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title, source, crawled
| title | source | crawled |
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| Two-Way Prepositions - German for English SpeakersGerman for English Speakers | https://germanforenglishspeakers.com/prepositions/two-way-prepositions | 2026-06-30 |
Two-Way Prepositions - German for English SpeakersGerman for English Speakers
Two-Way Prepositions
The following two-way prepositions are called Wechselpräpositionen in German (from the verb wechseln, to change). They’re accusative when they express motion/direction, and dative when they express only location:
I put the book on the table.
ACC
The book is on the table.
DAT
English
equivalent(s)
Sample usage and notes
an
at, on
Setz dich an den Tisch. [ACC]
Sit down at the table.
ein Bild an die Wand hängen [ACC]
to hang a picture on the wall
Das Bild hängt an der Wand. [DAT]
The picture hangs (is hanging) on the wall.
auf
on, up
auf den Berg steigen [ACC]
to climb up the mountain
eine Vase auf den Tisch stellen [ACC]
to set a vase down on the table
Die Vase steht auf dem Tisch. [DAT]
The vase is (standing) on the table.
an vs. auf: The word auf implies a position on top of something;
an is more like "beside" or suspended from.
hinter
behind
ein Blick hinter die Kulissen [ACC]
a glimpse behind the scenes
Was passiert hinter den Kulissen? [DAT]
What's happening behind the scenes?
in
into, to [ACC]
in [DAT]
Die Kinder gehen in die Schule. [ACC]
The kids are going to school.
Was hast du in der Schule gelernt? [DAT]
What did you learn in school?
neben
next to (not just near)
Komm, setz dich neben mich. [ACC]
Come sit down next to me.
Der Platz neben mir ist frei. [DAT]
The seat next to me is free.
über
over, above
Der Zug fuhr über die Brücke. [ACC]
The train went over the bridge.
Die Sonne hing über dem Meer [DAT]
The sun hung over the sea.
about
Wir redeten über den Film. [ACC]
We talked about the movie.
unter
under, below
Schau unters Bett vorm Schlafengehen [ACC]
Look under the bed before going to sleep.
Ein Monster versteckt sich unterm Bett. [DAT]
A monster is hiding under the bed.
among
ein Schaf unter Wölfen [DAT]
a sheep among wolves
unter anderem (u.a.) [DAT]
among other things / inter alia
vor
in front of
Ich stellte mich vors Mikro(fon). [ACC]
I went up to the microphone.
Der Tisch steht vor dem Fenster. [DAT]
The table is in front of the window.
of
Angst vor Höhe [DAT]
fear of heights
before
Ich muss es vorm Wochenende machen [DAT]
I have to do it before the weekend.
zwischen
between
etwas zwischen die Finger bekommen [ACC]
to get a hold of something
(literally, between one's fingers)
zwischen den Jahren [DAT]
between the years
(German expression for the time between Christmas and New Year’s)