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Understanding German prepositions

 

German prepositions can be difficult to remember, but they are incredibly important for understanding the language. They belong to a set of words called function words which do not change in form and cannot be used as nouns, adjectives or verbs. These words are recognized by their specific use and include articles, conjunctions, and pronouns. German prepositions will help you create sentences that sound more natural and native-like. They may also help you understand why some translations from English to German don't work. Here is a comprehensive guide to German German prepositions for beginners!


What are prepositions?

 

Prepositions are words that introduce a noun phrase by identifying its relation to another word in the sentence. In most cases, the noun phrase is a noun, adjective or pronoun.

In most cases, prepositions can be translated with a preposition in English, such as "at," "on," "under," "before," "among," "after."

The German language has a relatively small number of prepositions that have specific conjugations and meanings. These prepositions are used to form different sentence structures and to offer different implications.

Some of the most common prepositions in German are:

Accordion 1
Accordion 1 Content
Accordion 2
Accordion 2 Content
Accordion 3
Accordion 3 Content

Auf (On)

Vor (Before)

Neben (Next to)

Neben (Next to)

Hinter (Behind)

Mit (With)

Von (Of)

Zwischen (Between)

Nach (After)

Um (Around)

Types of German prepositions

 

German prepositions are words that function in a sentence to express where, when, why, how, or what something is doing. They are not articles, conjunctions, or pronouns.

Here are some examples of German prepositions in the sentence, “Ich gehe in die Schule”

in - expresses the location "in" which is where ich gehe

gehen - expresses the verb "gehen" which means "to go"

Schule - expresses the noun "Schule" which means "school"

Here are a few types of German prepositions:

1. In - expresses the location "in" which is where ich gehe

2. Auf - expresses the location "on" which is where ich stehe

3. Vor - expresses the location "before" which is before ich gehe

4. Nach - expresses the location "after" which is after ich gehe

5. Mit - expresses the location "with" or "together with" which is where ich gehe mit meinem Freund

6. Ohne - expresses the location "without" which is without ausreichend Wasser


The use of German prepositions

 

German prepositions are used more often in writing than they are in speech. When writing, they are used to help establish syntactical relationships. They also establish the articles of a sentence. For example, in the sentence "Ich gehe am Bahnhof vorbei," the preposition am establishes the article "a" as the subject of the sentence.


However, in speech, they are used more sparingly. They are mostly used to establish spatial relationships between two objects or people. For example, in the sentence "Ich gehe vorbei am Bahnhof," the preposition am is not necessary to establish that "a" is the subject of the sentence. It's implied that "a" is the subject by virtue of it being first in the sentence.


The German preposition am is used to indicate "on top of" or "above." It can also be translated to "at" or "in proximity to." For example, in the sentence "Ich komme von der Schule," on top of translates to am. However, in the sentence "Ich gehe zur Schule," am does not indicate location at all.

 

Which Preposition are used with which German Case?


German prepositions with Genitive, Dative and Accusative

In this picture you can see  the different prepositions which are always used with genitive, dative or accusative. When you see for example the preposition "mit" then you know that after it stands a Dative. 
 
  • Der Mann fährt mit dem Jungen in die Stadt. The man drives with the boy in the city. 


German prepositions with Dative and Accusative

 

We use some prepositions with accusative and dative as well. These prepositions are called two way prepositions or in German "Wechselpräpositionen." 

  • If you can ask for "where" then a dative is needed. Die Frau ist in dem Restaurant. The woman is in the restaurant (where).
  • Where to stands with an accusative.  Die Frau geht in das Restaurant. The woman goes in the restaurant (where to).

 

Conclusion

 

When you make the effort to learn German prepositions, you will be able to understand and translate sentences more easily. The best way to learn is by reading and listening to German sentences and then looking up their translations. You should also practice speaking, writing, and understanding German sentences to keep your knowledge fresh.

One of the most important parts of learning German is learning about prepositions. Prepositions are crucial for understanding and translating sentences. They are also a part of a group of words called function words, which do not change in form and cannot be used as nouns, adjectives, or verbs. These words are recognized by their specific use and include articles, conjunctions, and pronouns.

Prepositions in German can be difficult to remember, but they are an essential part of German grammar. By making the effort to learn prepositions, you will be able to better understand and translate sentences in German. The best way to learn is by reading and listening to German sentences and looking up the meaning of the preposition in a dictionary. You should also practice speaking, writing, and understanding German in order to keep your knowledge fresh.