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 Prepositions
 Strong Verb/Weak Verb
Pairs (stehen/stellen
etc.)
 Prepositional Verbs
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Usage Notes: How to say where

Usage Notes: Two-Way
you are going (an, auf, in, nach,
Prepositions
zu)

Usage Notes: How to say where

Other Usage Notes and
you are (an, auf, bei, in, zu
Examples
etc.)

Strong Verb/Weak Verb Pairs

(stehen/stellen etc.) [Test
Prepositional Verbs
questions on prepositions will
often involve these verbs!]
 More Useful Prepositions (These will not be explicitly tested in
101-231, but are very good to know, especially for listening and
reading! )

Summary Chart

Note: As in English, the meanings of the prepositions in German are quite flexible, and
very important to know, since these little words come up all the time. As a result, it is
difficult to give English equivalents for a list like this. The compromise used below is to
give their primary meanings, and to write "etc." where other meanings occur particularly
often. Try the second of the "Practice Exercises" on this page (Wie sagt man...?) in order
to get a feel for how these prepositions can be used in various contexts.
Mnemonic advice: To remember the accusative prepositions, use the acronym "O
Fudge" [ohne, für, um, durch, gegen], or ask your instructor about chanting "Durch-für-
gegen-ohne-um, Deutsch zu lernen ist nicht dumm." For the dative prepositions, sing
"Aus-außer-bei-mit, nach-seit, von-zu" to the tune of the "Blue Danube" waltz, or think of
the touching love poem "Roses are red, violets are blue, aus-außer-bei-mit, nach-seit,
von-zu." For the two-way prepositions, sing "An, auf, hin-ter, ne-ben, un-ter/Ü-ber, in,
vor, zwi-i-schen" to the tune of the "An die Freude" ["Ode to Joy"] chorus from
Beethoven's 9th symphony.
Contractions: common contractions of the prepositions with forms of der/das/die are
included in the table below; where the contraction is in bold print, it is generally (though
not always) preferable to the two-word form in speaking and writing; contractions not
listed in bold print below are heard often in informal spoken German, but are less
common in writing. Other contractions (e.g. "neben + das = nebens") are possible, but
only the more commonly used ones are listed below.

Accusative Prepositions
Nouns and pronouns following these prepositions will always be
in the Accusative

bis as far as, up to, until

durch (durch + das = durchs) through, by means of, etc.

für (für + das = fürs) for

gegen against, etc.

ohne without

um (um + das = ums) around, at [time], etc.

 Dative Prepositions
Nouns and pronouns following these prepositions will always be
in the Dative

aus out of

außer except for, etc.

bei (bei + dem = beim) at, etc.

gegenüber opposite, across from; in relation to

mit with

nach to, after, according to

seit [time only:] since, for

von (von + dem = vom) from, etc.

zu (zu + dem = zum; zu + der =

to, etc.
zur)

Two-Way Prepositions
Nouns and pronouns following these prepositions will either be in
the Accusative (<==> Motion) or the Dative (<==> Location)--
more details below

an (an + das = ans; an + dem =

at, to [vertical boundaries], etc.
am)

auf (auf + das = aufs) on, etc.

entlang along

hinter (hinter + das = hinters;

behind
hinter + dem = hinterm)

in (in + das = ins; in + dem = im) in, to, into, etc.

neben beside, besides

über (über + das = übers; über +

over, above, about [topic], etc.
dem = überm)
 unter (unter + das = unters; unter
under, among, etc.
+ dem = unterm)

vor (vor + das = vors; vor + dem

in front of, ago, etc.
= vorm)

zwischen between

Genitive Prepositions
Nouns and pronouns following these prepositions will generally
be in the Genitive in more formal speaking and writing, but are
increasingly often in the Dative in less formal speaking and
writing.

(an)statt instead of

trotz despite

während during

wegen because of

außer-/inner-/ober-/unterhalb
[must use Genitive with these: outside of/inside of/above/below
cannot use Dative]

diesseits/jenseits/beiderseits [must
use Genitive with these: cannot on this/the other/both side(s) of
use Dative]

Übungen

 Accusative, Dative, Two-Way or Genitive? This exercise just asks you to choose
the appropriate case for each preposition.
 Wie sagt man...? This exercise will help you practice the range of meanings of the
prepositions.
 Motion or Location? This exercise will help you decide whether sentences involving
two-way prepositions describe motion or the location of the action.
 Wo/Wohin? Practice choosing the right preposition to say where you are and where
you're going, and also practice using the appropriate cases with these
prepositions.
 Die Katze und die Maus Practice deciding whether to use dative or accusative with
the two-way prepositions in this story about the value of knowing a foreign
language :) Note that there are a number of "trick questions" in this exercise to
make it more realistic: some of the questions involve dative prepositions or
accusative prepositions, for whom the motion/location distinction is irrelevant, and
 a couple of them involve prepositional verbs and adjectives.
 Filmtitel mit Präpositionen A translation exercise (first half German-English, second
half English-German) involving prepositions. We normally encourage you to think
in German and avoid trying to translate literally from the English, but playing with
movie titles is fun, so here's an exception.
 Liedtexte [Song Lyrics] Another translation exercise involving prepositions. And
for fun, click on "weiter" at the top after you finish this exercise to see if you can
figure out who sang these songs :) Again, we normally encourage you to think in
German and avoid trying to translate literally from the English, but playing with
song lyrics is fun--especially because of how silly the literal translations often
sound :)
 Nach fünf im Urwald This exercise is excellent cumulative practice if you've seen
this movie. If you're a University of Michigan student, you will see this movie in
German 221/231, or you can watch it in the Language Resource Center. It's
always very popular at our 221/231 movie screenings, so you'll probably enjoy it
:)

For more practice, please refer to the exercises on prepositions on the "Case Overview"
page!

Exercises involving Strong Verb/Weak Verb Pairs (stehen/stellen etc.)

 Das chaotische Zimmer This is a series of four exercises designed to help you
figure out which verb to use, practice the forms of the verbs, figure out which
cases to use with the nouns, and finally put together sentences using these
verbs. Please use the "weiter" button to navigate between these four exercises.

Exercises involving prepositional verbs and adjectives.

 Was bedeutet...? Match the prepositional verbs with their English equivalents.
 Welche Präposition? Match the statements with the appropriate preposition.
 Lola und die Präpositionen If you've seen Lola rennt (Run Lola Run), try this to
practice prepositions and prepositional verbs.
 Die große Liebe Practice prepositional adjectives by first matching the prepositional
adjectives with their English equivalents, and then choosing the correct
prepositions to complete a series of romantic statements.

Übungen auf anderen Webseiten

 Preposition jamboree (acc. only, dat. only, AC-DC)

 Preposition Quiz (about.com)
 Reflexivverben mit Präpositionalobjekten Wir haben reflexive Verben noch nicht
wiederholt, also [=thus] ist das eine Vorschau [=preview]. Wissen Sie, welche
Präpositionen bei diese reflexiven Verben passen?

Zurück nach oben

Usage Notes: Two-Way Prepositions

  nouns following the two-way prepositions (in, auf, unter, über, vor,
hinter, neben, zwischen, an, entlang...) are

 accusative: MOTION--if the verb is describing a change of

location: where someone or something is going or being put.
 dative: LOCATION--if the verb is describing where something
is located or where an action is taking place
 this can be summarized by the nonsense mnemonic:
"Accusative-Cruisative; Dative-Stative"

 Remember the above rule applies ONLY to the two-way

prepositions. Nouns following dative prepositions will be dative even if
motion is involved (e.g. "Sie geht zum [=zu dem] Arzt" and "Ich
komme von der Ärztin"!), and nouns following accusative prepositions
will be accusative even if no motion is involved ("Ich singe ein Lied für
dich").
 When two-way prepositions are used in combination with prepositional
verbs, they lose their spatial meaning, and so the motion/location
distinction no longer makes sense. Instead, you need to learn
individually for each prepositional verb whether it is followed by nouns or
pronouns in the accusative or in the dative. Refer to the page on
prepositional verbs for more information.

 [Some VERY rough guidelines for prepositional verbs with

2-way prepositions: (1) When über means "about," it is
followed by the Accusative: wir sprechen/schreiben/lachen über
dich; (2) if in doubt, use the Accusative with these; (3) the
most important of the many exceptions to (2): Angst haben
vor, arbeiten an, and warnen vor are all used with the Dative]

Here are some examples, with explanations for the choice of case:

Location (where are the students

Die Studenten sitzen in der Klasse.
sitting? In the class) ==> Dative.

Motion (where are the students

Die Studenten gehen in die Klasse. going? Into the class) ==>
Accusative.

Location (where are we eating? In

Wir essen in der Mensa.
the cafeteria) ==> Dative.

Using the accusative would imply

Wir essen in die Mensa.
that we are eating our way into the
cafeteria, as if there were e.g. a
 huge wall of Sauerbraten blocking
our way into the cafeteria (though
you would actually have to say "Wir
essen uns in die Mensa durch.")

Der Terminator kommt mit einem Motion (The Terminator is coming

Maschinengewehr an meine Tür. to my door) ==> Accusative.

Der Terminator steht mit einem Location (The Terminator is

Maschinengewehr an meiner Tür. standing at my door) ==> Dative.

Google (which is all-knowing) sees

Google sieht in unsere Herzen.
into our hearts ==> accusative.

Using the dative in this case would

imply that Google is located inside
Google sieht in unseren Herzen. our hearts (and there it is seeing
some things), which we can only
hope doesn't make sense.

Here the dative is appropriate:

Google sieht die Liebe in unseren
Google is seeing the love located
Herzen.
in our hearts.

A French book is lying on my desk

==> location ==> dative. Click
here for more information on strong
Ein Französischbuch liegt auf verb/weak verb pairs like
meinem Schreibtisch. stehen/stellen, liegen/legen,
sitzen/setzen etc., which are
frequently used with two-way
prepositions.

I put it into the fireplace ==>

motion ==> accusative. Click
here for more information on strong
Ich lege es in den Kamin verb/weak verb pairs like
[=fireplace]. stehen/stellen, liegen/legen,
sitzen/setzen etc., which are
frequently used with two-way
prepositions.

The accusative "das Bett" means

Das Kind springt auf das Bett.
there must be motion towards or
away from the bed ==> the child is
 jumping onto the bed.

The dative "dem Bett" means the

action is located on the bed ==>
the child is jumping up and down
Das Kind springt auf dem Bett. on the bed. Note that in this case
there is motion involved, but since
it is not motion towards or away
from the bed, the dative is used.

The accusative "das ... Auto"

means the action is taking JB in
Justin Bieber rennt vor das front of the speeding car, i.e. there
rasende [=speeding] Auto. is a speeding car, and JB is running
out in front of it into its way ==>
bad news for JB and the Beliebers.

The dative "dem ... Auto" means

the action is located in front of the
speeding car, i.e. there is a
Justin Bieber rennt vor dem
speeding car, and JB is running
rasenden [=speeding] Auto.
along in front of it ==> if he is
running fast enough, he will
survive.

By using the dative I am

emphasizing the location where
Ich schwimme im Meer.
my swimming is taking place: in
the sea.

By using the accusative I am

Ich schwimme ins Meer. emphasizing where I am swimming
to: (out) into the sea.

Zurück nach oben

Wohin gehen wir?--Where are we going to?: an, auf, in, nach, zu

1. Continents, islands, countries, cities and towns:

a. Normally, use nach for these.

Wir reisen nach Europa, nach Tahiti, nach Deutschland, nach Köln
b. For countries with an article, use in.

Wir reisen in die Schweiz, in die USA, in den Irak, in die Türkei [Also: in
die Stadt]

2. Other locations:

a. Use in if you will end up inside a place or location.

Du gehst ins Kino, in die Klasse, in die Kirche, in den Zoo, in die
Sauna, in den Park, in die Stadt

b. Use auf if you will end up on something.

Ich gehe auf die Straße, du kletterst [=climb] auf den Berg, die Kuh
geht auf die Weide [=meadow], das Kind geht auf die Toilette, wir
fahren aufs Land [=countryside]

Auf is also sometimes used for going to formal events or public places.

Sie geht auf eine Party, auf eine Hochzeit [=wedding], auf einen
Empfang [=reception], auf die Post, auf den Markt [but usually: zum
Rathaus [=town hall], zur Universität, zur Bibliothek]

c. Use an to describe motion to a precise spot, or to something that can be perceived as

a horizontal or vertical boundary (something you would stand at or by in English).

Precise spot: Er geht ans Mikrofon, an den Tatort [=scene of the crime],
an die Bushaltestelle [=bus stop], an seinen Platz, an die Kreuzung
[=intersection], an die Kasse [=cashier's desk]

Horizontal or vertical boundary: Sie geht ans Fenster, an die Tür, an die
Wand, an den Tisch ["Sie setzt sich an den Tisch"], an die Grenze
[=border], ans Meer, an die Tafel, an den Fluss, an den Rhein, an den
Strand [=beach], an den See, an den Zaun [=fence], ans Ufer
[=shore], an die Front [in war]
d. Use nach for directions (without an article), and idiomatically in nach Hause. Note:
this, and the use of nach for going to cities, countries etc. described above, are the only
uses of nach [to mean to]. Learners of German often use nach when they are not sure
which preposition is correct, but zu is a much better guess--see (e) below!

Fahren Sie nach links, nach rechts, nach Norden, nach Süden, nach
Osten, nach Westen. Gehen Sie nach oben, nach unten. Ich gehe nach
Hause.

e. If in doubt, use zu! Zu can replace in if you need not emphasize that you are going
inside, and must replace in if it would be absurd to speak of going inside--e.g. driving to
a building, visiting a person. You also need to use zu if you're going to a particular
company's locale that you're specifying with a proper name (e.g. Kroger). An exception
to this latter rule is the huge department store chain "Kaufhof," the reason being that the
name contains the word "Hof" [=yard], a space that one can go into.

Wir gehen zum/in den Bahnhof; wir fahren zum/in den Bahnhof; wir
fahren zur/in die Stadt; die Straßenbahn [=tram] fährt zum/ins
Museum; wir gehen zu/in Peter; wir gehen zur/in die Bäckerei; wir
gehen zum/in den Bäcker; zu/in SPAR (a supermarket chain), zum/in
den Kaufhof

Zu can also replace the use of auf for formal events and public buildings, and it can
replace the use of an generally. Thus, you can usually get by just by knowing zu, the use
of nach and in for countries, cities etc. (and of nach for directions), and the use of auf
for Straße, Land, Toilette etc.!

Replacing auf: Sie geht zu einer Party, zu einer Hochzeit [=wedding],

zu einem Empfang [=reception], zum Bahnhof, zur Post

Replacing an for precise spots: Er geht zum Mikrofon, zum Tatort

[=scene of the crime], zur Bushaltestelle [=bus stop], zu seinen Platz

Replacing an for horizontal boundaries: Sie geht zum Fenster, zur Tür,
zur Wand, zum Tisch [but: sie setzt sich an den/zum Tisch], zur
Grenze [=border]

Zurück nach oben

Wo sind wir?: an, auf, bei, in, zu etc.

1. Use in, auf and an in the same ways as described under Wohin gehen wir? above; for
exceptions, see (2) below.

Du bist im Kino, in der Klasse, in der Kirche, im Zoo, in der Sauna, im

Park, in der Stadt

Ich bin auf der Straße, auf dem Berg, auf dem Land; die Kuh ist auf
der Weide [=meadow]; das Kind ist auf der Toilette

Sie ist auf einer Party, auf einer Hochzeit [=wedding], auf einem
Empfang [=reception], auf der Post, auf dem Markt

Er ist am Mikrofon, am Tatort [=scene of the crime], an der

Bushaltestelle [=bus stop], an seinem Platz, an der Kreuzung

Sie ist am Fenster, an der Tür, an der Wand, am Tisch ["Sie sitzt am
Tisch"], an der Grenze [=border], am Meer

2a. Nach is NEVER used for saying where you are. Use in for location in continents,
countries with or without article, and cities. Use auf for location on an island.

Wir sind in Europa, auf Tahiti, in Deutschland, in Köln, auf Helgoland

[an island off Germany's northern coast]

2b. For location in public buildings, in (and occasionally an) is increasingly used instead
of auf, especially in speaking.

Wir sind in der Post, im Rathaus [=town hall], in der Bibliothek [but
usually: am Bahnhof, an der Universität]

2c. An is used quite generally to indicate location at or near a place; bei can also be
used and is more like "in the vicinity of."

Sie ist am/beim Bahnhof, am/beim Supermarkt, an der/bei der

Bibliothek, am/beim Theater

2d. Bei is used to indicate location in or at a particular person's or company's

house/locale; it is also used to indicate one's place of work. If one is working or
studying at an academic or otherwise "high-brow" institution, one uses an.
 Wir sind bei Hans, wir wohnen bei Inge, ich bin beim Aldi [name of a
discount supermarket chain], er ist beim Metzger [=butcher], du
arbeitest bei Siemens/bei der Post/bei Hoechst, sie
studiert/lehrt/arbeitet an der Universität

e. Zu does not usually indicate location, but it used to. The most important remnant is zu
Hause, and there are others, such as "zu Tisch" [=at table].

Zurück nach oben

Other Notes and Examples

1. You should be familiar with the various common meanings of these

prepositions. Although some aspects of these meanings are reviewed here, you may
want to look back at your textbooks/notes from previous German courses to refresh your
memory. It's worth it: prepositions come up all the time, and are crucial in determining
meaning! You can find more info on some of these prepositions in the "Superwörter"
pages: um and nach in SW I; während and bei in SW II; zu in SW III; and unter and
neben in SW V. Below are a few more reminders.

2. Für = for generally, but to say for how long something happens, German
distinguishes three cases:

2a. The action is completed. Just put the time period in the accusative. Add lang, if
you wish. Do NOT use für.

Wir waren drei Wochen/einen Tag/zwei Jahre/eine Stunde (lang) in

Berlin.

2b. The action began in the past and is continuing. Use seit + present tense. Do
NOT use für.

Wir sind seit drei Wochen/einem We have been (and still are) in
Tag/zwei Jahren/einer Stunde in Berlin for three weeks/one day/two
Berlin. years/one hour.

2c. The action extends into the future. Use für ONLY in this case.

Wir sind für drei Wochen/einen We are in Berlin for three

 Tag/zwei Jahre/eine Stunde in weeks/one day/two years/one hour.
Berlin. [We are there already, and this is
how long we expect to stay]

We are going to travel to Berlin for

Wir werden für drei Wochen/einen
three weeks/one day/two years/one
Tag/zwei Jahre/eine Stunde nach
hour. [This is how long we are
Berlin reisen.
planning to stay]

3. Always use ohne for without/with no, never mit kein.

Da ist ein Huhn ohne Kopf! There's a chicken with no head!

4. Aus = out of. This basic meaning can be extended to describe where one comes
from (as in one's home or birthplace, what something is made of, and occasionally a
motive for doing something.. To say where one has just been, von is used. Von is
also used to say what planet someone is from, and to indicate the author of a book or
the creator of a work of art:

Snoopy weigert sich, aus seiner Snoopy refuses to come out of

Hundehütte zu kommen. his dog house.

Er isst nicht mehr aus seiner He no longer eats out of his bowl.
Schüssel.

Snoopy kommt vom Mars, nicht aus Snoopy comes from Mars, not
Connecticut. from Connecticut.

Charlie Brown kommt von London, Charlie Brown comes from

um zu helfen. London in order to help.

Er gibt Snoopy einen Mantel aus He gives Snoopy a coat made out
Katzenfell. of cat fur.

Snoopy fängt aus Freude an zu Snoopy begins to dance for [out

tanzen. of] joy.

Die Peanuts Comics sind von Charles The Peanuts cartoons are by
Schulz. Charles Schulz.
 Look him in the eyes! Your
Schnitzel originates from this
animal!

5. Wegen = because of. Unlike weil, da, and denn, wegen is a preposition, not a
conjunction. Like because of, it is followed by a noun or pronoun (in the genitive, since
it's a genitive preposition) that gives the reason, not by a whole clause (with a verb) that
gives the reason. In speaking, it is often used with the dative instead of the genitive.

Because of the explosion of my

Wegen der Explosion meines computer, I couldn't do my
Computers konnte ich meine homework. [Wegen ==> the
Hausaufgaben nicht machen. reason given is a noun phrase: the
explosion of my computer]

Because my computer exploded, I

Weil/da mein Computer couldn't do my homework. [Weil/da
explodiert ist, konnte ich meine ==> the reason given is a whole
Hausaufgaben nicht machen. clause with a verb: my computer
exploded]

Wegen des schlechten

Because of the bad weather, we
Wetters/dem schlechten Wetter
are sitting at home and playing
sitzen wir zu Hause und spielen
Moorhuhnjagd. [Wegen ==> the
Moorhuhnjagd [=formerly very
reason given is a noun phrase: the
popular goofy video game in which
bad weather]
you hunt some dumb chickens].

Weil/da das Wetter schlecht ist, Because the weather is bad, we

sitzen wir zu Hause und spielen are sitting at home and playing
Moorhuhnjagd [=formerly very Moorhuhnjagd.[Weil/da ==> the
popular goofy video game in which reason given is a whole clause with
you hunt some dumb chickens]. a verb: the weather is bad]

6a. Similarly, vor and nach are prepositions, not to be confused with the corresponding
conjunctions bevor and nachdem ==> vor and nach need to be followed by a noun
or pronoun, whereas bevor and nachdem need to be followed by a whole clause that
includes a verb. [See "Wohin gehen wir?" above for other uses of nach.]

Die Deutschstudenten sind vor der

Klasse ganz aufgeregt. The German students are totally
Die Deutschstudenten sind bevor excited before class.
der Klasse ganz aufgeregt.

Die Französischstudenten rennen

schreiend weg, bevor die Klasse
beginnt. The French students run away
Die Französischstudenten rennen screaming before class begins.
schreiend weg, vor die Klasse
beginnt.

Nach der Wiedervereinigung gab es

After reunification there were
in Deutschland viele unerwartete
many unexpected economic and
wirtschaftliche und soziale
social problems in Germany.
Probleme.

Beethoven schrieb seine neunte Beethoven wrote his ninth

Sinfonie, nachdem er taub symphony after he had become
geworden war. deaf.

Hochmut [=arrogance] kommt vor

German counterpart of the English
dem Fall.
expression "Pride comes before a
Hochmut [=arrogance] kommt
fall."
bevor dem Fall.

Nach dem Essen sollst du ruhn, Literally, this means: "After the
oder tausend Schritte tun. meal you should rest, or do 1000
Nachdem dem Essen sollst du steps." ==> After meals, take a
ruhn, oder tausend Schritte tun. nap or go for a walk.

Literally, this means: "After me,

the flood." This is a famous quote
(Après moi/nous le déluge),
variously attributed to Louis XV or
Nach mir die Sintflut.
his mistress, Madame de
Nachdem mir die Sintflut. Pompadour, used idiomatically in
German when someone deals with
a situation in such a way that it will
be OK for him/her, but there is
likely to be chaos for people to deal
 with later.

6b. When it precedes a time expression, vor means ago:

"Wann fährt der Zug nach

"When does the train to Hamburg
Hamburg?" -- "Sie haben ihn
leave?" -- "You just missed it. It
gerade verpasst. Er ist vor zwei
left two minutes ago. The next
Minuten abgefahren. Der nächste
train leaves tomorrow at 6:27."
Zug fährt morgen früh um 6:27."

"Wann bist du aufgestanden?" -- "When did you get up?" -- "Five

"Vor fünf Minuten." minutes ago."

Vor 87 Jahren brachten unsere Four score and seven years ago,
Väter auf diesem Kontinent eine our fathers brought forth upon this
neue Nation hervor... continent a new nation...

7. When über means "about" (as opposed to "over" or "above"), it is always used with
the accusative:

Eminem denkt, dass die Leute Eminem thinks that people are
immer über ihn sprechen. always talking about him.

One can learn a lot about the 2nd

Vom History Channel kann man viel
World War from the History
über den 2. Weltkrieg lernen.
Channel.

8. Nouns and pronouns following the most common enitive prepositions (an)statt, trotz,
während and wegen will generally be in the Genitive in more formal speaking and
writing, but are increasingly often in the Dative in more informal speaking and writing.

Wegen des Föhns/dem Föhn waren

alle schlecht gelaunt. [Föhn is a
notorious weather phenomenon
north and south of the Alps, a Because of the Foehn wind,
warm, dry wind coming off the Alps everyone was in a bad mood.
especially in Spring and late Winter
that gives people headaches and
puts them in a bad
mood. Meteorologically it is
 comparable to the Chinook in the
Rockies.]

Während des Endspiels/dem During the final of the soccer world

Endspiel der cup the streets were deserted [wie
Fußballweltmeisterschaft waren die leergefegt = as if they had been
Straßen wir leergefegt. swept empty].

Trotz des Endes/dem Ende der Despite the end of the recession,
Rezession stieg die Arbeitslosigkeit. unemployment increased.

9a. The dative preposition gegenüber can precede or follow the noun it refers
to. When gegenüber is used with a pronoun, it must follow the pronoun. You should
put the accusative preposition entlang after the noun it refers to. You may
occasionally see it used before the noun, in which case it actually becomes a dative (or
occasionally genitive) preposition.

Das Panorama-Restaurant Loreley

am Rhein liegt direkt gegenüber
The Panorama-Restaurant Loreley
dem Loreleyfelsen.
am Rhein lies directly across from
Das Panorama-Restaurant Loreley
(opposite) the Loreley rock.
am Rhein liegt dem Loreleyfelsen
direkt gegenüber.

Wenn Sie am Fenster sitzen und

essen, ist die Loreley Ihnen direkt
If you sit at the window and eat,
gegenüber.
the Loreley is directly across from
Wenn Sie am Fenster sitzen und
(opposite) you.
essen, ist die Loreley direkt
gegenüberIhnen.

Wenn man im Schiff den Rhein

entlang fährt, sieht man viele
romantische alte Burgen, und die
sagenumwobene Loreley. If one rides along the Rhine by
[rare:] Wenn man im Schiff boat, one sees many romantic old
entlang dem Rhein/des Rheins castles, and the legendary Loreley.
fährt, sieht man viele romantische
alte Burgen, und die
sagenumwobene Loreley.

9b. Gegenüber can also be used to mean in relation to as in the following examples:
 The Germans are skeptical about
Die Deutschen stehen
multimedia cell phones. [literally:
Multimediahandys skeptisch
The Germans stand skeptically in
gegenüber.
relation to multimedia cell phones]

Die Organisatoren des Robo-Cup

wollen die Scheu gegenüber The organizers of the Robo-Cup
Robotern abbauen. [This is a want to reduce the
competition in which robots play apprehensiveness [people feel] in
soccer. Click here for the RoboCup relation to robots.
German Open.]

Warum bist du mir gegenüber

immer so aggressiv? Why are you always so aggressive
Warum bist du gegenüber mir towards me?
immer so aggressiv?

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