Reference · module 9
Where, and where to
Everything this module explains, on one page.
Wo bist du?
Say where something is.
- Wo bist du? — Ich bin im Büro. Wo asks where something IS, and the answer changes the article: das Büro becomes dem Büro, and in dem is shortened to im.
- In is inside, auf is on top of, an is at the edge of: im Büro, auf dem Tisch, an der Tür. Three short words that cover most of a room.
- This is the third role of the article, after the one who acts and the thing acted on. It has a name — the dative — and saying where something is, is the commonest place to meet it.
The mistake you are about to make
Ich bin in das Büro.
Ich bin im Büro.
English has one "in the" for standing there and for walking in. German splits the two: im Büro is where you are, in das Büro is where you are heading.
Dem, der, dem
Put any article into the third role.
- The three articles in this role: der becomes dem, die becomes der, das becomes dem. Two of the three land on dem, which makes the set smaller than it looks.
- Watch die becoming der. The feminine borrows the masculine's own form, so der Frau is not a man — it means to or at the woman.
- The plural takes den, and the noun gains an -n as well: mit den Kindern. That extra letter on the end of the noun is the one thing worth remembering here.
The mistake you are about to make
mit den Kinder
mit den Kindern
The article changing to den is easy enough to remember; the extra -n on the noun is what gets left off. In the dative plural the noun takes one too: mit den Kindern.
Wohin gehst du?
Say where you are going, not where you are.
- Wohin gehst du? — In die Stadt. Same preposition, different question, and the article goes back to the form you already know from the thing being acted on.
- So in der Stadt is where you are and in die Stadt is where you are going. One letter carries the whole difference, and a German speaker hears it immediately.
- Two shortcuts worth having: nach for countries and cities, as in nach Berlin, and zu for people and places you head to, as in zum Arzt.
The mistake you are about to make
Ich fahre zu Berlin.
Ich fahre nach Berlin.
"To" covers everything in English, so zu will try to go everywhere. Cities and countries take nach: nach Berlin. Zu is for people and the places you head for.
Mir und dir
Use the pronouns that belong to the third role.
- Mir, dir, ihm, ihr, uns, euch. The same people as mich and dich, in the third role — the one the articles met as dem and der.
- Some verbs take this form and no other: helfen, danken, gefallen. Ich helfe dir, ich danke dir. Not dich, and the choice is not yours to make.
- Gefallen is the useful one: Das gefällt mir means I like it, said the other way round. The thing pleases me — and that is how Germans say it.
The mistake you are about to make
Ich helfe dich.
Ich helfe dir.
English has one form — I help you, I thank you — so nothing tells you which German one to reach for. Helfen, danken and gefallen all take the dative: dir.
Mit, bei, aus
Use the prepositions that never change their mind.
- Some prepositions never choose: mit, bei, von, zu, nach and aus always take the third role, whatever is happening. Mit dem Bus, bei der Arbeit, aus der Schule.
- That makes them easier than in and auf, which decide between two roles depending on whether anything is moving. These six decide nothing — learn the list and the article follows.
- Bei is the awkward one for a learner: bei der Arbeit is at work, and bei mir is at my place. Both are a location rather than a direction, which is why the form never moves.
The mistake you are about to make
Ich fahre bei dem Bus.
Ich fahre mit dem Bus.
"By bus" looks like bei, and sounds like it too. Transport takes mit: mit dem Bus. Bei is where you are — bei der Arbeit, bei mir.