Four groups, one system
Every German preposition governs a case. There are four groups: five that always take the accusative, seven that always take the dative, nine that switch between the two, and a small genitive set used mainly in writing. Once you file each preposition in its group, the case decision becomes automatic.
Always accusative
Durch (through), für (for), gegen (against), ohne (without), um (around, at). You met these in Unit 3. No thinking required: the accusative follows every time.
| Wir fahren durch die Stadt. | We drive through the city. |
Always dative, plus the contractions
Aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu take the dative every time. Several preposition-article pairs contract in normal speech and writing: zu dem becomes zum, zu der becomes zur, bei dem becomes beim, von dem becomes vom.
| Ich gehe zum Arzt. | I am going to the doctor. zum = zu dem. |
| Sie kommt gerade vom Bahnhof. | She is just coming from the station. vom = von dem. |
The nine two-way prepositions
An, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen take either case, and the choice carries meaning. Ask the right question and the case answers itself.
Movement toward a target answers wohin and takes the accusative. A fixed position answers wo and takes the dative. The contractions ins (in das), im (in dem), ans (an das), and am (an dem) follow the same logic.
| Question | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Wohin? (where to?) | Accusative | Ich hänge das Bild an die Wand. |
| Wo? (where?) | Dative | Das Bild hängt an der Wand. |
| Ich gehe ins Kino. | I am going to the cinema. Movement toward: in + das = ins, accusative. |
| Ich bin im Kino. | I am at the cinema. Position: in + dem = im, dative. |
| Er legt das Buch auf den Tisch. | He puts the book on the table. wohin: accusative. |
| Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. | The book is lying on the table. wo: dative. |
Verb pairs that lock the case
German pairs action verbs with position verbs: legen (to lay down) with liegen (to lie), stellen (to place upright) with stehen (to stand), setzen (to set) with sitzen (to sit). The action verb of each pair describes movement toward a place and takes the accusative; the position verb takes the dative.
| Sie stellt die Flasche in den Kühlschrank. | She puts the bottle in the fridge. stellen: movement, accusative. |
| Die Flasche steht im Kühlschrank. | The bottle is in the fridge. stehen: position, dative. |
The genitive set
Four prepositions take the genitive in standard written German: während (during), wegen (because of), trotz (despite), statt (instead of). The genitive article is des for masculine and neuter, with an -s or -es on the noun, and der for feminine and plural.
In relaxed speech you will often hear the dative after wegen and trotz. For writing, exams, and careful speech, use the genitive.
| Wegen des Sturms fällt der Flug aus. | The flight is cancelled because of the storm. Genitive: des Sturms. |
| Trotz des Regens gehen wir wandern. | Despite the rain, we are going hiking. |
Learn two-way prepositions with their questions. Wohin means movement toward a target: accusative. Wo means position: dative. This one test settles thousands of sentences.
Pronunciation corner
These prepositions appear in nearly every German sentence you will speak.
| zwischen | /ˈtsvɪʃn̩/ | TSVISH-n: crisp ts, then a v sound |
| während | /ˈvɛːʁənt/ | VAIR-ent, German w as English v |
| wegen | /ˈveːɡn̩/ | VAY-gn |
| über | /ˈyːbɐ/ | UE-ba: say 'ee' with tightly rounded lips, then 'ba' |
| durch | /dʊʁç/ | doorsh, with the soft front ch at the end |
Practice drill
Fill in the correct article form. Decide the case first: fixed preposition or two-way with the wohin/wo test.
Ich lege das Buch auf ___ Tisch. (der)Show answer
denMovement toward: accusative.
Das Buch liegt auf ___ Tisch. (der)Show answer
demPosition: dative.
Wir fahren durch ___ Stadt. (die)Show answer
diedurch: always accusative.
Sie kommt aus ___ Schweiz. (die)Show answer
deraus: always dative.
Er hängt das Bild an ___ Wand. (die)Show answer
dieHanging it up: movement, accusative.
Wegen ___ Wetters bleiben wir zu Hause. (das)Show answer
deswegen plus genitive.
Ich warte seit ___ Stunde. (eine)Show answer
einerseit: always dative.
Sie geht in ___ Supermarkt. (der)Show answer
denGoing in: movement, accusative.
Frequently asked questions
Do two-way prepositions always follow the movement rule?
The wohin/wo test covers physical space reliably. Fixed verb-preposition combinations like warten auf (to wait for) assign their case by convention, warten auf takes the accusative, so learn those combinations as chunks.
Can I use the dative after wegen?
You will hear it constantly in casual speech, and it is widely accepted there. Standard written German uses the genitive: wegen des Wetters. For exams and formal writing, choose the genitive.
What exactly are im, ins, zum, and zur?
Contractions of preposition plus article: in dem, in das, zu dem, zu der. They are standard German, and the underlying case is unchanged, so im is dative and ins is accusative.
Which preposition do I use for countries?
Most countries take nach with no article: nach Deutschland. Countries whose names carry an article use in with the accusative for movement, in die Schweiz, and in with the dative for location, in der Schweiz.
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