German Grammar
German prepositions do something English ones don’t: they decide the case of the noun that follows them. Learn a few short lists and one simple rule, and prepositions stop being guesswork.
Key takeaways
- Every German preposition triggers a case — accusative, dative, genitive, or (for the two-way ones) either.
- Memorise the short accusative list (durch, für, gegen, ohne, um) and dative list (aus, außer, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu) as chunks.
- The nine two-way prepositions take accusative for movement (wohin?) and dative for location (wo?).
- Contractions like im, zum, ins and am are everywhere — learn them as single words.
- When in doubt, learn each preposition together with its case, just like nouns with der/die/das.
Why prepositions are different in German
In English, a preposition is just a little linking word: with the dog, for you, in the house. In German, every preposition also does a hidden job: it decides the case of the noun that follows it. That is why mit forces dem and für forces den. The good news? There are only a handful of short lists to learn, and once they are in your head, prepositions become one of the most predictable parts of German.
Accusative prepositions
These five always take the accusative case. A classic memory trick is the nonsense word “durch-für-gegen-ohne-um” — chant it until it sticks.
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| durch | through | Wir gehen durch den Park. |
| für | for | Das Geschenk ist für dich. |
| gegen | against | Ich bin gegen den Plan. |
| ohne | without | Ich trinke Kaffee ohne den Zucker. |
| um | around / at (time) | Wir sitzen um den Tisch. |
(bis “until” and entlang “along” also take the accusative, but you will meet them less often.)
Dative prepositions
These always take the dative case. There is a well-known little song for them — “aus-außer-bei-mit-nach-seit-von-zu” — sung to a simple tune. Learn it as one chunk.
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| aus | out of / from | Ich komme aus der Schweiz. |
| außer | except | Alle außer dem Chef. |
| bei | at / near / with | Ich wohne bei meinen Eltern. |
| mit | with / by | Ich fahre mit dem Bus. |
| nach | after / to (places) | Nach der Arbeit gehe ich heim. |
| seit | since / for | Ich lerne seit einem Jahr. |
| von | from / of | Das ist ein Geschenk von der Oma. |
| zu | to | Ich gehe zu dem Arzt. |
Two-way prepositions (Wechselpräpositionen)
Here is the part that trips everyone up — and the part worth truly understanding. These nine prepositions can take either accusative or dative, and there is one clean rule that decides which:
Ask yourself: is there movement towards a place (wohin? — where to?) → accusative. Or is something simply located somewhere (wo? — where?) → dative.
The nine are: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen. Compare:
Genitive prepositions
A smaller group takes the genitive. In everyday spoken German many people use the dative instead, but you will see these in writing constantly. The common four:
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wegen | because of | Wegen des Wetters bleiben wir zu Hause. |
| trotz | despite | Trotz des Regens gehen wir spazieren. |
| während | during | Während der Woche arbeite ich. |
| (an)statt | instead of | Statt des Autos nehme ich das Rad. |
Contractions you will use constantly
German loves to fuse a preposition with its article. These are not optional — they are how people actually speak. Learn them as single words:
| Full form | Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| an dem | am | am Montag (on Monday) |
| an das | ans | ans Meer (to the sea) |
| in dem | im | im Kino (at the cinema) |
| in das | ins | ins Bett (into bed) |
| zu dem | zum | zum Arzt (to the doctor) |
| zu der | zur | zur Schule (to school) |
| bei dem | beim | beim Bäcker (at the baker’s) |
| von dem | vom | vom Markt (from the market) |
The mistakes almost everyone makes
- Using accusative for location. „Ich bin in die Küche“ is wrong — you are not moving, so it must be der. Always ask wohin? vs wo?
- Forgetting that mit, nach, zu are dative. It is mit dem Bus, never mit den Bus.
- Translating word-for-word from English. German says Ich warte auf dich (I wait on you) — the preposition often will not match English.
- Not learning the case with the preposition. Fix this by memorising them as pairs, exactly like you learn nouns with der, die, das.
How to master German prepositions
Do not try to memorise every preposition at once. Instead: learn the two short accusative and dative lists as chunks (use the mnemonics above), then focus on the nine two-way prepositions and the wohin/wo rule, which unlock the most sentences. Because prepositions decide the case, they go hand in hand with the German case system — study them together. Then test yourself: try our Akkusativ vs Dativ quiz or find out where you stand with the free German level test.
Grammar sticks fastest when you actually use it. Practise with a friendly native tutor on italki and these rules turn into instinct.
Practise with a tutor on italki →Frequently asked questions
How do I know which case a German preposition takes?
Each preposition belongs to a fixed group. Some always take the accusative (durch, für, gegen, ohne, um), some always take the dative (aus, außer, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu), a few take the genitive (wegen, trotz, während, statt), and nine “two-way” prepositions take either. The reliable trick is to memorise the case together with the preposition.
What are the two-way prepositions in German?
There are nine: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor and zwischen. They take the accusative when there is movement towards a place (wohin?) and the dative when they describe a fixed location (wo?).
Why is it “in die Küche” but “in der Küche”?
Because in is a two-way preposition. „In die Küche“ uses the accusative because you are moving into the kitchen (wohin?). „In der Küche“ uses the dative because you are simply located in the kitchen (wo?).
Do I need to memorise every German preposition?
No. Start with the two short accusative and dative lists and the nine two-way prepositions — those cover the vast majority of everyday speech. Add the genitive prepositions and rarer ones later as you meet them.