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German prepositions

German prepositions and the case they take

Every German preposition decides the case of the noun after it, so learning a preposition means learning its case. Of the 56 prepositions among the 5,000 most common German words, the two-way prepositions (in, an, auf…) carry 42% of all preposition use and the always-dative ones 41%. The 24 genitive prepositions together make up just 2%.

How much each group is used

Two-way42% · 9 prepositions
dative41% · 15 prepositions
accusative15% · 8 prepositions
Genitive2% · 24 prepositions

Share of all preposition use in the texts behind our list, contractions (im, zum, ins…) included with their preposition. Pro, per, via and plus are usually used without an article and are left out.

Always dative

The most important group to learn first: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu. zum and zur are among the 50 most common words in German.

Contractions: zum = zu dem, zur = zu der, vom = von dem, beim = bei dem.

  • Ich fahre mit dem Bus zur Arbeit. I take the bus to work.
  • Seit einem Jahr wohnt sie bei ihren Eltern. She has been living with her parents for a year.

Two-way: accusative or dative

These nine take the accusative when something moves to a place (wohin?) and the dative when something is at a place (wo?). Verbs come in pairs to match: legen/liegen, stellen/stehen, setzen/sitzen, hängen/hängen.

Contractions: im = in dem, am = an dem, ins = in das, ans = an das, aufs = auf das.

  • Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. I put the book on the table. (movement: accusative)
  • Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. The book is lying on the table. (position: dative)
  • Wir gehen heute Abend ins Kino. We are going to the cinema tonight. (ins = in das)
  • Wir sind heute Abend im Kino. We are at the cinema tonight. (im = in dem)

Always accusative

A short list: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, with bis and the rarer wider and entlang.

Contractions: fürs = für das, ums = um das.

  • Das Geschenk ist für meinen Bruder. The present is for my brother.
  • Ohne einen Kaffee geht bei mir nichts. Nothing works for me without a coffee.

Genitive

Many prepositions, but mostly formal and written: während, wegen, trotz and statt are the ones you will hear. In speech, wegen, trotz and dank often take the dative instead.

  • Während des Urlaubs habe ich viel gelesen. During the holiday I read a lot.

See also

The article tables for each case, and every preposition in frequency order in the most common German prepositions.

Questions

Which German prepositions take the dative?

Always dative: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu, plus gegenüber, außer and ab. The two-way prepositions (in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen) take the dative when they say where something is.

Which German prepositions take the accusative?

Always accusative: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, and bis. The two-way prepositions take the accusative when they say where something is going.

What are two-way prepositions?

Nine prepositions — in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen — that take the accusative for movement towards a place (wohin?) and the dative for a position (wo?): Ich gehe in die Stadt, but Ich bin in der Stadt.

Does wegen take the genitive or the dative?

Written German uses the genitive (wegen des Wetters); in everyday speech the dative is common (wegen dem Wetter). The same goes for trotz and dank.

More German grammar