Wechselpräpositionen: Two-Way Prepositions in German
Wechselpräpositionen are nine German prepositions that take either accusative or dative case. Use accusative with wohin (where to) for movement or direction: in die Küche. Use dative with wo (where) for static location: in der Küche. The nine are an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen.
Two-way prepositions switch cases depending on whether you describe movement toward a destination or a static position. When you answer wohin and show direction, the noun takes accusative case. When you answer wo and describe a fixed location, the noun takes dative case.
The choice of case often pairs with specific verbs. Motion verbs like gehen, legen, hängen, stellen, and setzen signal accusative because they imply a destination. Position verbs like sein, liegen, hängen, stehen, and sitzen signal dative because they describe where something already is.
These prepositions frequently contract with articles in everyday speech and writing. The most common contractions are ins and im for in das and in dem, and ans and am for an das and an dem. The contraction aufs for auf das appears mainly in informal contexts.
Mastering Wechselpräpositionen requires practice distinguishing movement from location. Pay attention to the verb and ask yourself whether something is moving to a place or already there. This single question determines whether you need accusative or dative case.
- The nine two-way prepositions
- Die 9: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen
- Movement or direction requires accusative
- Wohin? (Bewegung/Richtung) → Akkusativ
- Static location requires dative
- Wo? (Ort/Position) → Dativ
- Contractions with in
- in + das = ins; in + dem = im
- Contractions with an
- an + das = ans; an + dem = am
- Informal contraction with auf
- auf + das = aufs (umgangssprachlich)
Examples
Common mistakes
- Using dative after motion verbs: Ich gehe in der Küche → Ich gehe in die Küche
- Using accusative for static location: Das Buch liegt auf den Tisch → Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch
- Forgetting the case change with different verbs: Er stellt das Glas auf die Tisch → Er stellt das Glas auf den Tisch
- Mixing up contractions: Ich bin im die Küche → Ich bin in der Küche
FAQ
How do I know whether to use accusative or dative with Wechselpräpositionen?
Ask wohin or wo. If the sentence answers wohin and describes movement toward a destination, use accusative. If it answers wo and describes a static location, use dative. The verb often signals this: gehen and legen imply motion, while sein and liegen imply position.
Do all nine Wechselpräpositionen follow the same accusative-dative rule?
Yes. All nine prepositions—an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen—take accusative for direction and dative for location. The rule applies consistently across all of them, though some are more common in certain contexts than others.
When should I use the contractions ins, im, ans, and am?
Use ins for in das, im for in dem, ans for an das, and am for an dem in both spoken and written German. These contractions are standard and preferred in everyday usage. The contraction aufs for auf das is common in speech but less formal in writing.