Two-Way Prepositions: Where or Where To?
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Learn the nine German two-way prepositions and choose the dative for location or the accusative for a destination. Practise articles, contractions, and common location verbs.
Explanation
Two-way prepositions: location or destination?
The prepositions an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, and zwischen can take either the dative or the accusative. The choice does not depend simply on whether there is movement. It depends on whether the prepositional phrase names a location or a destination.
| Question | Meaning | Case | Example |
|---|
| Wo? | position or location | dative | Die Jacke hängt an der Tür. |
| Wohin? | destination of a change of place | accusative | Ich hänge die Jacke an die Tür. |
Common verb pairs
| Location: Wo? | Destination: Wohin? |
|---|
| stehen | stellen |
| liegen | legen |
| sitzen | sich setzen |
| hängen (be hanging) | hängen (put something in a hanging position) |
Sie läuft im Park answers Where is she running? and therefore uses the dative. Sie läuft in den Park answers Where is she running to? and uses the accusative. Movement alone does not automatically trigger the accusative.
Article forms
| Gender/number | Dative | Accusative |
|---|
| masculine | dem / einem | den / einen |
| feminine | der / einer | die / eine |
| neuter | dem / einem | das / ein |
| plural | den + noun (often with -n in the dative plural) | die |
Common contractions are an dem → am, in dem → im, an das → ans, and in das → ins.
Time expressions
Time expressions with an, in, vor, and zwischen use the dative: am Dienstag, im Herbst, vor dem Kurs, zwischen den Terminen. They do not describe a spatial destination.
Exercises
- Sort each place phrase by function: Wo? with the dative or Wohin? with the accusative. (4)
- Complete the article or contraction. First decide: location or destination? (11)
- Build a complete sentence from the cues and use the correct case. (11)
- Complete the connected everyday scenes with forms from the word bank. Use each form exactly once. (4)
A2 · German · Grammar