Prepositions in the Accusative

I. Theory

As in English, prepositions are words that typically precede nouns and pronouns to show their role in the sentence or clause. Prepositions often show motion or direction: “to”, through”, “across”, “on”, “off”, “towards”, etc. while others show cause or how something is being done: “by”, “despite”, “instead of”, “without”.

In German, prepositions trigger cases to show two things: 1) which part of the sentence is being affected and 2) how they are affected - as some prepositions have more than one meaning. This lesson will focus on prepositions that always take the accusative case.

Examples of accusative prepositions:

Ich bin ohne meinen Mantel zur Arbeit gegangen. I went to work without my coat. Gegen wen spielst du? Whom are you playing against? Das Geschenk ist für meinen Vater. The gift is for my father.

II. Accusative Prepositions

The following list contains all German propositions which will always trigger the accusative:

Bis Ich bleibe bis morgen in Berlin. I am staying in Berlin until tomorrow. Note: bis is used in the temporal or locative context. Durch Wir fahren durch den Tunnel. We drive through the tunnel. Entlang Sie rennt den Strand entlang. She runs along the beach. Note: entlang usually comes after the noun (inverse structure). Für Oma brachte Bonbons für die Kinder. Grandma brought candies for the children. Gegen Sie kandidiert gegen ihn für die Präsidentschaft. She is running against him for the presidency. Ohne Ohne Geld kann man nichts machen. Without money, you can’t do anything. Um Um wieviel Uhr fängt die Party an? At what time does the party start? Wider Wider meinen Rat hat sie ihn geheiratet. Against my advice, she married him.

Note: Although in many of the examples above the German and English use the same proposition, this is not always the case. In many instances, prepositions will have a either wider or more narrow range of meaning or will be applied in different situations than in English. For this reason, it’s best to make note of which prepositions follow common verbs, or which ones are used in certain situations.

Examples:

Ich interessiere mich für Kunstgeschichte. I am interested in art history. Bist du allergisch gegen Hunde? Are you allergic to dogs? Er ist besorgt um das Vorstellungsgespäch. He is anxious about the job interview.