These
will not be explicitly tested in 101-231, but are very good
to know, especially for listening and reading!
Summary
Chart
Note:
With the exception of pro, ab and zuliebe,
these prepositions are all relatively formal.
Nevertheless, one does hear them in spoken German. They
occur frequently in written German; for example, you will
come across many of them when you are reading a newspaper.
Übungen
Synonyme/Antonyme
Match prepositions with roughly similar meanings; then match
prepositions with roughly opposite meanings.
Was bedeutet...?
Match the prepositions with their English equivalents.
Was passt? Choose
the appropriate prepositions to complete these sentences.
The sentences are taken from the examples below ==> if you
need to see an English translation, refer to the examples
below for that particular preposition.
Usage
Notes: Accusative Prepositions
pro:
per. [One can also often express "per" by je
or in + article]
| Das
Parken kostet hier €2 pro Auto/pro
Tag/pro begonnene Stunde/pro begonnenen
Tag [or: je Auto/Tag/Stunde...] |
Parking
costs €2 here per car/per day/per
portion of an hour/per portion of a day. |
| Diese
Zellen teilen sich mehr als hundertmal pro
Stunde [or: je Stunde/in der Stunde] |
These
cells divide more than a hundred times an hour. |
wider:
against. This has become obsolete, but survives in a
few idioms:
- wider
Erwarten = contrary to expectations
- wider
Willen = against my/his/her etc. will
- wider
besseres Wissen = against my/his/her better judgment
| Mein
Computer ist wider Erwarten explodiert. Wider
Erwarten funktioniert Windows 2000. |
Contrary
to expectations, my computer exploded. Contrary
to expectations, Windows 2000 works. |
| Barney
lächelt wider Willen. |
Barney
smiles against his will. |
| Wider
besseres Wissen kaufe ich mehr Schuhe für
Imelda Marcos. Wider besseres Wissen lassen
wir die Kinder fernsehen. Er handelte wider besseres
Wissen. |
Against
my better judgment I buy more shoes for Imelda
Marcos. Against our better judgment we
let the children watch TV. He acted against
his better judgment. |
Usage
Notes: Dative Prepositions
ab:
as of [time], from [starting point]. Limited use; below
are the most common examples:
| Ab
neun Uhr könnt ihr kommen. |
You
can come as of nine o'clock. |
| Jugendfrei
ab 13 Jahren |
[Movie
rating: can be seen by kids aged 13 and up] |
| Der
Bus fährt ab Hauptbahnhof. |
The
bus leaves from the central station. |
| Der
Flug geht ab Frankfurt. |
The
flight leaves from Frankfurt. |
binnen:
within [time]. Occasionally, you will see binnen
used with the genitive (2nd example)
| Binnen
fünf Jahren verlässt Voyager die Heliosphäre. |
Voyager
will leave the heliosphere within three years. |
| Die
Raumfähre erreicht ihre Umlaufbahn binnen
eines Tages. |
The
space shuttle reaches its orbit within a day. |
dank:
thanks to.
| Dank
ihrer Anpassungsfähigkeit hat die Küchenschabe
hunderte von Millionen Jahren überlebt. |
Thanks
to its adaptability, the cockroach has survived
for hundreds of millions of years. |
| Dank
der starken Gewerkschaften hat man in Deutschland
im Durchschnitt 6 Wochen Urlaub im Jahr. |
Thanks
to the strong unions one has on average 6 weeks
of vacation per year in Germany. |
entgegen:
contrary to. [Note: As part of separable verbs such
as entgegengehen, entgegenkommen etc., entgegen can
also mean towards: Er ging der Sonne entgegen.]
Entgegen can occasionally follow the noun.
Entgegen tends to be used for contradictions (contrary
to expectations, habits etc.).
| Entgegen
allen Erwartungen überlebte die Ente. |
Contrary
to all expectations, the duck survived. |
| Entgegen
der weitverbreiteten Meinung, dass.... |
Contrary
to the widespread opinion that.... |
| Ihrer
üblichen Gewohnheit entgegen.... |
Contrary
to her ususal habit.... |
entsprechend:
in accordance with. [Entsprechend can also be
an adjective, in which case it means "appropriate" or "corresponding,"
as in: die entsprechende Behörde [=the appropriate
authorities]] More likely to follow the noun than to precede
it.
| Unseren
Plänen entsprechend werden wir.... |
In
accordance with our plans, we will.... |
| Den
Prognosen entsprechend versagte Windows 2000. |
As
predicted [in accordance with predictions],
Windows 2000 failed. |
laut:
according to. (laut dem Artikel, laut dem Professor...)
See Superwörter
I for more info.
zufolge,
gemäß: according to, in accordance with.
Can be used as a synonym for laut in the above sense
(first example), or to mean in accordance with laws,
agreements or plans. Zufolgealways follows
the noun or pronoun, gemäß always follows
pronouns & usually follows nouns. See Superwörter
I for more info on this.
| Dem
Artikel zufolge/gemäß hat Kohl ein
Kochbuch geschrieben. |
According
to the article, Kohl has written a cookbook. |
| Unseren
Plänen zufolge/gemäß werden
wir.... |
In
accordance with our plans, we will.... |
Den
Prognosen zufolge/gemäß versagte
Windows 2000 |
As
predicted [in accordance with predictions],
Windows 2000 failed.
[You would need to use entsprechend here.] |
samt:
together with. Paradoxically, samt gives a sentence
an informal tone, yet it is used mostly in writing. It is
used to convey the idea of a "complete set": thus
one would say "er kam samt Gepäck [=baggage]",
or "die Familie samt Kindern", but not "ich
trinke Tee samt Zucker". The expression
samt und sonders for "the whole lot of them"
is used in speaking and writing.
| Das
Haus wurde samt Inventar verkauft. |
The
house was sold together with all its contents. |
| Sie
wurden samt und sonders verhaftet. |
The
whole lot of them was arrested. |
nebst:
in addition to. A formal synonym for und that
is used only when the two things being connected are both
part of the same "set" of some sort (e.g. colors,
family members, types of silverware, types of amenities
offered by a hotel, types of sports etc.). Becoming
rarer.
| Viele
Grüße sendet Dir Karl nebst Familie. |
Best
regards from Karl and family. |
| Das
Hotel hat ein Schwimmbad nebst Sauna und Solarium. |
The
hotel has a pool in addition to a sauna and
solarium. |
| hgfjhfj |
fjhgfjhg |
zuliebe:
for the sake of. This is used in speaking and writing.
Used mainly for people and animals, but can also be used
for objects one regards with fondness, as when a
car lover does something "seinem/ihrem Auto zuliebe".
Zuliebe must follow the noun or pronoun it
refers to.
| Bitte
tu es mir zuliebe. |
Please
do it for my sake. |
| Sparen
Sie Energie, der Umwelt zuliebe! |
Save
energy, for the sake of the environment! |
zuwider: repulsive to/contrary to. Zuwider always follows the noun it refers to, and is found primarily in the expression X ist jemandem zuwider, which means "X is repulsive to somebody," and in the rather formal separable verbs zuwiderhandeln [="to act contrary to" orders etc.] and zuwiderlaufen [="to run contrary to" expectations etc.].
| Barney ist intelligenten Menschen zuwider. |
Barney is repulsive to intelligent people. |
| Boy Bands sind mir zuwider. |
Boy Bands are repulsive to me. |
| Schillers erste Dramen waren Goethe zuwider. |
Goethe was repelled by Schiller's early dramas. |
| Er handelte dem Befehl zuwider. |
He acted contrary to the order. |
| Manche Staaten ignorieren alle UNO-Resolutionen, die ihren Interessen zuwider laufen. |
Some states ignore all UN resolutions that run contrary to their interests. |
Usage
Notes: Genitive Prepositions
| Angesichts
der Lage im Mittleren Osten müssen wir.... |
In
view of the situation in the Middle East, we must.... |
| Angesichts
des Enthusiasmus' der Studenten werden wir.... |
In
view of the enthusiasm of the students, we will.... |
| Das
Fest wurde angesichts des schlechten Wetters
verschoben. |
Das
Fest wurde angesichts des schlechten Wetters
verschoben. |
anhand/mittels
[vermittels]: by means of.Anhand is used where it would
make sense to say "with reference to," e.g. with
books, maps, examples, photos, etc. Mittels is used
where it would make sense to say "using." Neither
is used where "with the aid of" would sound absurdly stilted
in English. Vermittels is identical to mittels,
but rarer.
Mittels/Anhand
eines gefälschten Passes kam er über
die Grenze. |
By
means of a forged passport, he got across the
border. |
| Anhand
ihres Passes wurde ihre Identität bestimmt. [Could
use mittels here, but anhand is preferable] |
By
means of her passport, her identity was determined. |
| Anhand/Mittels
seines DNAs wurde der Täter überführt. |
By
means of his DNA, the perpetrator was convicted. |
| Sie
erklärt es anhand eines Beispiels.
[Could use mittels here, but anhand
is preferable] |
She
explains it with the aid of an example. |
| Anhand
einer Karte zeigt sie uns, woher sie kommt.
[Could use mittels here, but anhand
is preferable] |
With
the aid of a map, she shows us where she comes
from. |
Er
läuft anhand/mittels
einer Krücke. |
He
walks with the aid of a crutch. |
Mittels/Anhand
seines Gesangs wirbt das Männchen um Partner. |
By
means of its singing the male tries to attract
partners. |
Ich
esse das Ei anhand/mittels eines Löffels. |
I
eat the egg with the aid of a spoon.
[Would sound too formal] |
anlässlich:
on the occasion of.
| Anlässlich
deines Geburtstags färben wir unser Haar grau. |
On
the occasion of your birthday, we're dyeing our
hair grey. |
| Anlässlich
des 15. Jahrestags der Wiedervereinigung... |
On
the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of reunification... |
anstelle:
in place of [instead of]. Use anstelle + Genitive,
unless the noun is not preceded by an article, in which
case you need to use anstelle von + Dative.
| Anstelle
eines teuren Geschenks gebe ich dir mein Herz. |
In
place of an expensive present, I give you my heart. |
| Ich
werde anstelle meines Herzens eine Maschine
benutzen. |
In
place of my heart, I will use a machine. |
| Anstelle
von Arteriosklerose hätte ich dann
Batterieprobleme. |
In
place of arteriosclerosis I would then have battery
problems.gkjhgkjhg gkjg jgkjg |
| gkjgk kgkjgk |
hjgfjhf |
aufgrund/auf
Grund: because of, based on.
| Aufgrund/Auf
Grund dieser Theorie können wir sagen, dass.... |
On
the basis of this theory, we can say that.... |
| Aufgrund/Auf
Grund ihrer medizinischen Ausbildung kann sie.... |
Because
of her medical training, she can.... |
| Die
Gefangenen wurden aufgrund/auf Grund des Abkommens
befreit. |
Based
on the treaty, the prisoners were freed. |
infolge:
as a result of. Very similar to aufgrund. Aufgrund
could be used in all of the following examples without
changing the meaning. Infolge could be used in the
2nd and 3rd of the examples given for aufgrund, but
not the first.
| Es
gibt infolge der Dürre wenig Getreide. |
As
a result of the drought, there is little grain. |
| Infolge
ihrer vielen Verletzungen zog sich Steffi Graf vom
Tennis zurück. |
As
a result of her many injuries, Steffi Graf retired
from [competitive] tennis. |
| Infolge
der neuen Bestimmungen/der Explosion/der Dürre.... |
As
a result of the new regulations/the explosion/the
drought.... |
vermöge:
by virtue of. Different from aufgrund and infolge,
because it emphasizes a special capacity/talent or virtue
on the basis of which something was achieved.
| Vermöge
seines Talents gewann McEnroe auch ohne Disziplin. |
By
virtue of his talent, McEnroe won even without
discipline. |
| Borg
dagegen siegte nur vermöge harter Arbeit. |
Borg
on the other hand only won by virtue of hard
work. |
mangels:
for want of.
| Das
Urteil lautete Freispruch mangels Beweisen. |
The
verdict was "innocent for want of proof." |
| Mangels
Fahrrad musste er zu Fuß gehen. |
For
want of/Lacking a bicycle, he had to go on foot. |
| Mangels
eines Nagels wurde das Hufeisen verloren; mangels
eines Hufeisens wurde das Pferd verloren; mangels
eines Pferdes wurde der Reiter verloren; mangels
eines Reiters wurde die Schlacht verloren; mangels
einer Schlacht wurde das Königreich verloren. |
For
want of a nail, the [horse]shoe was lost; for
want of a shoe, the horse was lost; for want
of a horse, the rider was lost; for want of
a rider, the battle was lost; for want of a
battle, the kingdom was lost. |
aus-/einschließlich:
exclusive of/including. [Ausschließlich
can also be used as an adjective or adverb
meaning "exclusive(ly)" [i.e. only]:
Ich trage auschließlich Bugle Boy Jeans. Er
lebt ausschließlich für seine Familie.
Ausschließliche Rechte [exclusive rights]....
An exclusive restaurant, however, is "ein exklusives
Restaurant".] The preposition ausschließlich
is generally used only to refer to things not included in
a price. Einschließlich can be used
a little more broadly.
| Es
kostet DM 20 ein-/ausschließlich Steuern. |
It
costs DM 20 including/excluding
taxes. |
| Die
Miete ein-/ausschließlich der Heizkosten beträgt
€ 800 pro Monat. |
The
rent including/excluding heating
costs amounts to € 800 per month. |
Aus-/Einschließlich
Passagiere wiegt das Flugzeug.... |
Ex-/Including
passengers, the plane weighs.... |
hinsichtlich:
with regard to.
| Hinsichtlich
Ihrer Anfrage.... |
With
regard to your inquiry.... |
| Hinsichtlich
der Kosten des Projekts.... |
With
regard to the costs of the project.... |
| Hinsichtlich
der Oberflächentemperatur des Planeten.... |
With
regard to the surface temperature of the planet.... |
ungeachtet:
notwithstanding.
| Ungeachtet
der Konsequenzen.... |
Notwithstanding/regardless
of the consequences.... |
| Ungeachtet
der hohen Steuern investieren viele Firmen in
Deutschland. |
Notwithstanding
the high taxes, many companies invest in Germany. |
unweit:
not far from. Unfern means the same thing, but is being
used increasingly rarely.
| Unweit
der Kirche steht ein Museum. |
Not
far from the church is a museum. |
| Unser
Hotel liegt unweit der Ostsee. |
Our
hotel is located not far from the Baltic Sea. |
zugunsten:
for the benefit of. This is somewhat flexible in its
meanings, as shown here:
| Eine
Kollekte zugunsten der Krebshilfe |
A
collection for the benefit of the cancer society |
| Sie
hatte sich zugunsten des Kunden vertan. |
She
had made a mistake to the customer's advantage. |
| Er
trat zugunsten eines Jüngeren zurück. |
He
retired in favor of a younger replacement. |
zwecks:
for the purpose of. This has a particularly formal ring
to it.
| Zwecks
Feststellung der Personalien musste er zur Polizei. |
He
had to go to the police for his personal data
to be recorded. |
| Zwecks
besserer Aerodynamik ist der neue VW ein Ball. |
For
the purpose of better aerodynamics, the new VW
is a ball. |
