German prepositions

German prepositions can be a tricky aspect of the language to master for non-native speakers. However, with some practice and guidance, you can gain a solid understanding of how they work and how to use them correctly.

Prepositions are words that indicate a relationship between nouns or pronouns and other words in a sentence. They often describe the position, direction, or movement of the subject. In German, prepositions are used in a variety of ways, including expressing location, time, direction, manner, cause, and purpose.

In this article, we will explore the most common German prepositions and provide examples of how to use them in context.

"an" (at/on)

The preposition "an" is used to describe an object that is located at or on something. For example, "Ich sitze an dem Tisch" means "I am sitting at the table." It is also used to describe someone being close to something, as in "Ich stehe an der Tür" which means "I am standing by the door."

"auf" (on/upon)

The preposition "auf" is used to describe something being on top of or upon something else. For example, "Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch" means "The book is on the table." It can also be used to indicate direction, as in "Ich gehe auf den Markt" which means "I am going to the market."

"in" (in)

The preposition "in" is used to describe an object or person that is inside of something else. For example, "Ich bin in dem Haus" means "I am in the house." It can also be used to describe a period of time, as in "Ich war in Deutschland für zwei Wochen" which means "I was in Germany for two weeks."

"aus" (out of/from)

The preposition "aus" is used to describe something or someone that is coming out of or originating from a particular place or thing. For example, "Ich komme aus Deutschland" means "I come from Germany." It can also be used to describe something being taken out of a container, as in "Ich nehme den Apfel aus der Schüssel" which means "I am taking the apple out of the bowl."

"bei" (at/near)

The preposition "bei" is used to describe someone being at or near a particular place or person. For example, "Ich bin bei meiner Schwester" means "I am at my sister's." It can also be used to describe someone working for or with someone, as in "Ich arbeite bei einer Firma" which means "I work for a company."

"mit" (with)

The preposition "mit" is used to describe someone being together with another person or object. For example, "Ich gehe mit meiner Freundin" means "I am going with my girlfriend." It can also be used to describe someone using something, as in "Ich schreibe mit einem Stift" which means "I am writing with a pen."

"nach" (to/after)

The preposition "nach" is used to describe someone going to a particular place or following a particular event. For example, "Ich fliege nach Italien" means "I am flying to Italy." It can also be used to describe a period of time, as in "Ich arbeite nachmittags" which means "I work in the afternoons."

"von" (from/of)

The preposition "von" is used to describe something coming from or belonging to a particular place or person. For example, "Das Buch ist von meinem Freund" means "The book is from my friend." It can also be used to describe someone's origin or nationality, as in "Ich komme von der Arbeit" which means "I come from work"

"zu" (to)

The preposition "zu" is used to describe someone going to a particular place or person. For example, "Ich gehe zu meiner Oma" means "I am going to my grandma's." It can also be used to describe someone's profession, as in "Ich bin Arzt von Beruf und gehe zu meinen Patienten" which means "I am a doctor by profession and go to my patients."

"über" (over/about)

The preposition "über" is used to describe something being over or above something else. For example, "Das Flugzeug fliegt über den Wolken" means "The plane is flying over the clouds." It can also be used to describe a topic or conversation, as in "Wir sprechen über das Wetter" which means "We are talking about the weather."

"unter" (under/below)

The preposition "unter" is used to describe something being under or below something else. For example, "Das Buch liegt unter dem Tisch" means "The book is under the table." It can also be used to describe a level of difficulty, as in "Die Prüfung war unter meinem Niveau" which means "The exam was below my level."

"vor" (in front of/before)

The preposition "vor" is used to describe something being in front of or before something else. For example, "Ich stehe vor dem Haus" means "I am standing in front of the house." It can also be used to describe a time or event, as in "Wir treffen uns vor dem Konzert" which means "We are meeting before the concert."

"hinter" (behind)

The preposition "hinter" is used to describe something being behind something else. For example, "Das Auto fährt hinter dem LKW" means "The car is driving behind the truck." It can also be used to describe a hidden motive, as in "Er hatte hinter dem Angebot eine böse Absicht" which means "He had a malicious intention behind the offer."

"zwischen" (between)

The preposition "zwischen" is used to describe something being between two things. For example, "Das Buch liegt zwischen den anderen Büchern" means "The book is lying between the other books." It can also be used to describe a choice or decision, as in "Ich kann mich zwischen zwei Optionen nicht entscheiden" which means "I cannot decide between two options."