Prepositions in German signal relationships like location, time, cause, and manner, so learning them helps you understand and describe situations precisely. This guide covers frequently used prepositions with examples.
Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of place tell you where something is relative to something else, and they commonly govern either the accusative or dative case depending on movement versus position.
an
An can mean "at" or "on" when referring to a vertical or near-vertical surface or a boundary like water; use dative for location and accusative for movement.
The picture hangs on the wall.
auf
Auf means "on" when referring to a horizontal surface or an open space; it takes dative for position and accusative for direction.
in
In indicates being inside something; use dative for static location and accusative for entering or exiting.
Other Place Prepositions
Prepositions like neben (next to), über (over), unter (under), vor (in front of), and hinter (behind) follow the same dative/accusative pattern based on whether there is movement.
Prepositions of Time
Time prepositions specify when something happens and some require specific cases while others are followed by either case or a particular time expression.
an
An is used for specific days and parts of days (like am Montag or am Abend); it takes the dative.
in
In is used for longer periods like months, years, centuries, and for parts of the year; it takes the dative.
um
Um specifies an exact time and always takes the accusative.
Other Time Prepositions
Prepositions like vor (before), nach (after), seit (since/for), für (for), and bis (until) are commonly used in temporal contexts and govern different cases.
Prepositions of Cause, Manner, and More
Some prepositions express cause, manner, purpose, or other relations and each governs a particular case that you should learn through examples.
wegen
Wegen means "because of" and takes the genitive or sometimes the dative in colloquial speech.
dank
Dank means "thanks to" and typically takes the genitive or dative.
mit
Mit means "with" in the sense of accompaniment or instrument and always takes the dative.
für
Für means "for" in the sense of purpose, recipient, or duration and takes the accusative.
Other Useful Prepositions
Prepositions like durch (through), gegen (against), ohne (without), bei (at/near/with), and zu (to) are very common and each requires a specific case.
Summary
Prepositions consistently signal relationships like place, time, cause, and manner, and they determine which case (dative, accusative, genitive) the following noun takes; learning common prepositions with typical usages and cases will make your German more precise and natural.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025