A preposition (Präposition) is a word that typically appears before a noun or pronoun to show the relationship between that noun and other elements in the sentence. Prepositions provide essential information about:
- Direction: Er geht in die Schule. (He goes to school.)
- Position: Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (The book is on the table.)
- Time: Wir treffen uns um acht Uhr. (We meet at eight o'clock.)
- Manner: Sie fährt mit dem Zug. (She travels by train.)
- Reason: Er zittert vor Kälte. (He shivers from the cold.)
Prepositions and Cases
In German, prepositions govern specific grammatical cases. This means that the noun or pronoun following a preposition must appear in a particular case.
Prepositions in German fall into four categories based on the case they require:
- Accusative prepositions
- Dative prepositions
- Two-way prepositions
- Genitive prepositions
What Are Accusative Prepositions?
These are prepositions that always require the noun (with or without articles / determiners) or pronoun following them to be in the accusative case.
The following are the main accusative prepositions - für, um, durch, gegen, entlang, ohne. A helpful mnemonic is OB-FUDGE.
ohne
- Ich trinke Kaffee ohne Zucker. (I drink coffee without sugar.)
- Er ging ohne seinen Mantel aus dem Haus. (He left the house without his coat.)
bis
- Wir arbeiten bis späten Abend. (We work until late evening.)
- Der Zug fährt bis nächsten Dienstag. (The train runs until next Tuesday.)
für
- Das Geschenk ist für meine Mutter. (The gift is for my mother.)
- Ich bleibe für eine Woche. (I'm staying for a week.)
um
- Sie laufen um den See. (They run around the lake.)
- Der Film beginnt um acht Uhr. (The movie starts at eight o'clock.)
durch
- Der Zug fährt durch einen Tunnel. (The train travels through a tunnel.)
- Ich habe es durch einen Freund erfahren. (I found out through a friend.)
gegen
- Wir spielen gegen die andere Mannschaft. (We play against the other team.)
- Ich bin gegen diesen Plan. (I am against this plan.)
entlang
- Wir spazieren den Fluss entlang. (We are walking along the river.)
- Sie gehen die Straße entlang. (They walk along the street.)
Note how entlang behaves differently and often appears after the noun.
Remember how the definite/indefinite articles and adjectives before noun change based on accusative case.
Pronouns After Accusative Prepositions
When a pronoun follows an accusative preposition, it must also be in the accusative case:
- Ohne dich gehe ich nicht. (I won't go without you.)
- Das Geschenk ist für sie. (The gift is for her.)
Contractions with Accusative Prepositions
In spoken and informal written German, some accusative prepositions contract with the definite article das:
Preposition + das | Contraction | Example |
für + das | fürs | fürs Erste (for now/for the time being) |
um + das | ums | ums Haus (around the house) |
These contractions are optional and more common in everyday speech. In formal writing, the full forms (durch das, für das, um das) are preferred. Note that gegen and ohne do not typically form contractions.