Temporal Prepositions: vor, nach, in, seit, bei and während
Distinguish past points, duration, future time, simultaneity, and deadlines with German temporal prepositions. Practise the dative and genitive forms used in time expressions.
Explanation
Expressing time relationships
German temporal prepositions show **when**, **since when**, **for how long**, or how two events relate in time.
| Preposition | Meaning | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| **vor** | before; a past point; minutes before the hour | dative | Vor einer Stunde begann der Kurs. / Es ist zehn vor acht. |
| **nach** | after; minutes after the hour | dative | Nach dem Essen gehen wir spazieren. |
| **in** | after a period from now | dative | In zwei Wochen ziehe ich um. |
| **seit** | from a past starting point until now | dative | Seit einem Monat lernt Leo Deutsch. |
| **bei** | while doing an activity or attending an event | dative | Beim Kochen höre ich einen Podcast. |
| **während** | throughout a period; parallel actions | genitive | Während des Flugs blieb das Handy aus. |
| **innerhalb** | within a period or deadline | genitive | Antworte innerhalb einer Woche. |
| **außerhalb** | outside a stated time period | genitive | Außerhalb der Bürozeiten ist niemand erreichbar. |
Use **vor** for a completed past point and **in** for a future point. Use **seit** when a state began in the past and still continues. **Bei** commonly names an activity and contracts as **bei dem → beim**; **während** emphasizes an entire period or simultaneous actions. **Innerhalb** includes the stated deadline, whereas **außerhalb** lies beyond it.
Here **vor, nach, in, seit, bei** take the dative. Standard German uses the genitive after **während, innerhalb, außerhalb**. With numbers, **innerhalb von + dative** is also common: *innerhalb von zehn Tagen*. Colloquial speech may use the dative after **während**, but this lesson practises the standard form.
Exercises
- Complete each short situation with the correct preposition from the word bank. Focus on the time relationship. (5)
- Write a complete sentence with the given temporal preposition. Put the noun phrase in the correct case. (11)
- Sort each time expression by function: sequence/clock time, future, duration until now, simultaneity, or time boundary. (3)
B1 · German · Grammar