Lesson 20 ª

 

 

 

 

 

   

Prepositions with Dative or Accusative

Knowing when a preposition is followed by the dative or the accusative is one of the difficulties a German student faces. Some prepositions can go with both cases.

Main prepositions that always go with the accusative: bis, durch, entlang, für, gegen, ohne, um, wieder.

Main prepositions that always go with the dative: ab, aus, außer, bei, dank, gegenüber, mit, nach, seit, von zu.

Prepositions that can go with the dative or accusative

In the majority of cases, the accusative indicates direction (question: wohin?; where?) and the dative for the question wo?; where?

All of the prepositions mentioned in this chapter introduce circumstantial objects of place.

1.- An

With the accusative

a) Location

Köln liegt am Rhein.
Cologne is next to the Rhine.

b) Direction (to where)

Morgen fahre ich an den Strand.
Tomorrow I'm going to go to the beach

With the dative

a) Dates, days, precious moments

Am Abend gehe ich gern aus.
At night I like to go out
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An dem Abend, als wir im Kino waren, habe ich meine Tasche verloren.
The night I went to the cinema I lost my bag
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Am Anfang des Jahres bin ich nach Paris gereist.
At the beginning of the year I travelled to Paris.

b) With set expressions

An Deiner Stelle würde ich diese Arbeit annehmen.
If I were you, I would take this job.

2.- Auf

With the accusative: it indicates direction

Ich gehe auf den Markt.
I'm going to the market

With the dative: location

Das Haus steht auf dem Berg.
The house is on top of the mountain.

3.- Hinter

With the accusative

a) It indicates direction

Ich gehe hinter das Gebäude.
I go behind the building

b) It indicates distance / delay

Wir gingen weit hinter den anderen.
We walk far behind the others

With the dative: location

Der Parkplatz ist hinter der Schule.
The car park is behind the school.

4.- Vor

With the accusative: direction

Ich gehe vor das Haus.
I go in front of the house

With the dative: Location

Ich stehe vor dem Theater.
I'm in front of the theatre

 

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Exercises

Complete the following sentences.

(Click in the box to see the answers; double click to return to the original position)