In German, two-case prepositions are prepositions that can trigger either the accusative case or the dative case, depending on how they are being used. There are nine two-case prepositions in the German language, all of which follow the rule below:
Use the dative case when they describe location:
Die Hunde rennen im Garten herum.Translation: The dogs are running in the yard.The whole action happens in a single location: the yard. (im = in + dem)Use the accusative case when they describe a direction:
Die Hunde rennen in den Garten.Translation: The dogs are running into the yard.They yard is a destination or direction: they move to the yard.
It’s a pretty simple rule, and nine prepositions doesn’t sound that bad, does it? Nope! But you still have to learn them! Let’s have a closer look.
When to use dative vs. accusative with two-case prepositions?
As you’ve just read above, German two-case prepositions take the accusative case when they describe a direction of motion and the dative case when they describe a location.
Direction → accusative case
Location → dative case
Let’s look at some examples using the two-case prepositions hinter meaning behind and unter meaning under.
| Direction → Accusative Case | Location → Dative Case |
|---|---|
Der Hund rennt schnell hinter das Sofa. Translation: The dog is running quickly behind the couch. | Der hechelnde Hund sitzt hinter dem Sofa. Translation: The panting dog is sitting behind the couch. |
Die Bälle rollen unter den Tisch. Translation: The balls are rolling under the table. | Die Hunde finden die Bälle unter dem Tisch. Translation: The dogs are finding the balls under the table. |
Quick quiz! Can you guess the correct case that will follow the preposition in meaning in, into in the following sentences?
The car is in the garage.
The car is driving into the garage.
Ready for the answer? Here are your sentences!
- Das Auto steht in der Garage.Translation: The car is in the garage.a location
- Das Auto fährt in die Garage.Translation: The car is driving into the garage.movement from A to B
Here are a couple more helpful points to remember.
Location vs. direction: ‘wo’ and ‘wohin’
The German equivalents of the question word “where” distinguish between whether we’re asking for a location, wo meaning at where, or a direction wohin meaning to where. So you can ask yourself which question you’d use as a way to decide what case should follow the preposition:
- Speaker A:Wo spielt der Hund?Translation: Where is the dog playing?Speaker B:Der Hund spielt in der Sonne mit dem Ball.Translation: The dog is playing with the ball in the sun.
- Speaker A:Wohin fallen die Birnen?Translation: Where are the pears falling?Speaker B:Die Birnen fallen vom Baum auf den Boden.Translation: The pears are falling from the tree onto the ground.
Location vs. direction: Verbs
While you often have to pay attention to the context, there are also several verbs in the German language that differentiate between location or a direction. The most common ones are illustrated below:
| Location + Dative | Direction + Accusative |
|---|---|
liegen meaning to lay | legen meaning to put |
sitzen meaning to sit, be seated | setzen meaning to sit down, to put |
stehen meaning to stand | stellen meaning to put |
hängen meaning to hang | hängen meaning to hang something |
When you find a two-case preposition used with one of these verbs, the verb itself can give you a hint about which case is required!
Check out our post on location vs. direction verbs in German to learn more about the verbs in the table above!
What are the two-case prepositions in German?
In German, the two-case prepositions are an meaning on, onto, auf meaning on top of, hinter meaning behind, in meaning in, into, neben meaning next to, über meaning over, unter meaning under, and vor meaning in front of, by. Additionally, though the preposition entlang meaning along, alongside isn’t really a two-case preposition, it has some uses that make it similar.
Remember, that like all prepositions, the exact translations of these words can be quite flexible, and they may have a range of meanings. For example, the two-case preposition über can loosely translate to “across,” “over,” or “above,” but it can also be used to mean “about” when you’re saying that you’re “talking about” something. So be sure to always also look at the context!
Let’s look at some examples!
‘an’ (on, onto)
Der Hundebesitzer hängt die Hundeleine an den Haken.Translation: The dog owner hangs the dog leash on the hook.Die Hundeleine hängt jetzt am Haken.Translation: The dog leash is now hanging on the hook.am = an + dem meaning the (dative)‘auf’ (on top of)
Der Frosch springt auf den Stein.Translation: The frog is jumping on the rock.Der Frosch sitzt jetzt auf dem Stein.Translation: The frog is now sitting on the rock.‘hinter’ (behind)
Der Lehrer legt seine Tasche hinter den Schreibtisch.Translation: The teacher is laying his bag behind the desk.Die Tasche befindet sich nun hinter dem Schreibtisch.Translation: The bag is now behind the desk.‘in’ (in, into)
Das Kind lockte den Hund in das Zimmer.Translation: The child lured the dog into the room.Das Kind und der Hund spielten dann zusammen im Zimmer.Translation: The child and the dog then played in the room together.im = in + dem meaning the (dative)‘neben’ (next to)
Der Apfel fällt neben den Apfelbaum.Translation: The apple is falling next to the apple tree.Neben dem Apfelbaum tobt eine kleine rote Katze.Translation: Next to the apple tree a little red cat is frolicking.‘über’ (over, above)
Die Vögel fliegen über die Wolken.Translation: The birds are flying over the clouds.Über den Wolken muss die Freiheit wohl grenzenlos sein.Translation: Above the clouds freedom must be endless.‘unter’ (under)
Der Roboter-Staubsauger fährt unter den Schrank.Translation: The robot vacuum cleaner is going under the cupboard.Unter dem Schrank liegt ganz viel Staub.Translation: Under the cupboard is a lot of dust.‘vor’ (in front of, by)
Der Lieferant stellt das Paket vor die Tür.Translation: The delivery man puts the package in front of the door.Als die Frau nach Hause kam, wartete ihr Vater schon vor der Tür.Translation: When the woman came home, her father was already waiting by the door.‘zwischen’ (between)
Die Mutter stellte die Vase zwischen die Kuchenplatte und die Kaffeekanne.Translation: The mother put the vase between the cake platter and the coffee pot.Die Mutter stellte die Vase zwischen dem Käsekuchen und dem Marmorkuchen.Translation: The poppyseed cake was in between the cheesecake and the marble cake.
Is ‘entlang’ a two-case preposition in German?
In German, the word entlang meaning along, alongside is not a two-case preposition, but it can be used to describe location and direction, and it can also be used before more than one case.
The preposition entlang usually takes the genitive case. However, in colloquial speech it can sometimes be used with the dative case.
Entlang can also trigger the accusative case, but this only happens when it is used as a postposition (meaning it comes after the noun it modifies).
The use of the accusative with entlang has everything to do with the position of the preposition, and nothing to do with whether it’s used as a location or a direction.
Summary
Here are the most important things to remember about two-case prepositions in German:
The German two-case prepositions are: an meaning on, onto, auf meaning on top of, hinter meaning behind, in meaning in, into, neben meaning next to, über meaning over, unter meaning under, and vor meaning in front of, by.
Two-case prepositions go with either the dative case, for a location, or the accusative case for a destination or direction of movement.
And now, head on over to our German two-case preposition activities to practice what you learned!
