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Luckily, you'll need only to commit five accusative prepositions to

Germanmemory. Further
Prepositions That Take the Accusative
making Case
these prepositions easier toSearch
learn by rote: only the GO

masculine gender (der) changes in the accusative case. The plural, feminine
(die) and neuter (das) genders don't change in the accusative.

In the German-English examples below, the accusative preposition is in bold.


The object of the preposition is italicized.

Ohne Geld geht's nicht. ( Without money it won't work.)

Sie geht den Fluss entlang. (She is walking along the river.)

Er arbeitet für eine große Firma. (He works for a big company.)

Wir fahren durch die Stadt. (We're driving through the city.)

Schreibst du einen Brief an deinen Vater? (Are you writing a letter to your


father?)

Notice in the second example above that the object (Fluss) comes before the
preposition (entlang). Some German prepositions use this reverse word order,
but the object must still be in the correct case.

What Are the Accusative Preposition in German?


Accusative-only prepositions and their English translations:  

Accusative Prepositions

Deutsch Englisch

bis* until, to, by

durch through, by

entlang along, down

Note: The accusative preposition entlang usually goes after its


object.

für for

gegen against, for

ohne without

um around, for, at (time)

*Note: The German preposition bis is technically an accusative


preposition, but it is almost always used with a second preposition
(bis zu, bis auf) in a different case, or without an article (bis April, bis
Montag, bis Bonn).

Two-Way Prepositions
Accusative/Dative
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The meaning of a two-way preposition often changes based on whether it is


used with the accusative or dative case. See below for the grammar rules.

Deutsch Englisch
an
German Prepositions That Take the Accusative Case at, on, to Search GO

auf at, to, on, upon

hinter behind

in in, into

neben beside, near, next to

über about, above, across, over

unter under, among

vor in front of, before,


ago (time)

zwischen between

The Rules of Two-Way Prepositions


The basic rule for determining whether a two-way preposition should have an
object in the accusative or dative case is motion versus location. Motion toward
something or to a specific location (wohin?) typically requires an accusative
object. If there is no motion at all or random motion going nowhere in
particular (wo?), then the object is usually dative. This rule applies only to the
so-called 'two-way' or 'dual' German prepositions. For example, a dative-only
preposition such as nach is always dative, whether motion takes place or not. 

Two sets of examples showing motion versus location:

Accusative: Wir gehen ins Kino. (We're going to the movies.) There is a


movement toward a destination -- in this case, the movie theater. 

Dative: Wir sind im Kino. (We're at the movies/cinema.) We are already


at the movie theater; not traveling toward it. 

Accusative: Legen Sie das Buch auf den Tisch. (Put/Lay the book on the


table.) The motion is the placement of the book toward the table.

Dative: Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (The book's lying on the table.) The


book is already at its destination and not moving.

Accusative Preposition Chart With Examples


Accusative Prepositions

Präpositionen Beispiele - Examples

durch: through, by durch die Stadt through the city


durch den Wald through the forest
durch den Wind (caused) by the
wind

entlang: along, down die Straße entlang down the street


den Fluss entlang along the river
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Gehen Sie diesen Weg entlang. Go


down this path.

Note: Remember, entlang usually goes follows its object, as above.


für: for für das Buch for the book
German Prepositions That Take the Accusative Case Search GO
für ihn for him
für mich for me

gegen: against, for gegen alle Erwartungen against all


expectations
gegen die Mauer against the wall
gegen Kopfschmerzen (medicine)
for a headache
gegen mich against me

ohne: without ohne den Wagen without the car


ohne ihn without him
ohne mich without me (count me
out)

um: around, for, at um den See around the lake


um eine Stelle (apply) for a job
Er bewirbt sich um eine Stelle. He's
applying for a position.
um zehn Uhr at 10 o'clock

Personal Pronouns
in the Accusative

NOMINATIVE ACCUSATIVE

ich: I mich: me

du: you (familiar) dich: you

er: he ihn: him
sie: she sie: her
es: it es: it

wir: we uns: us

ihr: you (guys) euch: you (guys)

sie: they sie: them

Sie: you (formal) Sie: you (formal)

Da- Compounds

All of the accusative prepositions except "entlang," "ohne" and "bis" form
what are called "da- compounds" to express what would be a prepositional
phrase in English. Da- compounds are not used for people (personal
pronouns). Prepositions beginning with a vowel add a connecting r. See the
examples below.

THING PERSON
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dadurch: through it, by it durch ihn/sie: through him/her

dafür: for it für ihn/sie: for him/her

dagegen: against it gegen ihn/sie: against him/her

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