Prepositional phrases in German consist of a preposition followed by a noun or pronoun in a specific case. They add detail about time, place, manner, cause, and more.
Common Prepositions
Common prepositions each require a particular case: accusative, dative, genitive, or sometimes either accusative or dative depending on meaning. Learning them by category helps you predict the noun's form.
German Preposition
English Preposition
Required Case
für
for
Accusative
mit
with
Dative
während
during
Genitive
in
in/into
Accusative or Dative
German Example
English Translation
🏠 Die Lampe steht auf dem Tisch.
The lamp is on the table.
🪑 Stuhl neben dem Sofa frei.
Chair next to the sofa is free.
🪟 Vor dem Fenster blühen Blumen.
Flowers bloom in front of the window.
🚪 Hinter der Tür hängt ein Mantel.
A coat hangs behind the door.
🗄️ In der Schublade liegen Stifte.
Pens are in the drawer.
Accusative Prepositions
Prepositions that govern the accusative typically express direction, purpose, or a time limit. The noun following them must be in the accusative case.
German Preposition
English Preposition
Example
durch
through
für
for
gegen
against
ohne
without
um
around/at (time)
German Example
English Translation
🔧 Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch.
I put the book on the table.
🧺 Stell den Korb neben das Sofa.
Place the basket next to the sofa.
🧴 Gieße die Flasche vor das Regal.
Pour the bottle in front of the shelf.
🧥 Häng den Mantel hinter die Tür.
Hang the coat behind the door.
🧻 Leg die Rolle in die Schublade.
Put the roll into the drawer.
Dative Prepositions
Dative prepositions usually indicate location, accompaniment, or instruments, and the noun after them appears in the dative case.
German Preposition
English Preposition
Example
aus
out of/from
bei
at/with
mit
with
nach
after/to
seit
since/for (time)
von
from/of
zu
to/at
German Example
English Translation
💡 Die Lampe steht auf dem Tisch.
The lamp stands on the table.
🪑 Der Stuhl steht neben dem Sofa.
The chair is next to the sofa.
🌸 Die Blumen blühen vor dem Fenster.
The flowers bloom in front of the window.
🧥 Der Mantel hängt hinter der Tür.
The coat hangs behind the door.
🗄️ Die Stifte liegen in der Schublade.
The pens lie in the drawer.
Two-Way Prepositions
Two-way prepositions (Wechselpräpositionen) take either accusative or dative depending on whether they express movement (accusative) or location (dative).
German Preposition
English Preposition
Use Accusative for
Use Dative for
an
at/on
movement toward a vertical surface or boundary
location at vertical surface
auf
on/onto
movement onto a surface
location on surface
hinter
behind
movement to behind something
location behind
in
in/into
movement into an enclosed space
location inside
neben
beside/next to
movement to side of
location at side of
über
over/above
movement over
location above
unter
under/below
movement to under
location under
vor
in front of
movement to front of
location in front of
zwischen
between
movement to between
location between
German Example
English Translation
🧸 Das Buch liegt auf dem Sofa.
The book lies on the sofa.
🪣 Ich stelle den Eimer neben das Regal.
I put the bucket next to the shelf.
🧼 Die Seife liegt in der Schüssel.
The soap is in the bowl.
🧶 Häng die Lichterkette an die Wand.
Hang the string lights on the wall.
🧹 Die Bürste steht hinter dem Besen.
The brush is behind the broom.
Genitive Prepositions
Genitive prepositions are less common and typically express more formal relationships like cause, source, or time within. The noun following must be in the genitive case.
German Preposition
English Preposition
Example
während
during
wegen
because of
trotz
despite
statt
instead of
innerhalb
inside of
German Example
English Translation
🏷️ Wegen des Regens blieb ich zu Hause.
Because of the rain, I stayed home.
🗓️ Trotz des vollen Terminplans fand ich Zeit.
Despite the full schedule, I found time.
🚪 Während des Umbaus war die Tür blockiert.
During the renovation, the door was blocked.
🔧 Innerhalb des Schranks gibt es zusätzliche Regale.
Inside the cabinet there are extra shelves.
🧴 Außerhalb des Hauses steht ein Müllcontainer.
Outside the house stands a trash bin.
Summary
Prepositional phrases consist of a preposition plus a noun in the required case. Accusative prepositions often show direction, dative ones show location or accompaniment, two-way prepositions depend on movement vs. location, and genitive prepositions express formal relations.
