Two-Way Prepositions with Accusative & Dative (Wechselpräpositionen mit Dativ und Akkusativ)
There are nine prepositions that can switch between the accusative and dative cases. They are called two-way prepositions or “Wechselpräpositionen”.
This post is a modified version of a portion of a chapter in Herr Antrim's new book "Mastering the German Case System". You can buy the ebook version here or the paperback on Amazon* here. If you don't like Amazon, this book is also sold pretty much everywhere else books are sold. Just search for "Mastering the German Case System".
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Which prepositions are the Wechselpräpositionen or two-way prepositions?
The two-way prepositions in German (Wechselpräpositionen) are: an (on), auf (on), hinter (behind), in (in, into), neben (next to), über (over), unter (under), vor (in front of), and zwischen (between).
If you want to sing these prepositions in alphabetical order they fit really well with the song “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”.
If you don’t care if they are in alphabetical order or not, you can sing them with “She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain” in the order you see them below. If you want to hear me sing all of the German prepositions songs, click here.
When to Use Accusative and When to Use Dative with Two-Way Prepositions
The two-way prepositions are called this because they can use either the accusative or dative cases. It isn’t a Schrödinger's preposition kind of situation. It is German. There is a method to this madness.
If the prepositional phrase describes a change in location, you need the accusative case within that phrase. If there is no change in location, you need the dative case.
Wo vs Wohin
Another way to phrase this is the difference between “wo” and “wohin”. The question word “wo” means “where” and “wohin” means “to where”. “Wo” indicates a stationary situation, which requires the dative case. “Wohin” indicates a change in location, which requires the accusative case.
Let’s take the following sentence, as an example.
Das Kind krabbelt unter ____ Tisch. -
The child is crawling under the table.
Here we can use either the accusative or the dative case, but the connotation changes based on the case used. Basically it boils down to "was the child always under the table or is this expressing a change in location?"
If we say:
Wo krabbelt das Kind? -
Where is the child crawling?
we answer with:
Das Kind krabbelt unter dem Tisch. -
The child is crawling under the table.
This means that the child is crawling under the table, but never gets out from under the table. They are staying under the table, which means that they are not changing locations. This means that we have to use the dative case.
If we say:
Wohin krabbelt das Kind? -
To where is the child crawling?
we answer with:
Das Kind krabbelt unter den Tisch. -
The child is crawling under the table.
This means that the child started somewhere else and the destination is “under the table”.
Indicator Verbs with Two-Way Prepositions
Depending upon the answer to the question of “wo” vs “wohin”, there are certain situations where the direct object or lack thereof will not help you determine the correct case.
While it is preferred to know the difference between “wo” and “wohin” in order to understand which case to use, there is a handy trick that works most of the time to figure it out without understanding that.
Certain verbs will lend themselves more to use the two-way prepositions with the accusative case and certain ones will mostly use the dative case.
Generally speaking, if there is a direct object, you will more than likely use the accusative case. If there is not a direct object, you will use the dative case. WARNING: THIS IS A GENERALIZATION. IT DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK!
This pattern is fascinating to me. For every verb on this list, the pattern holds true. The ones in the first column all require a direct object all of the time without exception. This means you have to “legen” something. You have to “stellen” something. You can’t just “setzen”. You have to “setzen” something.
All of the ones in the other category cannot have a direct object. They must all be used without a direct object. It isn’t possible to use one with these four verbs.
All of the verbs in the first column are regular verbs in the past tenses. “Legen” becomes “legte” in the Präteritum tense and “gelegt” in the Perfekt. “Stellen” changes to “stellte” and “gestellt”. “Setzen” - “setzte” - “gesetzt”.
All of the verbs in the second category are irregular verbs in the past tenses. “Liegen” becomes “lag” and “gelegen”. “Stehen” becomes “stand” and “gestanden”. “Sitzen” - “saß” - “gesessen”.
Learn about the patterns of irregular verbs in the past tenses here.
If you use a two-way preposition in a sentence with the first column of verbs, you almost always use the accusative case in that prepositional phrase. If you use a two-way preposition in a sentence with the second group of verbs, you almost always use the dative case within that prepositional phrase.
Short version: These verbs try as hard as they can to give you as many hints as possible to make sure you use the correct case if you encounter a two-way preposition near one of these verbs.
legen vs liegen
Let’s start with the difference between “legen” and “liegen”.
Der Junge legt die Bonbons hinter das Regal. -
The boy puts the candy behind the shelf.
This sentence has a direct object (die Bonbons) that is being put somewhere in a lying position. This is shown through the verb “legen”. The “Bonbons” were not behind the shelf before, but as a result of the prepositional phrase “hinter das Regal”, they are now behind the shelf.
The verb “liegen” shows the result after “legen” has been completed. In other words: “legen” shows the change in location, while “liegen” shows the new location.
Die Bonbons liegen hinter dem Regal. -
The candy is behind the shelf.
Here I used the dative case, because the “Bonbons” are not moving anymore. They are behind the shelf.
stellen vs stehen
Der Mann stellt die Action-Figur in das Regal. -
The man places the action figure on the shelf.
The verb “stellen” places something in an upright position. In this example, the action figure was somewhere else and through the action of the verb “stellen” and the description of the prepositional phrase using “in” it was moved to a new location.
This sentence describes the new location of the action figure. It is in an upright position on the shelf. It is no longer moving, so we used the dative case.
Caution: Germans tend to say that you put things “in” shelves instead of “on” them. If you say “auf” in this situation, it means that they are “on top of” the shelf, where they more than likely shouldn’t be.
Die Action-Figur steht im (in dem) Regal. -
The action figure is standing on the shelf.
setzen vs sitzen
Das Mädchen setzt sich an den Tisch. -
The girl set herself down at the table.
The verb “setzen” places something in a seated position. This means that the object of the sentence is likely something with legs, i.e. a person or an animal.
In this sentence the one being “set” and the one doing the “setzen” is the same person, so we used the reflexive pronoun “sich”. The change in location for this girl is then shown through the prepositional phrase and illustrated in the accusative case.
Das Mädchen sitzt am (an dem) Tisch. -
The girl is sitting at the table.
This sentence describes her location after the sitting process has been completed. It is a static location.
These sentences also showcase a very important distinction for the prepositions “auf” and “an”. When you are sitting at a table, you use “an”. When you are sitting on top of a table, use “auf”.
hängen vs hängen
Now let’s get to the verb “hängen”. You probably noticed that it was in both categories of verbs at the beginning of this section and there was a * next to the verb. That’s because it all comes down to the direct object (or lack thereof).
Der Mann hängt das Foto an die Wand. -
The man is hanging the photo onto the wall.
This example has a direct object (das Foto) that is being moved from somewhere else to the wall. This change in location is shown in the accusative case with the preposition “an”.
Das Foto hängt an der Wand. -
The photo is hanging on the wall.
This version does not have a direct object and describes the static location of the photo. You’ll notice that our subject in the previous example was “the man” and the subject of this sentence is “the photo”. That is because we are no longer focused on the movement, but rather the location.
The reason for the * next to the verb is because, technically, these are different verbs. In the present tense, they look the same. In the past tenses, however, they are different. They follow the same patterns as all of the other verbs in their respective clauses at the beginning of the chapter.
If “hängen” has a direct object, the past tense forms are regular. It becomes “hängte” and “gehängt”. If “hängen” does not have a direct object, the past tense forms are irregular. It becomes “hing” and “gehangen”.
direct object vs no direct object
If there is a direct object, the accusative case is used within the prepositional phrase with the two-way preposition. If there is no direct object, the dative case is used within the prepositional phrase with the two-way preposition.
On the surface this looks confusing, but it really is helpful in deciphering other sentences and the cases needed with the two-way prepositions. If there is a direct object, it is very likely that you need the accusative case. If there is no direct object, it is very likely that you need the dative case.
Die Frau stellt das Essen auf den Tisch. -
The woman is putting the food on the table.
There is a direct object in this sentence and we used the accusative case with the two-way preposition.
Das Essen steht auf dem Tisch. -
The food is on the table.
There is no direct object in this sentence and we used the dative case with the two-way preposition.
Caution: The verbs "(ver)senken" and "sinken" are the opposite of the general rule. Use the question words “wo” and “wohin” to help you here. They function in the same ways as the other pairs on our list in most ways. “Senken” requires a direct object and generally this means the two-way preposition will use the accusative case. “Sinken”, by contrast, does not use a direct object and generally this means the two-way preposition uses the dative case.
In the following sentences, however, this rule does not hold true.
Das U-Boot versenkt den Zerstörer im (in dem) Meer. -
The submarine is sinking the destroyer in the sea.
Der Zerstörer sinkt in das Meer. -
The destroyer is sinking into the sea.
In cases like this, you need to follow the logic of “wo” and “wohin”. Use dative with “wo” and accusative with “wohin”.
Wo senkt das U-Boot den Zerstörer? Im Meer. -
Where is the submarine sinking the destroyer? In the sea.
Wohin sinkt der Zerstörer? In das Meer. -
Into where is the destroyer sinking? Into the sea.
The Perfekt Tense Problem with Two-Way Prepositions
There are lots of situations in which the two-way prepositions can be a bit confusing. The main issue I have seen with my students is due to the Perfekt tense. When some students are taught the Perfekt tense they learn to use “sein’ as a helping verb with motion verbs.
If it is a motion verb, it obviously changes the location of something, so we should use the accusative case with a two-way preposition with a verb like that, right? No. Actually, almost always it is the opposite of that.
Der Mann ist an der Wand geklettert. -
The man climbed on the wall.
The verb “klettern” uses the helping verb “sein” in the Perfekt tense. It changes the location. The important distinction, however, is that it changes the location of the subject. What is described in the prepositional phrase in this sentence is not about the change in location for the man. It is about the static location where his movement is taking place. You wouldn’t say “To where is he climbing?” It is just “Where is he climbing?”
Die Kinder haben Abendessen an dem Tisch gegessen. -
The children ate dinner at the table.
Here we have a direct object, but the two-way preposition requires the dative case. This is a similar explanation. The prepositional phrase is not describing a change in location. It is about the static location at which the children are eating.
Das Kind wirft den Ball in das Haus. -
The child is throwing the ball into the house.
Throwing something obviously changes its location. It makes sense that you would use the accusative case with a two-way preposition in this sentence. That only works, however, if the prepositional phrase describes the change in location.
Das Kind wirft den Ball in dem Haus. -
The child is throwing the ball in the house.
This time the prepositional phrase uses the dative case, because it isn’t about the change in location for the ball. It is about the static location where the throwing is taking place.
Ich habe das Blatt Papier auf den Tisch in dem Wohnzimmer gelegt. -
I laid the piece of paper onto the table in the living room.
This sentence uses two different two-way prepositions with different cases for each. Break it down and think about what they are describing. “Auf den Tisch” describes the change in location for the piece of paper. Therefore we have to use the accusative case for that phrase.
The phrase “in dem Wohnzimmer”, however, describes the location in which the placing of the paper takes place. A simpler version would be to say that it describe where the table is located. This requires the dative case.
Ich bin mit meinem Hund in meinem Auto nach Chicago gefahren. -
I drove to Chicago with my dog in my car.
Everything about this sentence screams change in location. The verb “fahren” means “to drive”, which is usually a change in location. The destination is given in the phrase “nach Chicago”. What is described with the phrase “in meinem Auto”, however, is not a change in location. It is the static location of the dog throughout the trip. He is in the car. He never leaves the car.
What you mean to say is key!
You can do these kinds of analysis with all sorts of sentences with two-way prepositions.
Das Flugzeug ist über die Wolke geflogen. -
The airplane flew over the cloud.
There was a small cloud and the plane went from one side of it to the other side. It changed the location. Therefore we need the accusative case.
Das Flugzeug ist über der Wolke geflogen. -
The airplane flew over the cloud.
All of the flying is taking place above the cloud. It requires the dative case. It really comes down to “what do you mean to say”. You can be super precise with your language in German.
Mein Bruder ist in den Bergen gewandert. -
My brother hiked in the mountains.
This sentence indicates that your brother is doing some hiking and that action is taking place in the mountains.
Mein Bruder ist in die Berge gewandert. -
My brother hiked into the mountains.
This sentence indicates that your brother is hiking from somewhere that is not consider “in the mountains” and ends up “in the mountains”.
Ich setze mich auf dem Tisch hin, da mein Stuhl schon auf dem Tisch ist. -
I set myself down on the table, because my chair is already on the table.
In this sentence I purposefully confused you. The verb “hinsetzen” is usually used with the two-way preposition using the accusative case, but that is because the act of setting oneself down indicates a change of position from “not sitting” to “sitting”.
In this sentence, however, the entire action of setting oneself down happens on top of the table, as the chair onto which the person is setting themselves is on the table. Of course this is an extreme example of the distinction between when to use the accusative and when to use the dative, but this it might help you to see things like this.
Contractions of the Two-Way Prepositions
There are several contractions that can be made with the two-way prepositions. They are listed below.
an + das = ans
an + dem = am
in + das = ins
in + dem = im
Examples of How to Use Each of the Two-Way Prepositions
While I have shown you a wide variety of examples so far with these prepositions, I want to make sure that I have at least one example of each preposition. Here is one more example with each of the two-way prepositions.
an - on
Ich habe am fünfzehnten November Geburtstag. -
I have my birthday on November 15th.
You don’t have to use “an” literally. When you are talking about dates, you say “am” followed by the ordinal number for the date.
auf - on
Er ist auf dem Weg nach Hause. -
He is on his way home.
This one is sometimes confusing. He is changing his location, but the action of the sentence continues to take place in the same place, “on the path”.
Er geht auf dem Gehweg. -
He is walking on the sidewalk.
Er geht auf den Gehweg. -
He walks onto the sidewalk.
In these two examples you can see this illustrated with the difference between “on” and “onto” in English. When he is continually walking on the sidewalk, we use the dative and when he changes his location onto the sidewalk, we use the accusative case.
Ich stehe auf diese Band. -
I like this band.
Ich stehe auf dieser Band. -
I am standing on this band.
This is one weird distinction. If you use the accusative case, like I did in the first example here, you mean “I like this band.” If you use the dative case, it is no longer used figuratively and means you are literally standing on the band.
hinter - behind
Der Junge versteckt sich hinter dem Schrank. -
The boy is hiding (himself) behind the wardrobe.
This is another great example of when you need to ask “wo” or “wohin”. Honestly, it kind of depends. If you mean to describe the action of moving into position behind the wardrobe, you would use the accusative case. The example I gave, however, shows the location of his hiding place.
in - in, into
Der Zug kommt im Bahnhof an. -
The train arrives in the train station.
Again, ask yourself “wo” or “wohin”. You would say “Where is the train arriving?” While you would use “in den Bahnhof” if it were driving into the train station, this sentence uses the verb “arrives”, which is a different meaning. The “arrival” takes place at a static location, so we have to use the dative case. The same is true when you land a plane or park a car. Both use the dative case with these kinds of phrases.
In den letzten Jahren hat er sich gar nicht verändert. -
He hasn’t changed (himself) at all in the last few years.
You can use “in” with time, too. When you do, you use the dative case. The bottom line is that it is a static location within time. It isn’t a literal location, but more of a temporal one. The lack of a change in location is what matters here. Use the dative case with time and two-way prepositions.
neben - next to
Das Buch liegt neben der Tasse. -
The book is lying next to the cup.
Wow. Would you look at that? It is a pretty straight forward static location sentence. Bet you didn’t expect to see any more easy sentences in this book. This one uses the dative case with “neben”, because the verb “liegen” describes the static location of the book.
Ich lege das Buch neben die Tasse. -
I lay the book next to the cup.
This sentence uses the accusative case with the preposition “neben” because we are changing the location of the book with the verb “legen”.
über - above
Die Kuh springt über den Mond. -
The cow jumps over the moon.
That’s right! Nursery rhymes can teach you about German grammar too. The cow went from somewhere else to the position over the moon, which shows a change in location, so we have to use the accusative case here.
Die Kuh steht über dem Frosch. -
The cow is standing over the frog.
Everyone knows the nursery rhyme about the cow standing over the frog, right? No? Well, this sentence is still a good example of using the dative case. We are describing a static location of the cow over the frog, even if it isn’t a nursery rhyme.
Meine Katze spricht mit mir über den Tod hinaus. -
My cat talks to me from beyond the grave.
Even I’ll admit this is an odd use of the two-way prepositions, but this is an interesting one. Because your cat in this example is projecting their speech from the other side of the grave to our side you have to use the accusative case to show that they are crossing that threshold. We do this through the preposition “über”.
unter - under
Ich möchte nicht mehr unter anderen Menschen sein. -
I don’t want to be among other people any more.
This one uses a kind of fixed phrase. The idea of being among other people is a more figurative use of the preposition “unter”, but it still fits the same requirements. It is a static location. You just aren’t literally under other people.
vor - before, in front of
Mein Mann besitzt eine Insel vor der Küste von Argentinien. -
My husband owns an island off the coast of Argentina.
The preposition “vor” doesn’t always have to be translated as “before” or “in front of”. In this sentence I used the word “off” in English. Here, “vor” is translated as “off” because it indicates proximity to the coast.
zwischen - between
Er stellt die Vase zwischen die Säulen. -
He puts the vase between the columns.
Die Vase steht zwischen den Säulen. -
The vase is standing between the columns.
You can use the preposition “zwischen” literally to mean “between” like I did in these two examples. Again, one shows a change in location with the accusative case and the other shows a static location with the dative case.
Manchmal muss man zwischen den Zeilen lesen. -
Sometimes you have to read between the lines.
This is a very common phrase in both languages and requires you to ask “wo” or “wohin” again. The location of the reading is between the lines, so the dative case has to be used.
Master the German Prepositions with These Lessons
More Dative Case Lessons
Indirect Objects and the Dative Case
Two-Way Prepositions (Wechselpräpositionen) with Accusative & Dative
Dative Prepositions with Da-Compounds
Two-Way Prepositions with Da-Compounds
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