German prepositions — each one demands a case
Every German preposition locks the noun that follows it into a specific case — that is not a style choice, it is grammatically fixed. Using 'in dem' when you mean motion (not location) changes the meaning of the sentence. This page covers all 28 essential prepositions grouped by case, explains the Wo vs Wohin distinction for two-way prepositions, and lists every common contraction.
TL;DR
Prepositions in German always govern a specific case. Akkusativ prepositions: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um. Dativ prepositions: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu. Two-way prepositions take Akkusativ for motion (Wohin?) and Dativ for location (Wo?). Genitiv prepositions appear in formal writing.
How prepositions work in German
In English, prepositions ("in", "on", "for") do not affect the form of the nouns they introduce. In German, every preposition governs a case — meaning the article and any adjective following it must change to match.
This is not optional grammar: "Ich warte auf dem Bus" (waiting on the bus — static) means something completely different from "Ich steige auf den Bus" (getting onto the bus — motion). The case encoded in the article signals the situation.
Once you know which case a preposition governs, the article change is mechanical — you apply the same Dativ or Akkusativ article forms you already know. Prepositions are where case practice becomes concrete: instead of abstract rules, you have real phrases to drill.
All 28 prepositions by case
Akkusativ
| Preposition | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| durch | through, by means of | Wir fahren durch den Tunnel. | We drive through the tunnel. |
| für | for | Das Geschenk ist für meinen Vater. | The gift is for my father. |
| gegen | against, around (time) | Er kämpft gegen den Wind. | He fights against the wind. |
| ohne | without | Sie trinkt Kaffee ohne Milch. | She drinks coffee without milk. |
| um | around, at (time), for | Wir treffen uns um den Brunnen. | We meet around the fountain. |
| bis | until, up to, by | Ich warte bis nächsten Montag. | I will wait until next Monday. |
Dativ
| Preposition | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| aus | from, out of, made of | Er kommt aus der Schweiz. | He comes from Switzerland. |
| bei (beim) | at, near, with (staying at) | Ich wohne bei meiner Tante. | I live with my aunt. |
| mit | with, by (transport) | Ich fahre mit dem Bus. | I travel by bus. |
| nach | to (cities/countries), after, according to | Wir fliegen nach Berlin. | We are flying to Berlin. |
| seit | since, for (ongoing) | Ich lerne seit drei Jahren Deutsch. | I have been learning German for three years. |
| von (vom) | from, of, by (author/agent) | Das Buch ist von einem deutschen Autor. | The book is by a German author. |
| zu (zum, zur) | to (people/places), at (festivals) | Ich gehe zum Arzt. | I am going to the doctor. |
| ab | from (a point in time/place), as of | Ab dem ersten März gilt die neue Regel. | From the first of March the new rule applies. |
Two-way (Wechselpräpositionen)
| Preposition | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| an (am, ans) | at, on (vertical surface), to | Das Bild hängt an der Wand. | The picture hangs on the wall. |
| auf (aufs) | on (horizontal surface), onto | Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. | The book is on the table. |
| hinter | behind | Die Katze sitzt hinter dem Sofa. | The cat is sitting behind the sofa. |
| in (im, ins) | in, into | Das Geld liegt in der Tasche. | The money is in the bag. |
| neben | next to, beside | Er sitzt neben mir. | He is sitting next to me. |
| über | over, above, about | Die Lampe hängt über dem Tisch. | The lamp hangs above the table. |
| unter | under, below, among | Der Hund schläft unter dem Bett. | The dog sleeps under the bed. |
| vor | in front of, before (time), ago | Ich warte vor dem Kino. | I am waiting in front of the cinema. |
| zwischen | between | Das Café liegt zwischen der Bank und dem Hotel. | The café is between the bank and the hotel. |
Genitiv
| Preposition | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| wegen | because of, due to | Wegen des schlechten Wetters bleiben wir zu Hause. | Because of the bad weather we are staying at home. |
| während | during | Während des Unterrichts darf man nicht telefonieren. | During class you may not use your phone. |
| trotz | despite, in spite of | Trotz des Regens gingen wir spazieren. | Despite the rain we went for a walk. |
| innerhalb | within, inside of | Innerhalb der Stadt gibt es viele Museen. | Within the city there are many museums. |
| außerhalb | outside of, beyond | Das Restaurant liegt außerhalb des Stadtzentrums. | The restaurant is outside the city centre. |
Two-way prepositions — the Wo vs Wohin distinction
The nine Wechselpräpositionen (an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen) take Dativ when expressing a static location (Wo? — Where?) and Akkusativ when expressing movement toward a destination (Wohin? — Where to?).
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
The book is lying on the table.
"dem Tisch" = Dativ masculine. The book is already there — no movement.
Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch.
I am placing the book onto the table.
"den Tisch" = Akkusativ masculine. Movement is directed at the table.
The same test applies to all nine two-way prepositions. Ask yourself one question: is something moving toward a specific destination? If yes → Akkusativ. If the noun describes a position where something already is → Dativ. The article change is the outward signal of that distinction — "dem" vs "den" is not random; it tells you static vs motion.
More examples:
- Wo ist die Katze? — Sie sitzt hinter dem Sofa. (Dativ — location)
- Wohin geht die Katze? — Sie läuft hinter das Sofa. (Akkusativ — motion)
- Wo wohnt er? — Er wohnt in der Stadt. (Dativ — location)
- Wohin fährt er? — Er fährt in die Stadt. (Akkusativ — motion)
Genitiv prepositions — formal register
The five Genitiv prepositions (wegen, während, trotz, innerhalb, außerhalb) are common in written German — newspaper headlines, official letters, B1 exam texts. In everyday speech, most Germans use Dativ with these prepositions and nobody flags it. The formal/informal split is real and worth knowing before a writing exam or a formal email.
Written / Formal
Wegen des schlechten Wetters blieben wir zu Hause.
"des Wetters" = Genitiv masculine
Spoken / Informal
Wegen dem schlechten Wetter blieben wir zu Hause.
"dem Wetter" = Dativ — common in speech
At A2: recognise Genitiv prepositions when you read them. At B1 and above: use Genitiv in written output and on exams. In conversation, Dativ is accepted and expected — even native speakers rarely use Genitiv prepositions with Genitiv case in casual speech.
Contractions — the short forms you must know
Several preposition + article combinations are always contracted in standard German. These are not colloquial shortcuts — they are the correct written forms.
| Full form | Contraction | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| an + dem | am | am Montag | on Monday |
| an + das | ans | ans Meer | to the sea |
| auf + das | aufs | aufs Land | to the countryside |
| bei + dem | beim | beim Arzt | at the doctor |
| in + dem | im | im Sommer | in the summer |
| in + das | ins | ins Kino | to the cinema |
| von + dem | vom | vom Bahnhof | from the station |
| zu + dem | zum | zum Supermarkt | to the supermarket |
| zu + der | zur | zur Schule | to school |
Note: separating "in das" (instead of "ins") is possible for emphasis or before relative clauses, but in everyday use the contracted form is standard.
Preposition meanings — beyond 1:1 translation
Trying to find the German word for "on" or "in" leads nowhere fast — German prepositions cover different ground than their English look-alikes. The same preposition can translate four different ways, and some English prepositions have no German equivalent at all. The examples below show the most surprising stretches:
nach
- nach Berlin — to Berlin (travel)
- nach dem Essen — after eating (time)
- meiner Meinung nach — in my opinion
an
- am Montag — on Monday (days)
- ans Meer — to the sea (motion)
- an der Wand — on the wall (vertical)
von
- von Berlin — from Berlin (origin)
- ein Roman von Kafka — a novel by Kafka
- von morgen an — from tomorrow onwards
seit
- seit drei Jahren — for three years (ongoing)
- seit gestern — since yesterday
- Always present tense in German — the action is still happening
Common preposition mistakes
"seit" is not simple past
"Ich lerne seit drei Jahren Deutsch" uses present tense in German, not past — because the action is still ongoing. English says "I have been learning" (past perfect), but German uses Präsens with seit.
Two-way prepositions: skipping the Wo vs Wohin question
"Ich gehe in das Haus" (Akk — motion into the house). "Ich bin in dem Haus" (Dat — location inside the house). The most common error with an, auf, in, hinter, etc. is choosing a case without first asking whether it is motion or position.
"nach" has three unrelated meanings
"Nach Berlin fahren" = to go to Berlin. "Nach dem Essen" = after eating. "Meiner Meinung nach" = in my opinion. None of these translate as "after" in the usual sense. Learn "nach" as a phrase-level pattern, not a word-level translation.
Genitiv prepositions with Dativ in speech
"Wegen des Wetters" is correct written German. "Wegen dem Wetter" is common in speech and understood, but marked as non-standard. Use Genitiv in writing and exams; in conversation either form is fine.