Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch.
English: I put the book onto the table.
- Language
- German
- Level
- A2
- Unit
- Präpositionen
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Wechselpräpositionen are German prepositions that can take either the accusative or dative case, depending on whether there is movement (change of place) or not.
When to use it
Use these prepositions in German to describe where something is (position - dative) or where something is going (direction/movement - accusative).
Key forms
- an
- auf
- hinter
- in
- neben
- über
- unter
- vor
- zwischen
Examples
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
English: The book is lying on the table.
Wir gehen in die Schule.
English: We are going into the school.
Wir sind in der Schule.
English: We are in the school.
Die Katze schläft unter dem Bett.
English: The cat is sleeping under the bed.
Tips
- Use the accusative case when there is movement towards a place.
- Use the dative case when describing location (no movement).
- Pay attention to the gender and case endings after the preposition.
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