Prepositions is one of the most important aspects of German grammar. It is the knowledge of prepositions that makes speech more literate. It is to them that the next few lessons will be devoted. In this lesson, we will talk about prepositions that require the accusative and dative cases after them.
It should be noted that in German there are prepositions, after which a certain case is required. For example, the preposition "Mit" always requires the dative case, and "Für"- accusative:
Ich komme mit dir.- I'll go with you.
Danke für deine Antwort.- Thank you for your answer.
Dative prepositions
The following prepositions always appear with the dative case:
mit- with, by;
nach- to (direction); for, after;
aus- from;
zu- to, in (direction);
von- from, from;
bei- y, at;
seit s (about time), from;
außer- except;
entgegen- towards;
gegenüber against.
Typically prepositions gegenüber and entgegen are placed after a noun or pronoun.
Prepositions zu, von and bei and the masculine or neuter article following them are contracted into one preposition:
zu + dem = zum
von + dem = vom
bei + dem = beim
Pretext zur can also merge with the feminine article:
zu + der = zur
Consider a few examples of the use of prepositions:
Er geht zur Arbeit.- He goes to work.
Ich wohne bei meinen Eltern.- I live with my parents.
Sie kommen aus Deutschland.- They are from Germany.
Wir fahren nach Russland.- We are going to Russia.
Use a preposition mit when talking about transport and means of transportation: Ich fahre mit dem Auto. - I go by car.
You should also remember the following stable combinations:
zur Arbeit- to work
nach Hause- home
zu Hause- at home
Accusative prepositions
The following prepositions always appear with the accusative case:
durch- through, through;
für- for, for;
ohne- without;
gegen- against, about (about time);
um- about, around; v; about (about time);
bis- before;
entlang- along.
Pretext ohne always used without an article. And the preposition entang often placed after a noun.
Consider a few examples with prepositions that require the accusative case after themselves:
Wir gehen durch den Wald.- We're going through the forest.
Alles ist gegen meine Pläne.- Everyone is against my plans.
Du sollst diesen Prospekt entlang gehen.- You need to walk along this avenue.
Note that the preposition bis often combined with another preposition, usually this combination bis zu: Ich habe dieses Buch bis zum Ende. - I read this book to the end.
Accusative or dative?
Also in German there are prepositions that require different cases depending on the context of the sentence - such prepositions can be combined with both the dative and the accusative:
Er ist in der Schule.- He (where?) Is at school.
Er geht in die Schule.- He goes (where?) To school.
As you can see, it all depends on the question - "where?" responsible for the dative case, "where?"- for the accusative. Here are the prepositions that can change case depending on the question:
in- v
an- on, at
auf- on
hinter- per
neben- near, near
über- above
unter- under
vor- front
zwischen- between
As you noticed, all these prepositions indicate the location of things and objects in space. The incidence depends on whether you are talking about location or direction. So remember: "Wo?"- where? requires a dative case, "Wohin?"- where? requires the accusative case.
Prepositions in and an merge with the masculine and neuter article:
in + dem = im
in + das = ins
an + dem = am
an + das = ans
Also remember that the preposition auf denotes a horizontal surface, for example auf den Tisch- on the table. Pretext an indicates a vertical surface: an der Wand- on the wall.
Also the preposition an used with more abstract concepts that do not indicate vertical surfaces: am Meer- on the sea, am Fenster- near the window.
You should also be aware of some differences in the use of prepositions. in and an... Remember:
im Institut- at the institute, but an der Universität- in the University.
Lesson assignments
Exercise 1. Expand the parentheses using the dative or accusative case.
1. Ich gehe mit (du). 2. Danke für (der Rat). 3. Sie gehen jeden Tag durch (der Park). 4. Nach (die Arbeit) gehe ich in den Supemarkt. 5. Wir fahren zu (unsere Mutter). 6. Ohne (du) kann ich das nicht machen. 7. Du findest den Blumenladen um (die Ecke). 8. Der Bus fährt bis zu (der Bahnhof). 9. Er hat den Text ohne (das Wörterbuch) übersetzt. 10. Monika kommt heute nicht zu (diese Stunde).
Exercise 2. Open parenthesis. Don't forget about the merging of the article and the preposition.
1. Ich gehe in (das Kino). 2. Er ist in (das Institut). 3. Ich stehe auf (der Berg). 4. Ich bin in (der Wald). 5. Wir sind an (die Universität). 6. Sie sind an (der Meer). 7. Sie sind in (die Bibliothek). 8. Jetzt ist sie in (der Flughafen). 9. Die Mutter geht in (der Park) spazieren. 10. Der Ball ist unter (der Tisch).
Answer 1.
1.dir. 2.den Rat. 3.den Park 4.der Arbeit 5.unserer Mutter. 6.ohne dich. 7.die Ecke 8.bis zum Bahnhof. 9.ohne Wörterbuch 10.zu dieser Stunde
Answer 2.
1.ins Kino 2.im Institut 3.auf dem Berg 4.im Wald 5.an der Universität 6.am Meer 7.in der Bibliothek 8.im Flughafen 9.im Park 10.dem Tisch
This tutorial covers the following topics: Prepositions in expressions for time and place, demonstrative pronouns... This course is designed to help you learn grammar and improve your vocabulary. Try to concentrate on the following examples, as they are very important for language learning.
Prepositions
Grammar tips:
Prepositions in expressions for time and place, demonstrative pronouns are very important to study because they are used in everyday communication. Try to remember the new words that are available. Also try to write down words that you do not understand or expressions that you are not familiar with.
The following table shows some examples, please read them carefully and see if you could understand them.
You are done with the first table. Have you noticed any grammar patterns? Try to use the same words in different sentences.
Prepositions - Expressions
The following table will help you understand this topic more deeply. It is important to memorize any new words you come across because you will need them later.
| Prepositions | Prepositions |
|---|---|
| O | über |
| above | oben |
| across | über |
| after | nach |
| against | gegen |
| between | unter |
| about | um |
| how | wie |
| v | bei |
| before | vor |
| per | hinter |
| below | unten |
| under | unter |
| Near | neben |
| between | zwischen |
| outside | darüber hinaus |
| but | aber |
| on | durch |
| in spite of | trotz |
| way down | nach unten |
| during | während |
| with the exception of | ausgenommen |
| for | für |
| from | von |
| v | in |
| inside | innen |
| v | in |
| about | in der Nähe von |
| next | nächste |
| from | von |
| on | auf |
| against | gegenüber |
| from | heraus |
| outside | außerhalb |
| per | über |
| v | pro |
| a plus | plus |
| round | um |
| with | seit |
| how | als |
| across | durch |
| before | bis |
| To | zu |
| To | gegen |
| under | unter |
| Unlike | im Gegensatz zu |
| before | bis |
| up | hinauf |
| across | durch |
| with | mit |
| v | innerhalb |
| without | ohne |
| 2 words | zwei Wörter |
| in accordance with | gemäß |
| due to | wegen |
| close to | nahe an |
| due to | durch |
| with the exception of | bis auf |
| far from | weit entfernt |
| inside | innerhalb |
| instead of | statt |
| Near | in der Nähe von |
| Near | neben |
| outside | außerhalb von |
| before | vor |
| 3 words | drei Wörter |
| how much | soweit |
| and | sowie |
| in addition to | zusätzlich zu |
| front | vor |
| in spite of | trotz |
| on behalf of | im Namen von |
| at the top | oben auf |
| demonstrative prepositions | demonstrative Präpositionen |
| this is | dieses |
| what | jenes |
| these | diese |
| those | jene |
We hope this lesson helped you with grammar and vocabulary.
Prepositions in German have the same purpose as in Russian. They help to unite words or phrases into a single semantic unit, that is, into a sentence. Prepositions in German are usually placed before the object to which they are directly related.
Classification
Using prepositions in relation to cases
It is interesting that for some prepositions one of the existing cases is necessarily constant. The second can be found only in some cases. It is better to show everything with an illustrative example. Let's say this sentence: Trotz dem Schneefall (Dativ) wollte Mark mit dem Auto in die Berge fahren. It translates as follows: "Despite the snowfall, Mark wanted to go by car to the mountains." This sentence clearly shows the use of the dative case. And this, I must say, is quite rare in the German language, or rather, in colloquial speech... What about other cases? for example, it is used in rare cases of control in the preposition des ("in"), in sentences where this occurs, des comes after the noun.
Nominativ and Akkusativ
There are also such prepositions with which it is not necessary to use additions in any strictly definite case. More specifically, these are als and wie. Nouns that come after these prepositions are inflected in the same way as the corresponding members of the sentence. This can be seen in the following example: Mario kannte ihren Schwester als Schüler (this is Nominativ). This sentence is translated as follows: "Mario knew her sister as a schoolgirl." Alternatively, using Akkusativ, the phrase can be constructed as follows: Mario kannte ihren schwester als Schüler. It translates in much the same way: "Mario knew her sister even when she was a schoolgirl." Both examples relate directly to each other. Only in the first case the subject is correlated with the noun after als ”(accordingly, it is necessary to use Nominativ), but in the second case, Akkusativ is used, since there is an addition. In general, the prepositions of control in the German language do not represent anything complicated, the main thing here is to master the purpose of the cases and the translation of the words themselves.
Universal use of prepositions
This is a rather interesting topic, and you should also know it in order to be able to correctly express your thoughts. If you want, for example, to say: “I am going to Germany,” then it would be wise to use nach here. This preposition indicates the direction, and in this case the sentence would look like this: Ich fahre nach Deutschland. By the way, nach is used in relation to countries that do not have These are states of the middle genus, such as Russia, Italy, Germany, France, etc. ... For example: zwanzig Minuten nach fünf (twenty minutes past six). Only in this case the preposition is translated as “after” (if literally). I would also like to highlight the frequently encountered Für. Usually used in relation to someone. Für dich, Für mich, Für alle da (for you, for me, for everyone), etc. That is, it indicates the destination, purpose, addressee. But often this preposition is used as a substitute for the meaning "for someone." For example: Sie hat schon für mich bezahlt (she already paid for me).
What are the prepositions
Finally, I would like to list all the existing prepositions in German. The table in the form of which they are most often represented is not very large, and it is much easier to remember everything than it seems. People who study this language memorize them by comparison. An - translated as "above" or "on", depends on the use of the case. Auf locates a person, an object or even a phenomenon: Alles was auf der Bühnepassiert, ist Wahnsinn (translation: “Everything that happens on the stage is madness”). Hinter is a translation of our preposition "for", and German in is an absolute analogy of the same word in English. That is, it translates as “in”: Ich bin jetzt in der Kneipe (translation: “I'm in the pub now”). There are also prepositions über (through, over) and vor (before, before, before).
As a matter of fact, these and the previously listed prepositions are the most used and frequently encountered in the German language. This topic is not as difficult as, for example, the use of verbs. Prepositions in German have the same meaning and translation as in Russian, and this determines the relative ease of mastering them. And if you practice using them, then very soon the result will be visible, and the person will no longer hesitate to correctly build a sentence.
Prepositions in german, as in Russian, as a rule, very polysemantic. Wed- translation of German prepositions über, in:
über
over - Das Bild hängt über der Tafel.
oh, oh - Er erzählt über sein Studentenleben.
in
v - In unserer Gruppe gibt es viele Sportier.
across (about future) – In 5 Jahren komme ich zurück.
on - In der Deutschstunde sprechen wir Deutsch.
for, during - In 20 Tagen soll man 5 Prüfungen ablegen.
Russian prepositions have almost no exact matches among German prepositions and vice versa. It is possible to name only the basic correspondences according to the basic, most common meanings.
a) Translation German prepositions, most common ambiguous,:
an
on (vertical surfaces)- Die Karte hängt an der Wand.
at (close, near)- Er sitzt am Tisch.
v - Am Sonntag fahre ich nach Hause.
does not translate (time interval) – Am Abend lese ich gern.
auf
on (horizontal surface)- Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
before (before the number)- Die Milchproduktion steigt auf 5000 l.
durch
thanks, by, by - Durch bessere Technologie erhöht man die Arbeitsproduktivität.
on (space limited from the sides)- Wir gehen durch die Straβe.
für
for - Für mich gibt es hier viel Interessantes.
per - Für seine gute Arbeit bekam er einen Orden.
in
v (inside)- Wir wohnen im Studentenheim.
across (time span in the future) – In 5 Jahren werde ich Agronom.
on (academic discipline)- Bald haben wir ein Seminar in Botanik.
mit
with (jointly)- Ich gehe ins Kino mit meinen Freunden.
on (means of transport)- Er fährt mit dem Schnellzug.
does not translate (tool)- Ich schreibe mit dem Bleistift.
nach
after - Nach dem Unterricht gehen wir oft spazieren.
across (period of time in the past) – Nach 2 Jahren kam er zurück.
v (direction of movement)- Ich fahre bald nach Saratow.
on (according to, according to) – Nach seinem Diplom ist er Gärtner.
über
over - Die Karte hängt über dem Tisch.
about, about - Er erzählt über sein Studentenleben.
um
around - Um unsere Hochschule liegt ein alter Park.
v (when indicating time) – Um 2 Uhr ist die Stunde zu Ende.
on (with a difference in quantity)- Wir produzieren jetzt um 20% mehr Traktoren.
unter
under - Die Felder liegen unter der Schneedecke.
among (with plural animate noun) – Unter Studenten gibt es viele Sportler.
von
from - Ich weiβ das von meinem Freund.
oh, oh - Wir sprechen von einem neuen Film.
from (with plural) – Von allen Böden ist die Schwarzerde am besten.
does not translate (conveys the meaning of the parent case)- Die Arbeit von Nina S. ist besonders gut.
vor
before, before - Vor den Prüfungen fuhr ich nach Hause.
ago - Vor 300 Jahren gab es noch keinen Mikroskop.
zu
to, on (direction of movement)- Ich gehe zu meinem alten Schulfreund. Wir gehen zusammen zum Konzert.
for (target) - Zur Verbesserung der Technologie braucht man neue Maschinen.
b) Other prepositions in German more or less unambiguous. Translation of the most common ones:
aus- from - Kommen Sie aus Moskau?
bei- y, for - Er wohnt bei seinen Freunden.
ohne- without - Er übersetzt fast ohne Wörterbuch.
gegen- against - Wir haben nichts gegen die Exkursion.
bis- before - Ich arbeite im Lesesaal bis 10 Uhr.
zwischen- between - Meine Heimatstadt liegt zwischen Kiew und Odessa.
wegen- due to - Wegen seiner Krankheit treibt mein Bruder keinen Sport.
hinter- behind, behind - Hinter dem Lehrgebäude 12 liegt ein Park.
neben- next to, along with - Neben dem Studium interessiert er sich für Musik.
seit- with (a certain moment in the past); during - Seit 1990 lebt meine Mutter in Omsk. Seit 2 Jahren arbeite ich an diesem Thema.
auβer- except - Auβer Petrow braucht niemand eine Konsultation.
während- in time - Während der Prüfungen arbeiten viele im Lesesaal.
trotz- despite - Trotz des schlechten Wetters ist die Ernte gut.
gegenüber- on the contrary, compared to - Gegenüber 1995 hat unser Betrieb (um) dreimal mehr Maschinen.
je- for each, for each, for each - Wir haben jetzt 5000 l Milch je Kuh und Jahr.
c) Some prepositions in German can merge with the definite article into one word, for example: in + dem = im; zu + dem = zum; an + das = ans, etc.
So, due to the ambiguity of most German prepositions and the frequent discrepancy between their meanings and the meanings of Russian prepositions it is necessary, when used in speech, to know which German preposition is required in this case. For example, when specifying at what time the preposition um (um 3 Uhr) is used, when specifying what day- the preposition an (am Sonntag), if specified what month and season- the preposition in (im Juni; im Winter).
Prepositions refer to service parts of speech, the task of which is to link words in a sentence by manipulating these words. Prepositions can have the most different meanings, which can, in particular, have a temporal and spatial coloration. Based on this, such prepositions denote time and place and, when combined with controlled words, answer the questions “when? - wann? "," Where? - wo? "," Where? - wohin? "," From where? - woher? " and others.
Prepositions of place and time in the German language represent two large groups, along with the third, which includes prepositions, in the semantics of which abstract connections are laid.
Prepositions of place in German
|
Preposition control |
Where? — Wohin? |
Where? — Wo? |
Where? — Woher? |
|
Akkusativ (accusativecase -Akk.) |
before - bis, through, through - durch, against - gegen, around, around - um | along - an… entlang, around, around - um, um ... herum |
|
|
Dativ (dativecase- D.) |
(towards) to - nach, (in the direction) to - zu | from - ab, about, at, at, near, - bei, against gegenü
ber(can come before and after the controlled word), from - von … aus |
from - aus, from - von |
|
Genitiv (genitive -G.) |
outside, outside - ausserhalb, inside, in - innerhalb | ||
|
Prepositions with different controls |
on, y (vertical surface), about - an, on (horizontal surface) - auf, behind, behind, behind - hinter, along - entlang(can stand before and after the controlled word), inside, in - in, near, at, near - neben, above, above - ü ber, below, under - unter, in front, in front - vor, between - zwischen | ||
Prepositions with different controls can be distinguished by asking questions to the corresponding phrases: to the question “where? - wo? " will answer the dative (Dativ), and the question “where? - wohin? " - accusative (Akkusativ) case. For example:
- Du musst richtig andeinemTisch sitzen! - You must sit properly at your table! (Here the circumstance answers the question "where? - wo?", And, accordingly, Dativ is used).
- Setz dich an den Tisch und iss dein Abendbrot in Ruhe! - Sit down at the table and eat your supper in peace! (In this case, the circumstance answers the question "where? - wohin?", And, accordingly, Akkusativ is used).
The preposition "opposite - gegenüber" always comes after the pronoun, and if used with a noun, it can either precede it or follow it. For example:
- Gegenüber unserem Büro hat man eine moderne Schwimmhalle gebaut. = Unserem Büro gegenüber hat man eine moderne Schwimmhalle gebaut. - A modern swimming pool was built in front of our office.
- Ihm gegenüber ist ein schöner Wald. - Opposite him is a beautiful forest.
The preposition "along - entlang" is quite special: perhaps it is the only German preposition that has not double, but triple control (Genitiv - Dativ - Akkusativ), for example:
- Sie ging schnell den fluss entlang(Akk.). - She walked quickly along the river bank.
- Diese Eisenbahn geht entlang dem Tunnel(D.). - This Railway was laid along the tunnel.
- Diese Eisenbahn geht entlang des Tunnels(G.). - This railway was laid along the tunnel.
Prepositions of place in German, using which you can give an answer to the question “where? -wohin?»
| Preposition of place + control | |
| before -bis (Akkusativ) | The meaning of this preposition implies reaching the destination ("where? - bis wohin?"). If the word that this destination designates is used with an article, then another preposition indicating case is added to "bis", for example:
|
| across -durch (Akkusativ) | The meaning of this preposition implies progress through something ("through what? - wodurch?"). For example:
|
| along- entlang (Genitiv, Dativ, Akkusativ) | This preposition conveys movement parallel to something and generally corresponds to the verb "follow - folgen". In Genitiv, this preposition comes before the controlled word, and in Dativ and Akkusativ - after the word to which it refers, for example:
|
| against, with, on, about -gegen (Akkusativ) | This preposition conveys a movement that ends with some kind of contact with something ("with what? For what? Etc. -wogegen?"), For example:
|
| around -um(Akkusativ) | This preposition conveys circular movement, in other words, movement around something ("around what? - worum?"). For example:
|
| v -nach | When using this preposition, an indication of a change in location is given ("where? - wohin?"). The names of countries, continents, parts of the world and cities are used without an article, and when indicating the direction, adverbs are used. For example:
|
| To -zu | This preposition is used when changing the location of people, to indicate the purpose, any place and its data. In this case, nouns are used with articles. For example:
|
| k, on -an
(Akkusativ) |
This preposition is used in cases when it comes to trips to all kinds of bodies of water and to move / find something directly to any vertical surface, for example:
|
| on -auf (Akkusativ) | This preposition is used to indicate public institutions and events, regions and islands where someone is going. For example:
|
| v -in (Akkusativ) | This preposition is used to indicate regular visits to any places or a trip for a long time to any buildings, organizations, institutions, trips to regions, countries (with articles) in the mountains, as well as to indicate moving to a closed room or to any street. For example:
|
Prepositions of place in German, using which you can answer the question “where? -wo?»
| Preposition of place + control |
Meaning and features of use |
| along- an ... entlang (Dativ) | The meaning of this preposition is an indication of the location of something or someone along something. For example:
|
| around- um, um ... herum (Akkusativ) | This preposition contains an indication of something that is or is happening around something, for example:
|
| s, from -ab (Dativ) | This preposition contains an indication of the starting point, for example:
|
| y, at, at, on -bei
(Dativ) |
This preposition is used when it is necessary to indicate the location of a person or object near something, for any people, for work in any company. For example:
|
| against -gegnüber (Dativ) | This preposition can be placed either before or after the name. When used with pronouns, it always comes after them. For example:
|
| with, from, from- von ... aus (Dativ) | This preposition answers the question where? - von wo aus? and indicates the beginning, the starting point. For example:
|
| outside, outside, outside, outside -ausserhalb (Dativ) | This preposition indicates that something is outside the confined space. For example:
|
| inside, in, within -innerhalb (Dativ | This preposition indicates that something is in a confined space or in some kind of framework. For example:
|
| y, about, at, on -an (Dativ) | This preposition is used in cases when it comes to staying on all kinds of bodies of water or when indicating being near any vertical surface. For example:
|
| on -auf (Dativ) | This preposition is used to indicate location in public institutions, at events, in the regions and on the islands. For example:
|
| v -in (Dativ) | This preposition is used to indicate a regular or long stay in any places, buildings, organizations, institutions, in regions, countries (with articles) in the mountains, as well as to indicate being in a closed room or on any street. For example:
|
Prepositions of place in German, using which you can give an answer to the question where? -woher?
| Preposition of place + control |
Meaning and features of use |
| from -aus | This preposition is used in such cases when the question “where? - wo? " can be answered using the preposition "in". This preposition denotes origin or movement from some place. For example:
|
| from -von | This preposition is used in such cases when the question “where? - wo? " can be answered using the preposition "an, bei, auf, zu". This preposition indicates the starting point of space for any movement. For example:
This preposition can be used to replace "aus" in cases where the speaker wants to emphasize not a place, but a starting point, for example:
|