4.7 Two-way prepositions — in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen — Epoché
What you will be able to do Use the nine two-way prepositions: in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen . Choose the case by one question: is this a movement to a new place, or a position in a place? Movement takes the accusative, position the dative. Say Ich gehe in die Stadt and Ich bin in der Stadt , ins Kino and im Kino , without hesitating. Use the four pairs of placing and being verbs: legen — liegen , stellen — stehen , setzen — sitzen , hängen — hängen . Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Setze dich neben mich. [1] Sit beside me. Sein Haus liegt am Fluss. [2] His house stands by the river. Unter dem Bett liegt eine Maus. [3] There is a mouse under the bed. Bitte setze dich auf einen anderen Platz. [4] Please sit somewhere else. Bitte stell den Tisch an die Wand. [5] Please put the table next to the wall. Ich habe dieses Buch vor zwei Jahren gelesen. [6] I read this book two years ago. Ich frage mich, was in hundert Jahren sein wird. [7] I wonder what it will be like in a hundred years. Stell dich bitte an. [8] Wait in the queue, please. Prerequisites : 4.6 — you need both the dative prepositions from 4.5 Cases and the accusative prepositions from 4.6 Cases ; you met most of these nine words as words of place in 2.14 Grammar . This is the lesson of the phase that matters most. The two previous lessons gave you prepositions with a fixed case. These nine have no fixed case: each can take the accusative or the dative, and the choice carries meaning. English expresses the same difference with different prepositions or with nothing at all, so English speakers have no instinct for it. The good news is that one question settles almost every case. Table Ask the question wohin? , where to? , or wo? , where? If the sentence answers wohin , use the accusative. If it answers wo , use the dative. Preposition Meaning Where to? — accusative Where? — dative in in, into in die Stadt , ins Kino in der Stadt , im Kino an at, on a vertical surface or an edge an die Wand , ans Fenster an der Wand , am Fenster auf on, on top of a horizontal surface auf den Tisch auf dem Tisch über over, above; across über den Fluss über dem Tisch unter under, below; among unter den Tisch unter dem Tisch vor in front of; before; ago vor das Haus vor dem Haus hinter behind hinter den Baum hinter dem Baum neben next to, beside neben mich neben mir zwischen between zwischen die Bücher zwischen den Büchern The commonest fused forms are ins for in das and ans for an das , both accusative; im for in dem and am for an dem , both dative. Others, such as aufs for auf das and übers for über das , are also correct. The final letter gives the case away: -s for the neuter accusative das , -m for the dative dem . Movement and position in real sentences in — into and in. German English Ich gehe in die Stadt. [9] I'm going into town. Ich bin in der Stadt. [10] I'm in the city. Wir gehen ins Kino. [11] We are going to the cinema. Ich war im Kino. [12] I was at a movie theater. Geh ins Bett! [13] Go to bed. Ich bin im Bett. [14] I'm in bed. auf and an — onto and on. auf is for a surface you can put things on; an is for a wall, a window, an edge, anything you are beside or attached to. German English Es ist auf dem Tisch. [15] It's on the table. Er hängte es an die Wand. [16] He hung it on the wall. Eine Uhr hängt an der Wand. [17] There is a clock on the wall. Ich stand auf und ging ans Fenster. [18] I got to my feet and walked over to the window. Thomas steht am Fenster. [19] Tom is standing at the window. The other six. German English Gehen Sie über den Platz! [20] Go across the square. Die Uhr ist über dem Kamin. [21] The clock is above the fireplace. Es ist unter dem Tisch. [22] It's under the table. Wart vor dem Haus auf mich. [23] Wait for me in front of the house. Setz dich neben mich. [24] Sit next to me. Er saß neben mir. [25] He was sitting next to me. Lies zwischen den Zeilen. [26] Read between the lines. Compare the two neben sentences. Setz dich neben mich is a movement: you are not yet beside me, and the sentence takes you there, so the pronoun is accusative. Er saß neben mir is a position: he was already there, so the pronoun is dative. Placing and being: four verb pairs German uses different verbs for putting something somewhere and for its being there, and English is less strict. Each placing verb goes with the accusative and each being verb with the dative. The placing verbs are regular; the being verbs are strong. Placing — where to? — accusative Being — where? — dative Used for legen , to lay liegen , to lie things lying flat stellen , to stand something stehen , to stand things standing upright setzen , to seat; sich setzen , to sit down sitzen , to sit people and animals sitting hängen , to hang something hängen , to be hanging things hanging German English Leg es auf den Tisch! [27] Lay it on the table. Er liegt auf dem Sofa. [28] He is lying on the sofa. Ich setze mich an den Tisch da drüben. [29] I'll sit down at the table over there. A book lies on a table, but a bottle stands; Germans make the distinction where English speakers simply say is . If you are unsure, sein with the dative is never wrong for position: Es ist auf dem Tisch . How English does it English marks the difference with the preposition. Where German changes the case, English often changes the word: into and in , onto and on . I'm going into town and I'm in town correspond exactly to in die Stadt and in der Stadt . Whenever English could say into or onto , German needs the accusative. The trouble is that English often does not bother. Put it on the table and it's on the table use the same word; so do he hung it on the wall and there's a clock on the wall . German does not let you skip the distinction. Train yourself to ask the question even when English does not: in put it on the table , is there movement to a new place? Yes: auf den Tisch . Movemen