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Summary
Chart |
Diagnostic
Exercises (check if you've mastered this topic!)
These exercises cover:
- Prepositions
- Strong
Verb/Weak Verb Pairs (stehen/stellen etc.)
- Prepositional
Verbs
- You
will be asked 20 questions. IF YOU GET A QUESTION
WRONG, KEEP TRYING UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT. THE PROGRAM
WILL ONLY CALCULATE YOUR SCORE IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED
ALL THE QUESTIONS. Incorrect guesses will reduce
your score. When you are finished, click "Submit"
if you are satisfied with your score. Remember you
need a score of at least 80% in order to get a "check"
for this assignment.
|
Practice
Exercises |
| Usage
Notes: Two-Way Prepositions |
Usage
Notes: How to say where you are going (an, auf, in,
nach, zu) |
| Usage
Notes: How to say where you are (an, auf, bei, in, zu
etc.) |
Other
Usage Notes and Examples |
| Strong
Verb/Weak Verb Pairs (stehen/stellen etc.) [Test
questions on prepositions will often involve these verbs!] |
Prepositional
Verbs |
| More
Useful Prepositions (These will not be explicitly tested
in 101-231, but are very good to know, especially for
listening and reading! ) |
Summary
Chart
Note:
As in English, the meanings of the prepositions in German
are quite flexible, and very important to know, since these
little words come up all the time. As a result, it is difficult
to give English equivalents for a list like this. The compromise
used below is to give their primary meanings, and to write "etc."
where other meanings occur particularly often. Try the
second of the "Practice Exercises" on this page (Wie
sagt man...?) in order to get a feel for how these prepositions
can be used in various contexts.
Mnemonic advice: To remember the accusative prepositions,
use the acronym "O Fudge" [ohne, für, um, durch, gegen],
or ask your instructor about chanting "Durch-für-gegen-ohne-um,
Deutsch zu lernen ist nicht dumm." For the dative prepositions,
sing "Aus-außer-bei-mit, nach-seit, von-zu" to the tune
of the "Blue Danube" waltz, or think of the touching love poem
"Roses are red, violets are blue, aus-außer-bei-mit, nach-seit,
von-zu." For the two-way prepositions, sing "An, auf, hin-ter,
ne-ben, un-ter/Ü-ber, in, vor, zwi-i-schen" to the
tune of the "An
die Freude" ["Ode to Joy"] chorus from Beethoven's
9th symphony.
Contractions: common contractions of the prepositions
with forms of der/das/die are included in the table below; where
the contraction is in bold print, it is generally (though
not always) preferable to the two-word form in speaking and
writing; contractions not listed in bold print below are heard
often in informal spoken German, but are less common in writing.
Other contractions (e.g. "neben + das = nebens") are possible,
but only the more commonly used ones are listed below.
Accusative
Prepositions
Nouns and pronouns following these prepositions
will always be in the Accusative
|
| bis |
as
far as, up to, until |
| durch
(durch + das = durchs) |
through,
by means of, etc. |
| für
(für + das = fürs) |
for |
| gegen |
against,
etc. |
| ohne |
without |
| um
(um + das = ums) |
around,
at [time], etc. |
Dative
Prepositions
Nouns and pronouns following these prepositions
will always be in the Dative
|
| aus |
out
of |
| außer |
except
for, etc. |
| bei
(bei + dem = beim) |
at,
etc. |
| gegenüber |
opposite,
across from; in relation to |
| mit |
with |
| nach |
to,
after, according to |
| seit |
[time
only:] since, for |
| von
(von + dem = vom) |
from,
etc. |
| zu
(zu + dem = zum; zu + der = zur) |
to,
etc. |
Two-Way
Prepositions
Nouns and pronouns following these prepositions
will either be in the Accusative
(<==> Motion) or the Dative (<==> Location)--more
details below
|
| an
(an + das = ans; an + dem = am) |
at,
to [vertical boundaries], etc. |
| auf
(auf + das = aufs) |
on,
etc. |
| entlang |
along |
| hinter
(hinter + das = hinters; hinter + dem = hinterm) |
behind |
| in
(in + das = ins; in + dem = im) |
in,
to, into, etc. |
| neben |
beside,
besides |
| über
(über + das = übers; über + dem = überm) |
over,
above, about [topic], etc. |
| unter
(unter + das = unters; unter + dem = unterm) |
under,
among, etc. |
| vor
(vor + das = vors; vor + dem = vorm) |
in
front of, ago, etc. |
| zwischen |
between |
Genitive
Prepositions
Nouns and pronouns following
these prepositions will generally be in the Genitive
in more formal speaking and writing, but are increasingly
often in the Dative in less formal speaking and writing.
|
| (an)statt |
instead
of |
| trotz |
despite |
| während |
during |
| wegen |
because
of |
| außer-/inner-/ober-/unterhalb
[must use Genitive with these: cannot
use Dative] |
outside
of/inside of/above/below |
| diesseits/jenseits/beiderseits
[must use Genitive with these: cannot
use Dative] |
on
this/the other/both side(s) of |
Übungen
- Accusative,
Dative, Two-Way or Genitive? This exercise just
asks you to choose the appropriate case for each preposition.
- Wie
sagt man...? This exercise will help you practice the
range of meanings of the prepositions.
- Motion
or Location? This exercise will help you decide whether
sentences involving two-way prepositions
describe motion or the location of the action.
- Wo/Wohin?
Practice choosing the right preposition to say where you
are and where you're going, and also practice using the
appropriate cases with these prepositions.
- Die
Katze und die Maus Practice deciding whether to use
dative or accusative with the two-way prepositions in this
story about the value of knowing a foreign language :)
Note that there are a number of "trick questions" in this
exercise to make it more realistic: some of the questions
involve dative prepositions or accusative prepositions,
for whom the motion/location distinction is irrelevant,
and a couple of them involve prepositional
verbs and adjectives.
- Filmtitel
mit Präpositionen A translation exercise (first
half German-English, second half English-German) involving
prepositions. We normally encourage you to think in
German and avoid trying to translate literally from the
English, but playing with movie titles is fun, so here's
an exception.
- Liedtexte
[Song Lyrics] Another translation exercise involving prepositions.
And for fun, click on "weiter" at the top after you finish
this exercise to see if you can figure out who sang these
songs :) Again, we normally encourage you to think
in German and avoid trying to translate literally from the
English, but playing with song lyrics is fun--especially
because of how silly the literal translations often sound
:)
- Nach
fünf im Urwald This exercise is excellent cumulative
practice if you've seen this movie. If you're a University
of Michigan student, you will see this movie in German 221/231,
or you can watch it in the Language
Resource Center. It's always very popular at our
221/231 movie screenings, so you'll probably enjoy it :)
For
more practice, please refer to the exercises on prepositions
on the "Case
Overview" page!
- Das
chaotische Zimmer This is a series of four exercises
designed to help you figure out which verb to use, practice
the forms of the verbs, figure out which cases to use with
the nouns, and finally put together sentences using these
verbs. Please use the "weiter" button to navigate
between these four exercises.
Übungen
auf anderen Webseiten
Zurück nach oben
Usage
Notes: Two-Way Prepositions
nouns
following the two-way prepositions (in,
auf, unter, über, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen,
an, entlang...) are
- accusative:
MOTION--if the verb is describing
motion towards or away from the noun
- dative:
LOCATION--if the action is taking
place (located) in, on, under, above (etc.)
the noun, or if an object is located in,
on, under, above (etc.) the noun
- this
can be summarized by the nonsense mnemonic:
"Accusative-Cruisative; Dative-Stative"
Remember
the above rule applies ONLY to the two-way prepositions.
Nouns following dative prepositions will be dative
even if motion is involved (e.g. "Sie geht zum
[=zu dem] Arzt" and "Ich komme von der
Ärztin"!), and nouns following accusative prepositions
will be accusative even if no motion is involved.
For two-way prepositions used in combination with
prepositional verbs,
the motion/location distinction for deciding whether
the preposition should be followed by a noun or pronoun
in the accusative or dative no longer applies.
Instead, you need to learn for each prepositional
verb individually whether it will be followed by nouns
or pronouns in the accusative or in the dative.
Refer to the
page on prepositional verbs for more information. |
Here
are some examples, with explanations of the choice of case:
| Die
Studenten sitzen in der Klasse. |
Location
(where are the students sitting? In the class)
==> Dative. |
| Die
Studenten gehen in die Klasse. |
Motion
(where are the students going? Into the class)
==> Accusative. |
| Wir
essen in der Mensa. |
Location
(where are we eating? In the cafeteria) ==> Dative. |
Wir
essen in die Mensa. |
Using
the accusative would imply that we are eating our way
into the cafeteria, as if there were e.g. a huge
wall of Sauerbraten blocking our way into the cafeteria
(though you would actually have to say "Wir essen uns
in die Mensa durch.") |
| Ed
McMahon kommt mit einem Scheck an meine Tür. |
Motion
(Ed McMahon is coming to my door) ==> Accusative. |
| Ed
McMahon steht mit einem Scheck an meiner Tür. |
Location
(Ed McMahon is standing at my door) ==> Dative. |
| Fräulein
Cleo sieht in unsere Herzen. |
Miss
Cleo (fleetingly famous psychic) sees into our
hearts ==> accusative. |
Fräulein
Cleo sieht in unseren Herzen. |
Using
the dative in this case would imply that Miss Cleo is
located inside our hearts (and there she is seeing some
things), which doesn't make sense. |
| Fräulein
Cleo sieht die Liebe in unseren Herzen. |
Here
the dative is appropriate: Miss Cleo is seeing
the love located in our hearts. |
| Ein
Französischbuch liegt auf meinem Schreibtisch. |
A
French book is lying on my desk ==> location
==> dative. Click
here for more information on strong verb/weak verb pairs
like stehen/stellen, liegen/legen, sitzen/setzen etc.,
which are frequently used with two-way prepositions. |
| Ich
lege es in den Kamin [=fireplace]. |
I
put it into the fireplace ==> motion ==>
accusative. Click
here for more information on strong verb/weak verb pairs
like stehen/stellen, liegen/legen, sitzen/setzen etc.,
which are frequently used with two-way prepositions. |
| Das
Kind springt auf das Bett. |
The
accusative "das Bett" means there must be motion
towards or away from the bed ==> the child is jumping
onto the bed. |
| Das
Kind springt auf dem Bett. |
The
dative "dem Bett" means the action is located
on the bed ==> the child is jumping up and down on
the bed. Note that in this case there is
motion involved, but since it is not motion towards
or away from the bed, the dative is used. |
| Barney
rennt vor das rasende [=speeding] Auto. |
The
accusative "das ... Auto" means the action is
taking Barney in front of the speeding car, i.e. there
is a speeding car, and Barney is running out in front
of it into its way ==> he will not survive.... |
| Barney
rennt vor dem rasenden [=speeding] Auto. |
The
dative "dem ... Auto" means the action is located
in front of the speeding car, i.e. there is a speeding
car, and Barney is running along in front of it ==>
he may survive, if he is running fast enough so the
car won't catch up to him and run him over. |
| Ich
schwimme im Meer. |
By
using the dative I am emphasizing the location
where my swimming is taking place: in the sea. |
| Ich
schwimme ins Meer. |
By
using the accusative I am emphasizing where I
am swimming to: (out) into the sea. |
Zurück
nach oben
Wohin
gehen wir?--Where are we going to?: an, auf, in, nach, zu
1.
Continents, islands, countries, cities and towns:
a.
Normally, use nach for these.
| Wir
reisen nach Europa, nach Tahiti, nach
Deutschland, nach Köln |
b.
For countries with an article, use in.
| Wir
reisen in die Schweiz, in die USA, in
den Irak, in die Türkei [Also: in
die Stadt] |
2.
Other locations:
a.
Use in if you will end up inside a place or location.
| Du
gehst ins Kino, in die Klasse, in
die Kirche, in den Zoo, in die Sauna,
in den Park, in die Stadt |
b.
Use auf if you will end up on something.
| Ich
gehe auf die Straße, du kletterst [=climb]
auf den Berg, die Kuh geht auf die Weide
[=meadow], das Kind geht auf die Toilette, wir
fahren aufs Land [=countryside] |
Auf
is also sometimes used for going to formal events or
public buildings.
| Sie
geht auf eine Party, auf eine Hochzeit
[=wedding], auf einen Empfang [=reception], auf
die Post, auf den Markt [but usually: zum
Rathaus [=town hall], zur Universität, zur
Bibliothek] |
c.
Use an to describe motion to a precise spot,
or to something that can be perceived as a horizontal or
vertical boundary (something you would stand at
or by in English).
| Precise
spot: Er geht ans Mikrofon, an den Tatort
[=scene of the crime], an die Bushaltestelle
[=bus stop], an seinen Platz, an die Kreuzung
[=intersection], an die Kasse [=cashier's desk] |
| Horizontal
or vertical boundary: Sie geht ans Fenster, an
die Tür, an die Wand, an den Tisch
["Sie setzt sich an den Tisch"], an die
Grenze [=border], ans Meer, an die Tafel,
an den Fluß, an den Rhein, an
den Strand [=beach], an den See, an den
Zaun [=fence], ans Ufer [=shore], an die
Front [in war] |
d.
Use nach for directions (without an article), and idiomatically
in nach Hause. Note: this, and the use of nach
for going to cities, countries etc. described above, are the
only uses of nach [to mean to]. Learners
of German often use nach when they are not sure which
preposition is correct, but zu is a much better guess--see
(e) below!
| Fahren
Sie nach links, nach rechts, nach
Norden, nach Süden, nach Osten, nach
Westen. Gehen Sie nach oben, nach unten.
Ich gehe nach Hause. |
e.
If in doubt, use zu! Zucan replace
in if you need not emphasize that you are going inside,
and must replace in if it would be absurd to
speak of going inside--e.g.driving to a building, visiting
a person. You also need to use zu if you're going
to a particular company's locale that you're specifying with
a proper name (e.g. Kroger). An exception to this latter
rule is the huge department store chain "Kaufhof," the reason
being that the name contains the word "Hof" [=yard], a space
that one can go into.
Wir
gehen zum/in den Bahnhof; wir fahren zum/in
den Bahnhof; wir fahren zur/in
die Stadt; die Straßenbahn [=tram] fährt
zum/ins Museum; wir gehen
zu/in Peter; wir gehen
zur/in die Bäckerei; wir gehen zum/in
den Bäcker; zu/in
SPAR (a supermarket chain), zum/in den Kaufhof |
Zu
can also replace the use of auf for formal events and
public buildings, and it can replace the use of an
generally. Thus, you can usually get by just by knowing zu,
the use of nach and in for countries, cities
etc. (and of nach for directions), and the use of auf
for Straße, Land, Toilette etc.!
| Replacing
auf: Sie geht zu einer Party, zu einer
Hochzeit [=wedding], zu einem Empfang [=reception],
zum Bahnhof, zur Post |
| Replacing
an for precise spots: Er geht zum Mikrofon, zum
Tatort [=scene of the crime], zur Bushaltestelle
[=bus stop], zu seinen Platz |
Replacing
an for horizontal boundaries: Sie geht zum Fenster,
zur Tür, zur Wand, zum Tisch
[but: sie setzt sich an den/zum
Tisch], zur Grenze [=border] |
Zurück
nach oben
Wo
sind wir?: an, auf, bei, in, zu etc.
1.
Use in, auf and an in the same ways as
described under Wohin gehen wir? above;
for exceptions, see (2) below.
| Du
bist im Kino, in der Klasse, in
der Kirche, im Zoo, in der Sauna, im
Park, in der Stadt |
| Ich
bin auf der Straße, auf dem Berg,
auf dem Land; die Kuh ist auf der Weide
[=meadow]; das Kind ist auf der Toilette |
| Sie
ist auf einer Party, auf einer Hochzeit
[=wedding], auf einem Empfang [=reception], auf
der Post, auf dem Markt |
| Er
ist am Mikrofon, am Tatort [=scene of
the crime], an der Bushaltestelle [=bus stop],
an seinem Platz, an der Kreuzung |
| Sie
ist am Fenster, an der Tür, an
der Wand, am Tisch ["Sie sitzt am Tisch"],
an der Grenze [=border], am Meer |
2a.
Nach is NEVER used for saying where you are.
Use in for location in continents, countries with or
without article, and cities. Use auf for location on
an island.
| Wir
sind in Europa, auf Tahiti, in
Deutschland, in Köln, auf Helgoland
[an island off Germany's northern coast] |
2b.
For location in public buildings, in (and occasionally
an) is increasingly used instead of auf, especially
in speaking.
| Wir
sind in der Post, im Rathaus [=town hall],
in der Bibliothek [but usually: am Bahnhof,
an der Universität] |
2c.
An is used quite generally to indicate location at
or near a place; bei can also be used and is
more like "in the vicinity of."
| Sie
ist am/beim Bahnhof, am/beim Supermarkt,
an der/bei der Bibliothek, am/beim
Theater |
2d.
Bei is used to indicate location in or at
a particular person's or company's house/locale; it
is also used to indicate one's place of work. If one
is working or studying at an academic or otherwise
"high-brow" institution, one uses an.
| Wir
sind bei Hans, wir wohnen bei Inge, ich
bin beim Aldi [name of a discount supermarket
chain], er ist beim Metzger [=butcher], du arbeitest
bei Siemens/bei der Post/bei Hoechst,
sie studiert/lehrt/arbeitet an der Universität |
e.
Zu does not usually indicate location, but it
used to, and there is one important remnant: zu Hause.
Zurück
nach oben
Other
Notes and Examples
1.
You should be familiar with the various common meanings of these
prepositions. Although some aspects of these meanings
are reviewed here, you may want to look back at your textbooks/notes
from previous German courses to refresh your memory. It's worth
it: prepositions come up all the time, and are crucial in determining
meaning! You can find more info on some of these prepositions
in the "Superwörter"
pages: um and nach in SW
I; während and bei in SW
II; zu in SW
III; and unter and neben in SW
V. Below are a few more reminders.
2.
Für = for generally, but to say for
how long something happens, German distinguishes three
cases:
2a.
The action is completed. Just put the time period
in the accusative. Add lang, if you wish.
Do NOT use für.
| Wir
waren drei Wochen/einen Tag/zwei Jahre/eine Stunde (lang)
in Berlin. |
2b.
The action began in the past and is continuing. Use
seit + present tense. Do NOT use
für.
| Wir
sind seit drei Wochen/einem Tag/zwei Jahren/einer
Stunde in Berlin. |
We
have been (and still are) in Berlin for three
weeks/one day/two years/one hour. |
2c.
The action extends into the future. Use für
ONLY in this case.
| Wir
sind für drei Wochen/einen Tag/zwei Jahre/eine
Stunde in Berlin. |
We
are in Berlin for three weeks/one day/two years/one
hour. [We are there already, and this is how long we
expect to stay] |
| Wir
werden für drei Wochen/einen Tag/zwei Jahre/eine
Stunde nach Berlin reisen. |
We
are going to travel to Berlin for three weeks/one day/two
years/one hour. [This is how long we are planning to
stay] |
3.
Always use ohne for without/with no, never mit
kein.
| Da
ist ein Huhn ohne Kopf! |
There's
a chicken with no head! |
4.
Aus = out of. This basic meaning can be extended
to describe where one comes from (as in one's home
or birthplace, what something is made of, and occasionally
a motive for doing something.. To say where one
has just been, von is used. Von is also
used to say what planet someone is from, and to indicate
the author of a book or the creator of a work
of art:
| Snoopy
weigert sich, aus seiner Hundehütte zu kommen. |
Snoopy
refuses to come out of his dog house. |
| Er
isst nicht mehr aus seiner Schüssel. |
He
no longer eats out of his bowl. |
| Snoopy
kommt vom Mars, nicht aus Connecticut. |
Snoopy
comes from Mars, not from Connecticut. |
| Charlie
Brown kommt von London, um zu helfen. |
Charlie
Brown comes from London in order to help. |
| Er
gibt Snoopy einen Mantel aus Katzenfell. |
He
gives Snoopy a coat made out of cat fur. |
| Snoopy
fängt aus Freude an zu tanzen. |
Snoopy
begins to dance for [out of] joy. |
| Die
Peanuts Comics sind von Charles Schulz. |
The
Peanuts cartoons are by Charles Schulz. |
 |
Look him in the eyes! Your Schnitzel originates from this animal! |
5.
Wegen = because of. Unlike weil, da,
and denn, wegen is a preposition, not
a conjunction. Like because of, it is followed
by a noun or pronoun (in the genitive, since it's a genitive
preposition) that gives the reason, not by a whole clause
(with a verb) that gives the reason. In speaking, it
is often used with the dative instead of the genitive.
| Wegen
der Explosion meines Computers konnte ich meine
Hausaufgaben nicht machen. |
Because
of the explosion of my computer, I couldn't
do my homework. [Wegen ==> the reason given is a noun
phrase: the explosion of my computer] |
| Weil/da
mein Computer explodiert ist, konnte ich meine
Hausaufgaben nicht machen. |
Because
my computer exploded, I couldn't do my homework.
[Weil/da ==> the reason given is a whole clause with
a verb: my computer exploded] |
| Wegen
des schlechten Wetters/dem schlechten Wetter sitzen
wir zu Hause und spielen Moorhuhnjagd [=formerly
very popular goofy video game in which you hunt some
dumb chickens]. |
Because
of the bad weather, we are sitting at home
and playing Moorhuhnjagd. [Wegen ==> the reason
given is a noun phrase: the bad weather] |
| Weil/da
das Wetter schlecht ist, sitzen wir zu Hause und
spielen Moorhuhnjagd [=formerly very popular
goofy video game in which you hunt some dumb chickens]. |
Because
the weather is bad, we are sitting at home and
playing Moorhuhnjagd.[Weil/da ==> the reason
given is a whole clause with a verb: the weather
is bad] |
6a.
Similarly, vor and nach are prepositions,
not to be confused with the corresponding conjunctions
bevor and nachdem ==> vor and nach
need to be followed by a noun or pronoun, whereas bevor
and nachdem need to be followed by a whole clause
that includes a verb. [See "Wohin
gehen wir?" above for other uses of nach.]
Die
Deutschstudenten sind vor der Klasse ganz
aufgeregt.
Die Deutschstudenten sind bevor der
Klasse ganz aufgeregt. |
The
German students are totally excited before class. |
Die
Französischstudenten rennen schreiend weg, bevor
die Klasse beginnt.
Die Französischstudenten rennen schreiend
weg, vor die Klasse beginnt. |
The
French students run away screaming before class
begins. |
| Nach
der Wiedervereinigung gab es in Deutschland viele
unerwartete wirtschaftliche und soziale Probleme. |
After
reunification there were many unexpected economic and
social problems in Germany. |
| Beethoven
schrieb seine neunte Sinfonie, nachdem er
taub geworden war. |
Beethoven
wrote his ninth symphony after he had become
deaf. |
Hochmut
[=arrogance] kommt vor dem Fall.
Hochmut [=arrogance] kommt bevor dem
Fall. |
German
counterpart of the English expression "Pride comes before
a fall." |
Nach
dem Essen sollst du ruhn, oder tausend Schritte
tun.
Nachdem dem Essen sollst du ruhn,
oder tausend Schritte tun. |
Literally,
this means: "After the meal you should rest,
or do 1000 steps." ==> After meals, take a nap
or go for a walk. |
Nach
mir die Sintflut.
Nachdem mir die Sintflut. |
Literally,
this means: "After me, the flood." This
is a famous quote (Après moi/nous le déluge),
variously attributed to Louis XV or his mistress, Madame
de Pompadour, used idiomatically in German when someone
deals with a situation in such a way that it will be
OK for him/her, but there is likely to be chaos for
people to deal with later. |
6b.
When it precedes a time expression, vor means
ago:
| "Wann
fährt der Zug nach Hamburg?" -- "Sie haben ihn
gerade verpasst. Er ist vor zwei Minuten
abgefahren. Der nächste Zug fährt morgen
früh um 6:27." |
"When
does the train to Hamburg leave?" -- "You just missed
it. It left two minutes ago. The
next train leaves tomorrow at 6:27." |
| "Wann
bist du aufgestanden?" -- "Vor fünf Minuten." |
"When
did you get up?" -- "Five minutes ago." |
| Vor
87 Jahren brachten unsere Väter auf diesem Kontinent
eine neue Nation hervor... |
Four
score and seven years ago, our fathers brought
forth upon this continent a new nation... |
7.
When über means "about" (as opposed to
"over" or "above"), it is always used with the
accusative:
| Eminem
denkt, dass die Leute immer über ihn sprechen. |
Eminem
thinks that people are always talking about him. |
| Vom
History Channel kann man viel über den 2.
Weltkrieg lernen. |
One
can learn a lot about the 2nd World War from
the History Channel. |
8.
Nouns and pronouns following the most common enitive prepositions
(an)statt, trotz, während and wegen
will generally be in the Genitive in more formal
speaking and writing, but are increasingly often in
the Dative in more informal speaking and writing.
| Wegen
des Föhns/dem Föhn waren alle schlecht
gelaunt. [Föhn
is a notorious weather phenomenon north and south of
the Alps, a warm, dry wind coming off the Alps especially
in Spring and late Winter that gives people headaches
and puts them in a bad mood. Meteorologically
it is comparable to the Chinook in the Rockies.] |
Because
of the Foehn wind, everyone was in a bad
mood. |
| Während
des Endspiels/dem Endspiel der Fußballweltmeisterschaft
waren die Straßen wir leergefegt. |
During
the final of the soccer world cup the streets
were deserted [wie leergefegt = as if they had been
swept empty]. |
| Trotz
des Endes/dem Ende der Rezession stieg die Arbeitslosigkeit. |
Despite
the end of the recession, unemployment increased. |
9a.
The dative preposition gegenüber can precede
or follow the noun it refers to. When gegenüber
is used with a pronoun, it must follow the pronoun.
You should put the accusative preposition entlang
after the noun it refers to. You may occasionally
see it used before the noun, in which case it actually
becomes a dative (or occasionally genitive)
preposition.
Das
Panorama-Restaurant
Loreley am Rhein liegt direkt gegenüber
dem Loreleyfelsen.
Das Panorama-Restaurant
Loreley am Rhein liegt dem Loreleyfelsen
direkt gegenüber. |
The
Panorama-Restaurant Loreley am Rhein lies directly across
from (opposite) the Loreley rock. |
Wenn
Sie am Fenster sitzen und essen, ist die Loreley Ihnen
direkt gegenüber.
Wenn Sie am Fenster sitzen und essen, ist die
Loreley direkt gegenüberIhnen. |
If
you sit at the window and eat, the Loreley is directly
across from (opposite) you. |
Wenn
man im Schiff den Rhein entlang fährt,
sieht man viele romantische alte Burgen, und die
sagenumwobene Loreley.
[rare:] Wenn man im Schiff entlang dem Rhein/des
Rheins fährt, sieht man viele romantische alte
Burgen, und die
sagenumwobene Loreley. |
If
one rides along the Rhine by boat, one
sees many romantic old castles, and the legendary Loreley. |
9b.
Gegenüber can also be used to mean in relation
to as in the following examples:
| Die
Deutschen stehen Multimediahandys skeptisch gegenüber. |
The
Germans are skeptical about multimedia cell
phones. [literally: The Germans stand skeptically
in relation to multimedia cell phones] |
| Die
Organisatoren des Robo-Cup
wollen die Scheu gegenüber Robotern
abbauen. [This is a competition in which robots play
soccer. Click here for the RoboCup
German Open.] |
The
organizers of the Robo-Cup want to reduce the apprehensiveness
[people feel] in relation to robots. |
Warum
bist du mir gegenüber immer so aggressiv?
Warum bist du gegenüber mir
immer so aggressiv? |
Why
are you always so aggressive towards me? |
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