Prepositions of Place

Let's learn how to answer 'Where ...' and 'Where to ...' questions, in German!

Beginner

10-15 min

What you'll learn

In this lesson, we'll cover prepositions of place — the small words that answer Wo? (where) and Wohin? (where to). They decide which case you use, so getting comfortable with them is key to building accurate German sentences.

Prepositions are words that describe the location of a noun in relation to another noun.

Der Nussknacker ist...

...in dem Karton

...neben dem Karton

...auf dem Karton.

They are used to answer Where and Where to questions.

English	German	Question	Answer
Where	Wo	Wo ist der Nussknacker?	Der Nussknacker ist in dem Karton.
Where to	Wohin	Wohin geht der Nussknacker?	Der Nussknacker geht in den Karton.

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1. Prepositions of Place

Have a look at the table below:

Prepositions of Place

Case	Preposition
Dative	ab, zu, bei, von, aus, gegenüber
Accusative	bis, durch, für, ohne, gegen, um
Two-way	in, an, auf, neben, hinter, über, unter, vor, zwischen

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Prepositions are categorized into three types in German:

dative prepositions
accusative prepositions
two-way prepositions

Two-way prepositions can be dative or accusative depending on the context. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

2. Dative, Accusative & Two-Way Prepositions

1. Dative Prepositions

When a dative preposition is used (like aus), the following noun will be in the dative case.

Ich kaufe Schokolade aus dem Supermarkt.

I buy chocolate from the supermarket.

2. Accusative Prepositions

When an accusative preposition is used (like durch), the following noun will be in the accusative case.

Der Fuchs läuft durch den Wald.

The fox goes through the forest.

3. Two Way Prepositions

Two-way prepositions (like auf, in, an) can take either the dative or accusative case depending on whether you are answering a Wo or Wohin question:

Wo	auf + dative	English Translation
Wo ist die Katze?	Die Katze ist auf dem Tisch.	The cat is on the table.

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Wohin	auf + accusative	English Translation
Wohin klettert die Katze?	Die Katze klettert auf den Tisch.	The cat climbs onto the table.

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Exercise: Dative or Accusative?

Take a look at the sentences below. Which sentences answer a Wo question, and which Wohin?

Remember:


Wo	static location	→ use dative
Wohin	movement / direction	→ use accusative

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Click on your guess, to reveal the answer.

1.Er ist in dem Schwimmbad.

2.Stellen Sie sich neben die anderen.

3.Mama parkt zwischen den Autos.

4.Das Mädchen kroch unter das Bett.

5.Sie versteckt sich hinter dem Baum.

Well done! 🎉

Let's continue with one more exercise.

3. One Last Exercise

Take a look at the images in the table below. Then, complete each sentence underneath it, by selecting the correct preposition.

1

2

3

4

5

1.Der Nussknacker steht dem Karton.

2.Der Nussknacker geht den Karton.

3.Der Nussknacker kommt den Karton.

4.Der Nussknacker liegt dem Karton.

5.Der Nussknacker steigt den Karton.

Well done! 🎉

You've started using prepositions of place in your sentences!

4. Course Complete

And with this last lesson, you've finished the beginner course! 🎉 Great job!

For more learning resources, check out Easy German Reading to continue practicing your skills.