German Prepositions and Their Cases (Without Tears)
By Marcus Roth · Applied linguist & Spoklin curriculum leadUpdated 9 min read
German prepositions divide into three groups: fixed accusative (durch, für, gegen, ohne, um), fixed dative (aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu), and two-way prepositions (in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen) taking accusative for movement and dative for location.
Prepositions are pure memorization — until you group them. These groupings stick for years.
Fixed accusative club (DOGFU)
- durch (through), für (for), gegen (against), ohne (without), um (around/at)
- Memory chant: durch-ohne-gegen-für-um
- Examples: durch den Park · ohne meinen Bruder · um sieben Uhr
Fixed dative club
- aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu (plus gegenüber)
- Sing-song aid: aus-bei-mit-nach-seit-von-zu
- Examples: mit dem Bus · seit einem Jahr · zur Schule
The two-way prepositions
| Question | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Wohin? (to where?) | accusative | Ich gehe in die Stadt. |
| Wo? (where at?) | dative | Ich bin in der Stadt. |
Frequently asked questions
How do I memorize preposition cases?
Chants genuinely work — generations of learners swear by durch-für-gegen-ohne-um.
Zu or nach for going places?
nach for countries/cities without articles (nach Berlin). zu for people and places with articles (zum Arzt, zur Post).
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