something.
The Two-Way Prepositions
There are nine prepositions that take either the accusative or the dative case:
an (ahn) – on, at (vertical surfaces, bodies of water)
auf (auf) – on, on top of (horizontal surfaces)
hinter (hin-ter) – behind
in (in) – in, into
neben (nay-ben) – next to, beside
über (ü-ber) – over, above
unter (oon-ter) – under, below
vor (for) – in front of, before
zwischen (tsvi-shen) – between
Accusative: Direction, Movement
When these prepositions are used to indicate direction or movement to a place, they take the accusative case. This usually signifies an action of going, putting, placing, etc.
an:
Ich hänge das Bild an die Wand. (ihh hen-ge das bilt an dee vant) – I hang the picture on the wall. (Wo-hin? – to the wall)
auf:
Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. (ihh lay-ge das booh auf den tish) – I put the book on the table. (Wo-hin? – onto the table)
hinter:
Er stellt sich hinter das Haus. (air shtelt zihh hin-ter das haus) – He stands behind the house. (Wo-hin? – behind the house)
in:
Ich gehe in die Stadt. (ihh gay-e in dee shtat) – I go into the city. (Wo-hin? – into the city)
neben:
Sie setzt sich neben mich. (zee zetst zihh nay-ben mihh) – She sits down next to me. (Wo-hin? – next to me)
über:
Der Vogel fliegt über den Baum. (dare fo-gel fleegt ü-ber den baum) – The bird flies over the tree. (Wo-hin? – over the tree)
unter:
Ich stelle den Stuhl unter den Tisch. (ihh shtel-le den shtool oon-ter den tish) – I put the chair under the table. (Wo-hin? – under the table)
vor:
Wir stellen uns vor das Kino. (veer shtel-len oons for das kee-no) – We stand in front of the cinema. (Wo-hin? – to in front of the cinema)
zwischen:
Ich lege das Geld zwischen die Bücher. (ihh lay-ge das gelt tsvi-shen dee bü-her) – I put the money between the books. (Wo-hin? – between the books)
Dative: Location, Position
When these prepositions are used to indicate location or position at a place, they take the dative case. This signifies something existing or remaining in a particular spot.
an:
Das Bild hängt an der Wand. (das bilt henkt an dare vant) – The picture is hanging on the wall. (Wo? – on the wall)
auf:
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (das booh leekt auf dem tish) – The book is lying on the table. (Wo? – on the table)
hinter:
Er steht hinter dem Haus. (air shtate hin-ter dem haus) – He is standing behind the house. (Wo? – behind the house)
in:
Ich bin in der Stadt. (ihh bin in dare shtat) – I am in the city. (Wo? – in the city)
neben:
Sie sitzt neben mir. (zee zitst nay-ben meer) – She is sitting next to me. (Wo? – next to me)
über:
Der Vogel fliegt über dem Baum. (dare fo-gel fleegt ü-ber dem baum) – The bird is flying over the tree. (Wo? – over the tree)
unter:
Der Stuhl steht unter dem Tisch. (dare shtool shtate oon-ter dem tish) – The chair is standing under the table. (Wo? – under the table)
vor:
Wir stehen vor dem Kino. (veer shtay-en for dem kee-no) – We are standing in front of the cinema. (Wo? – in front of the cinema)
zwischen:
Das Geld liegt zwischen den Büchern. (das gelt leekt tsvi-shen den bü-hern) – The money is lying between the books. (Wo? – between the books)
Important Note:
Remember to change the articles (der, die, das) and possessive pronouns (mein, dein, etc.) according to the case (accusative or dative).
Examples Illustrating the Difference
Accusative (Movement):
Ich gehe in das Haus. (ihh gay-e in das haus) – I go into the house. (Wo-hin? – to the house)
Dative (Location):
Ich bin in dem Haus. (ihh bin in dem haus) – I am in the house. (Wo? – in the house)
Accusative (Movement):
Ich stelle das Buch auf den Tisch. – I put the book on the table. (Wo-hin? – onto the table)
Dative (Location):
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. – The book is lying on the table. (Wo? – on the table)
Word Bank
Wechselpräpositionen (veks-el-pre-po-zee-tsee-o-nen) – Two-way prepositions
an (ahn) – on, at
auf (auf) – on, on top of
hinter (hin-ter) – behind
in (in) – in, into
neben (nay-ben) – next to, beside
über (ü-ber) – over, above
unter (oon-ter) – under, below
vor (for) – in front of, before
zwischen (tsvi-shen) – between
Wo-hin? (vo-hin) – Where to? (accusative)
Wo? (vo) – Where? (dative)
Exercises
Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition and case (accusative or dative):
Ich lege das Buch ______ (auf) den Tisch. (I put the book ______ the table.)
Der Hund sitzt ______ (unter) dem Stuhl. (The dog sits ______ the chair.)
Sie geht ______ (in) die Schule. (She goes ______ school.)
Das Bild hängt ______ (an) der Wand. (The picture hangs ______ the wall.)
Wir stellen uns ______ (vor) das Haus. (We stand ______ the house.)
Translate the following sentences into German, paying attention to the correct prepositions and cases:
The cat is sitting on the bed.
I put the keys on the table.
He goes into the room.
The car is parked behind the house.
She is standing between her parents.
Create five original sentences in German, using different two-way prepositions and varying between the accusative and dative cases.
Using the sentences from Exercise 2, make one sentence for each that uses the opposite case from the original, making a new sentence. (e.g., if the original was dative, make it accusative.)
This completes Chapter 16! You now understand how to use prepositions that take two-way cases to indicate movement or location accurately. Practice these prepositions regularly to solidify your understanding.
Chapter 17: The Genitive Case
The