Reference · module 11
Where it is, where it goes
Everything this module explains, on one page.
Nine prepositions, two cases
Choose between wo and wohin, and let that choose the case.
- in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen. These nine take either case, and which one is not a matter of taste: it answers a question.
- wo? — where is it — takes the dative. Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. Nothing moves; the book is simply somewhere.
- wohin? — where to — takes the accusative. Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. Something crosses a line and lands somewhere new.
- The verb usually gives it away. liegen, stehen, sitzen and sein describe a state and take the dative. legen, stellen, setzen and gehen describe a move and take the accusative.
The mistake you are about to make
Ich lege das Buch auf dem Tisch.
Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch.
English says "on the table" whether the book is lying there or being put there. German splits the two, and only the article shows it: dem resting, den arriving.
liegen and legen
Tell apart the pairs of verbs that decide the case for you.
- German has pairs where one verb is what a thing does and the other is what you do to it. liegen is to lie; legen is to lay something down.
- stehen is to stand, stellen is to stand something up. sitzen is to sit, setzen is to seat. The second of each pair always takes an object and always the accusative.
- Flat things liegen, upright things stehen. A book on a table liegt; a bottle on a table steht. Germans notice this and learners rarely do.
The mistake you are about to make
Ich lege auf dem Bett.
Ich liege auf dem Bett.
English has one word for this and half of it says "lay" for both. German keeps them apart: liegen is what you do, legen needs something to put down.
Saying where things are
Describe a room so somebody could find anything in it.
- das Zimmer, der Tisch, der Stuhl, das Bett, der Schrank, das Fenster, die Tür. Seven words carry almost any description of a room.
- es gibt means there is or there are, and it always takes the accusative: Es gibt einen Tisch. One phrase, one case, no agreement to worry about.
The mistake you are about to make
Es gibt ein Tisch.
Es gibt einen Tisch.
"There is a table" has nothing to mark, so ein feels finished. Es gibt literally means "it gives", and whatever is given is accusative: einen Tisch.
Asking the way
Ask for directions and understand the answer.
- Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof? — how do I get to the station. zum and zur are the two words to have ready: zum for masculine and neuter, zur for feminine.
- The answer will use geradeaus, links, rechts, and an der Ecke. Gehen Sie geradeaus und dann rechts. Two words and a direction is usually the whole reply.
The mistake you are about to make
auf der Ecke
an der Ecke
English stands on the corner, so auf looks right. German stands at it: an der Ecke. Doors and windows work the same way — an der Tür, am Fenster.