Below are seven essential prepositions that are followed by the accusative case. The example sentences clarify their meaning and illustrate their usage.
* The everyday word for mnemonic in German is Eselsbrücke, literally donkey’s bridge.
Der Radfahrer fährt durchden Tunnel. – The cyclist is riding through the tunnel.
Ich kann deine Musik durchdie Wand hören. Kannst du sie bitte leiser stellen? – I can hear your music through the wall. Can you please turn it down?
Durchdeine Hilfe habe ich mich in Mathe wirklich verbessert. – I have really improved in maths because of / through your help.
ohne ➡️ without
Examples
Ich gehe nirgendwohin ohnemein Handy. –I don’t go anywhere without my mobile.
Ohnedich hätte ich die Deutschprüfung nie bestanden. – Without you, I never would have passed the German exam.
Die Kinder stammen aus armen Familien, deshalb kommen sie ohneSchuhe zur Schule. – The children originate from poor families; that’s why they come to school without shoes.
gegen ➡️ against, towards
Examples
Junge Chinesen protestieren gegendie Corona-Politik ihrer Regierung, auch wenn sie dafür im Gefängnis landen könnten. – Young Chinese people are protesting against the Corona policy of their government, even though they could land in prison as a result.
In einer Apotheke:Haben Sie etwas gegenKopfschmerzen? – In a pharmacy: Do you have something for headache? In German, you say “against headache”.
Der Schreiner lehnte die Leiter gegendie Mauer. – The carpenter leaned the ladder against the wall.
für ➡️ for
Examples
Die Schokolade ist fürdich. – The chocolate is for you.
Wir fahren für zwei Wochen in den Urlaub. – We are going on holiday for a fortnight.
Der Computerkurs ist für ältere Menschen. – The computer course is (intended) for older people.
Ich schäme mich fürmeinVerhalten. – I am ashamed of my behaviour. In German: “ashamed for my behaviour”.
um ➡️ about, around, at
Examples
Letztes Jahr haben meine Eltern eine Reise umdie Welt gemacht. – Last year, my parents took a trip around the world.
Die Kleinen gehen um acht (Uhr) ins Bett. – The little ones go to bed at 8 (o’clock).
Der Roman geht umeine irischeFamilie während der Kartoffelkrankheit im 19. Jahrhundert. – The novel is about an Irish family during the potato blight in the 19th century.
Mein Freund kommt gerade umdie Ecke. – My friend is just coming round the corner.
bis ➡️ until
Examples
Bis nächsteWoche! – See you next week. (Literally: Until next week.)
Die Bibliothek ist von neun Uhr morgens bis acht Uhr abends geöffnet. – The library is open from nine in the morning till eight in the evening.
Bis dahin müssen wir versuchen, allein zurechtzukommen. – Until then we must try to cope on our own.
Wir sind bis spät in die Nacht aufgeblieben. – We stayed up till late in the night.
Note: When bis is used before another preposition, such as in (above) or zu, the second preposition determines the case that follows: for example, in biszum nächstenWochenende, the preposition zu triggers the dative case.
entlang ➡️ along
Examples
Wir gehen die Straßeentlang und gucken in die Schaufenster. – We are walking down / along the street and looking in the display windows.
Auf dem Elbe-Radweg kann man den Flussentlang fahren. Dort sieht man kleine Dörfer, große Felder, Kühe und Schafe mit schwarzen Gesichtern. – You can cycle along the river on the Elbe bike path. You’ll see small villages, large fields, cows, and sheep with black faces.
Many of the verbs below have multiple meanings. The examples focus only on the meaning that represents a precise opposite of the other verb. This list includes some commonly used and practical choices, but it is far from comprehensive.
Am Wochenende wache ich früh auf, obwohl ich gern länger schlafen würde. – I wake up early at the weekend, although I’d like to sleep longer.
einschlafen → to fall asleep
Mein Mann schläft sehr schnell ein, während ich wach bleibe und über alles nachdenke. – My husband falls asleep very quickly while I stay awake thinking about everything.
Ich habe das Fenster aufgemacht, denn wir brauchen frische Luft in diesem muffigen Raum. – I’ve opened the window because we need fresh air in this musty room.
zumachen → to close
Mach bitte die Tür 🚪 zu, mir ist kalt. – Please close the door, I feel cold.
Die ganze Reise ist glattgegangen. Der Reiseführer war einfach genial. – The whole trip went smoothly. The guide was simply brilliant.
schiefgehen → to go wrong
Bei uns ist alles schiefgegangen. Nichts ist ausgegangen, wie wir es geplant hatten. – Everything went wrong for us. Nothing turned out as we had planned.
Die junge Frau setzt immer einen Strohhut und eine Sonnenbrille auf, bevor sie am Strand spazieren geht. – The young woman always puts on a straw hat and sunglasses before going for a walk at the beach.
absetzen → to take off (a hat, glasses, etc.)
Der alte Mann vergaß vor dem Einschlafen, seine Brille abzusetzen*. – The old man forgot to take off his glasses before falling asleep.
*The verb abnehmen is also possible in this context.
Just like a cup and saucer, the two parts of a German separable verb can appear as one entity or they can be detached and work as two separate parts. The dictionary entry is under the whole verb.
When a world-changing event such as the Covid-19 pandemic takes place, speakers and writers naturally coin new words and word combinations. For a language nerd like me, their choices are intriguing.
The Germans, for instance, coopted the word Lockdown and made it masculine. On their children’s program, Die Sendung mit der Maus, there was a discussion about whether the word Virus is masculine or neuter. The answer was that it can be either, but never feminine. Now there’s one issue that the English-speaking world never has to consider. Jump to links and videos to find out more about Covid-19 in Germany and its impact on the German language.
But first, in the Bildlexikon below I’ve collected some essential wording for talking about life after the world changed.
Bei einem schweren Covid-Verlauf muss man ins Krankenhaus gehen, aber die meisten Menschen haben eine relativ mildeErkrankung und können zu Hause bleiben.
→ If your COVID infection is severe, you have to go to hospital, but most people have a relatively mild illness and can stay at home.
The story of a Year 12 student’s experience in Melbourne, 2020: Covid lockdowns, learning from home, taking one walk per day, missing friends – and sometimes even missing teachers. – Recorded by Charlotte Yates
