so it takes Dativ.
The prepositions in the tables below always take the same case. The case doesn't depend on the meaning or on the verb. You also can't get it from the meaning of the preposition, so learn it together with the preposition. If cases in general are still confusing, start with "German cases".
Prepositions that take Akkusativ¶
| Präposition | English |
|---|---|
| durch | through |
| für | for |
| gegen | against |
| ohne | without |
| um | around |
| entlang | along |
| wider | against (formal/literary) |
entlang takes Akkusativ when it comes after the noun: den Fluss entlang (along the river). This is the most common use. If entlang comes before the noun, it usually takes Genitiv: entlang des Flusses.
Prepositions that take Dativ¶
| Präposition | English |
|---|---|
| aus | from/out of |
| außer | except |
| bei | at/near |
| entgegen | contrary to/towards |
| gegenüber | opposite/towards |
| mit | with |
| nach | after |
| seit | since |
| von | from/of |
| zu | to |
Exercises¶
Practice the case after a preposition and the choice of the preposition itself.
You can find more exercises on this topic in the Telegram bot @ImmerWiederholenBot. The bot saves your progress and reminds you when it's time to review.
See also¶
- Verbs with prepositions: here the preposition depends on the verb.
- Direction prepositions: nach, in, zu, auf, an. The choice of preposition depends on where the movement goes.
- German cases: start here if cases in general are still confusing.