German Two Way Prepositions

German two-way prepositions can be quite tricky if you don’t know the rules and shortcuts to use them correctly. The tricky thing is that they require a different case depending on the context. This means that you often have to use a different article for the same prepositions.

Here is a short teaser. In English, we say we put the mug on the table and if it’s already there, we say it’s on the table. Of course, this is not the case in German. Although the preposition would be ‘auf’ in both examples, the case would be different.

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What are Two-Way Prepositions?

Prepositions are generally important small words, such as with, for, under, over, to, etc.

Two-way prepositions, specifically, are used to indicate

• location (e.g. under the bed) OR
• direction (e.g. to the post office)

The 10 German two-way prepositions with some ‘starter’ English translations for you are:

an (on [vertical surface])
auf (on top of [horizontal surface])
hinter (behind)
in (in)
neben (next to )
entlang (along)
über (above)
unter  (under)
vor (in front of)
zwischen (between)

The list itself doesn’t look too bad!

But knowing when to use these two-way prepositions with an accusative noun and when to use them with a dative noun is trickier.

When & How To Use Two-way Prepositions

There are some pretty simple guidelines for when to use the two-way preposition in the accusative vs. dative. It is easiest to remember the difference as a rule for direction (acc.) and place (dat.).

Then, in order to use a two-way preposition, you also need to know how to ‘signal’ which case your prepositional phrase is in, which is a matter of…

• which declensions (<– the signalers!) are used in the accusative vs. dative cases
• which words in a prepositional phrase need inflection in particular
• declination types (strong or weak) and patterns (there are 4) to choose from

Learn all this and you’ll know how to choose the right declensions for the right words every time.

Accusative vs. Dative Prespositions

The two principles of using two-way prepositions are these:

1. When referring to a static position, use the dative case
2. Use the accusative to change position

Ich setze das Glas auf den Tisch (acc.) vs. Das Glas steht auf dem Tisch (dat.)
(I’m setting the glass on the table vs. The glass is on the table.)

The two-way preposition used here is auf (on [top of a horizontal surface]).

Do you see how the process of placing the glass on the table involves a change of position (or movement) from point A to point B? But once the glass is there (static position) we use the dative case.

The accusative is NOT for all movement!

What is important is the distinction between movement from A to B (or changes in position). The accusative is simply NOT used whenever there is movement (in the general sense).

For example, Die Kinder laufen im Garten
(The children run in the garden.)

The verb laufen obviously deals with movement. However, we see that the dative (im Garten) is used, not the accusative. Why? Because the children move, yes, but while staying in the same place (the garden).

Compare that with Die Kinder laufen in den Garten
(The children run into the garden).

Here we use the accusative precisely because there is a change of position – movement from point A (somewhere outside the garden) to point B (inside the garden).

The dative is used for movement too … sometimes

In addition to the previous examples with Kinder in the Garden, check out this one:

Das Kind geht neben seiner Mama.
(The child walks next to his mom.)

Das Kind springt zwischen seinen Eltern.
(The child jumps between his parents.)

Here we see movement – the baby is walking or jumping – BUT that general or indeterminate movement (NO change in position is specified!) occurs when a constant position is maintained (next to the mother or between the parents).

In the 2nd example, imagine that 2 parents are standing still and the child is jumping up and down between them. This is what the use of the dative here suggests.

In contrast, if we were to say Das Kind springt zwischen seine Eltern (adj.), it would paint a different picture! This would mean that the child started in a place not between its parents (point A) and then jumped and landed between them (point B).

German Two-Way Prepositions Examples

A | Ich fliege in die Türkei. – die Türkei is Akkusativ as it follows “in” which is a two-case preposition and as flying means that one is moving from A (Berlin) to B (Türkei).

B | Ich bin in der Türkei. – der Türkei is Dativ as it also follows “in” but now I (=ich) am (=bin) in Turkey already. No more movement is necessary. I’ll just lie down and smoke my shisha.

Makes sense? So, if the preposition describes a location or a state of being, it takes the dative case. Here is another example: ”Das Bild hängt an der Wand” (The picture is hanging on the wall).

However, if the preposition describes directed movement (ie movement towards a goal or place), the accusative is used. For example, “Ich hänge das Bild an die Wand” (I’m hanging the picture on the wall). Another pair of examples could be “Er läuft in dem Park” (a walk inside the park, meaning the movement stays in the same place), while “Er läuft in den Park hinein” states that the person is not currently in the park, but running into him.

It is also important to note examples where the meaning implies that a literal movement is not being described, but rather a change of state:

Die Raupe hat sich in einen Schmetterling verwandelt. (The caterpillar transformed into a butterfly.)

Examples of Two Way Prepositions in Sentences

To illustrate the practical application of dual prepositions, consider the difference in cases in the examples.

The Rules of Using German Two-Way Prepositions

German has four cases. Why does he have them? Nobody knows. Maybe he thinks he’s a lawyer or something.
But in any case, the four cases would not be a problem if the German had them somewhere on the table. But no, the German really likes her four cases and rubs them in our faces all day long.  And prepositions offer no respite.

It’s not enough that there are dozens of them and they don’t match their similar looking English counterparts. No. German is like  “So just FYI…  I want a specific case after each preposition.”

Oh, okay, will it be the same case always?
“Of course not, duhhhh.”
w, most prepositions have a hard case. Some go with the accusative, some with the dative, and very few go with the genitive.  For example, für for instance will ALWAYS be followed by Accusative, no matter what.

However, there is a group of prepositions that can be followed by one of TWO cases – Accusative and Dative.
Here they are:

• auf – on, onto
• in – in, into
• vor – in front of, forward
• hinter – behind
• über – above, over
• unter – under, among
• an – to, at
• neben – next to
• zwischen – between

And this is where cases really carry a significant amount of meaning.

Dative talks about a fixed location. It answers to “At what place?”
Accusative talks about a destination. It answers to “Where is it headed?”

Some sources say it’s about whether or not we have a movement, but that’s really NOT what it’s about. What matters is whether we are talking about a destination or not.
Let’s make an example:

• Die Tasse steht auf dem Tisch.
• The cup is standing on the table.
• Die Tasse fällt auf den Tisch.
• The cup falls on the table.

In the first example, we are talking about where the cup is currently located; is stationary and we denote it with the dative. In the second example, the current position of the cup doesn’t really matter. It’s in the air somewhere. We want to talk about where the cup is going; it’s the goal. And we mark that with the accusative.
This example was quite clear because being itself is motionless, while falling is clearly motion. And that’s what many sources say.

But that is NOT the heart of it. In fact, if you make a mistake with these two-way prepositions, it wasn’t a grammar mistake… it’s a “message” mistake.

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German Two-Way Prepositions Exercise

Here is a few sentences and mark the case and you have to decide what it means. And if you want, you can also think about whether the second option would work. Here is an example:

• Ich lege das Buch auf dem Tisch. 

We use the Dative, so auf dem Tisch is marked as where the rest of the sentence takes place. That means I put the book on the table. And that doesn’t make much sense, does it. So this would be “wrong” and the accusative would be the correct choice here as it would indicate the table as the target of the lay.

So there you have it… and be warned, they are pretty tricky

1. Ich trinke in meinen Geburtstag.
   
2. Ich setze mich in der U-Bahn.
3. Die Fliege schwimmt in die Suppe.
   
4. Maria fährt neben dem Jogger.
   
5. Ich lese in das Buch.
6. Ich tanze auf der Brücke.
   
7. Ich trinke in die Küche.
   
8. Ich werfe im Wasser.
9. Ich lese etwas in die E-Mail.
   
10. Der Bus fährt im Winter nicht.
11. Das Team liegt hinter den Zeitplan.
12. Die Werbung kommt vor dem Video.
    
13. Marias Haar hängt in die Suppe.
14. Thomas kotzt vor der Bar.

And here are the solutions – with a little explanation, so you actually know what’s going on

1. Correct. Dative wouldn’t work because the idiomatic preposition would be “an” for a expressing that something happens on a fixed day
2. Textbook explanations suggest that it’s wrong but it isn’t. You can sit down while being in the subway. Accusative would work, too.
3. Unless there’s a canal leading into the soup that the fly could swim along, making the soup the destination of the fly’s swimming makes little to no sense
4. It’s correct and Accusative would work as well.
5. It’s weird sounding, to say the least. You could understand it as giving the book a little probe reading, but reading in the book would be done with Dative.
6. Correct, and Accusative would work as well.
7. This doesn’t make any sense. You can’t give drinking a location in space. Dative would be correct here.
8. Correct, and Accusative would work as well.
9. It’s similar to number 5 but this time, it works because you’re reading something into the mail that isn’t there.
10. It’s completely correct. Accusative would only make sense if it’s a lyrical way to say that the bus drives to the far north (where it is winter)
11. This is nonsense. Lying is one of those verbs that you cannot give a direction to. When you’re lying, you’re 100% stationary.
12. It’s fine. We’re told where the ad is. With accusative it would mean that we’re talking about where to put the ad.
13. It’s fine and Dative would work as well. The two are almost the same. The accusative just puts a little focus on the hair reaching into the soup, while Dative is just a plain description of where it is.
14. It’s fine and Accusative would work as well.

Common Mistakes with German Two Way Prepositions

• Grammar:

Is the preposition governed by accusative, dative, or genitive case? Or is it a so-called “doubtful” or “double-sided” preposition? German cases of nouns play an important role.

• Idiomatic:

How does a native speaker say it? To illustrate this, I often use the English example of “stand IN line” or “stand ON line” – what do you say? (Both are “correct”, but your answer may reveal which part of the English-speaking world you’re from. If you’re British, you’d just fall in line.) And the way a German would say “v” or “na” depends on the turn factors, including whether the surface is vertical (on a wall) or horizontal (on a table)!Using the wrong preposition can also lead to an unintended change in meaning… and sometimes embarrassment.

• English interference:

Because some German prepositions are similar or identical to English ones or sound like an English preposition (bei, in, an, zu), you may choose the wrong one. And several German prepositions can be equivalent to more than one English preposition: an can mean at, in, on, or to—depending on how it’s used in a German sentence. So you can’t just assume that a will always mean “on”. The word “from” can be translated into German using either the preposition seit (for time) or the conjunction da (for cause).

How To Avoid Common Mistakes in German Two Way Prepositions