German prepositions are a crucial part of German grammar as they help express the relationship between words in a sentence. This chapter of our basic German course will focus on prepositions of direction, which are used to indicate the direction or movement of something or someone.
The prepositions of direction in German are: 'in' (in), 'zu' (to), 'nach' (to), 'aus' (de), 'von' (de), 'bis' ( until), 'gegen' (against), 'durch' (through), 'über' (over), 'unter' (under), 'an' (in), 'auf' (in), 'hinter' (behind) ), 'neben' (beside), 'zwischen' (between), 'vor' (before), 'bei' (near), 'um' (around), 'entlang' (along), 'über' (above), 'unter' (below) and 'durch' (across).
Let's start with 'in'. This preposition is used to indicate movement into something. For example, 'Ich gehe in das Haus' means 'I go home'. Note that 'in' is followed by 'das', which is the accusative article for 'Haus'.
The preposition 'zu' is used to indicate movement towards something or someone. For example, 'Ich gehe zu meiner Mutter' means 'I go to my mother'. Note that 'zu' is followed by 'meiner', which is the dative possessive pronoun for 'Mutter'.
'Nach' is used to indicate direction to countries, cities or cardinal directions. For example, 'Ich fliege nach Deutschland' means 'I fly to Germany'. 'Aus' and 'von' are used to indicate the origin or starting point. For example, 'Ich komme aus Berlin' means 'I come from Berlin' and 'Ich bekomme ein Geschenk von meinem Freund' means 'I receive a present from my friend'.
'Encore' is used to indicate the end point of a move or action. For example, 'Ich arbeite bis Mitternacht' means 'I work until midnight'. 'Gegen' is used to indicate movement against something. For example, 'Ich laufe gegen die Wand' means 'I run against the wall'.
'Durch', 'über', 'unter', 'an', 'auf', 'hinter', 'neben', 'zwischen', 'vor', 'bei', 'um', 'entlang' , 'über', 'unter' and 'durch' are used to indicate movement through, over, under, in, in, behind, beside, between, before, near, around, along, above, below and through something, respectively. For example, 'Ich gehe durch den Park' means 'I go through the park', 'Ich springe über den Zaun' means 'I jump over the fence', 'Ich krieche unter das Bett' means 'I crawl under the bed', 'Ich lehne an der Wand' means 'I lean against the wall', 'Ich sitze auf dem Stuhl' means 'I am sitting on the chair', 'Ich stehe hinter dem Baum' means 'I am behind the tree', 'Ich wohne neben der Schule' means 'I live next to the school', 'Ich stehe zwischen zwei Autos' means 'I am between two cars', 'Ich komme vor der Party' means 'I arrive before the party', 'Ich warte bei der Bushaltestelle' means 'I wait at the bus stop', 'Ich laufe a den See' means 'I run around the lake', 'Ich gehe den Fluss entlang' means 'I walk along the river', 'Ich fliege über die Wolken' means 'I fly above the clouds', 'Ich tauche unter das Wasser' means 'I dive under the water' and 'Ich fahre durch den Tunnel' means 'I drive through the tunnel'.
It is important to remember that prepositions in German require the use of the accusative or dative case, depending on whether there is movement or not. Directional prepositions usually require the accusative case when there is movement and the dative case when there is no movement.
German directional prepositions may seem complicated at first, but with practice and repetition, they will become easier to use. We hope that this chapter has helped you to better understand German prepositions of direction. Keep practicing and you'll see progress in no time!
