Use this as a reference card. A preposition helps determine the case of the noun phrase after it; Card 13 revisits accusative articles, and Card 14 revisits dative articles and possessives.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | den + noun -n* |
*Dative plural adds -n when possible: mit den Kindern. No extra -n if the plural already ends in -n or -s.
| Case | Prepositions → meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Dative | aus → from/out of; bei → at/with; mit → with; nach → to/after; seit → since/for; von → from/of; zu → to; gegenüber → opposite | mit dem Bus → by bus |
| Accusative | durch → through; für → for; gegen → against/around; ohne → without; um → around/at | für den Vater → for the father |
| Deutsch | English |
|---|---|
| an · auf · hinter | at/on a vertical surface · on top of · behind |
| in · neben · über | in/into · next to · above/over |
| unter · vor · zwischen | under · in front of/before · between |
| Deutsch | English |
|---|---|
| Wo? Ich bin im Park. | Where? I am in the park. Dative: in dem. |
| Wohin? Ich gehe in den Park. | Where to? I am going into the park. Accusative. |
| Ich gehe im Park spazieren. | I walk around in the park. Movement within a location: dative. |
| im = in dem; ins = in das | in the / into the |
| am = an dem; ans = an das | at the / to the |
| zum = zu dem; zur = zu der | to the; zu always takes dative |
When? Time prepositions
Use these patterns to answer Wann? (when?). Review days, months and seasons and telling the time.
| Deutsch | English | Use |
|---|---|---|
| um neun Uhr | at nine o’clock | Clock times: um. |
| am Montag; am Morgen | on Monday; in the morning | Days and parts of the day: am. |
| im Oktober; im Winter | in October; in winter | Months and seasons: im. |
| ab Montag; ab neun Uhr | from Monday onward; from nine onward | A starting point; the end is not stated. |
| von Montag bis Freitag; von neun bis fünf Uhr | from Monday to Friday; from nine to five | A range with a start and an end. |
Am = an dem and im = in dem: these time expressions use dative. Um takes accusative, although the case is not visible in um neun Uhr. Learn ab and von … bis as time patterns here; clock times and bare day names do not show an article ending.
The spatial Wo? / Wohin? rule does not choose the case for time expressions. Learn the time pattern with its preposition.