Accusative Prepositions in German

This section explains Accusative Prepositions in German. In German, prepositions are words that link nouns or pronouns to other parts of the sentence. Some prepositions require the accusative case, meaning the object of the preposition must be in the accusative case. It’s essential to remember which prepositions take the accusative, as this affects both the article and the personal pronoun used in the sentence.

List of Common Accusative Prepositions:

Here are some key accusative prepositions:

• durch (through)
• für (for)
• gegen (against)
• ohne (without)
• um (around)
• bis (until)

Note: These prepositions always require the accusative case for the noun or pronoun that follows them.

Accusative with Definite Articles

When an accusative preposition is used, it changes the definite article (the word for "the") according to the gender of the noun that follows it.

Definite Articles in the Accusative:

Examples:

• Ich gehe durch den Park.
  (I am walking through the park.)
  • den is used because Park is masculine.
• Sie geht für die Familie einkaufen.
  (She is shopping for the family.)
  • die is used because Familie is feminine.
• Er läuft ohne das Auto.
  (He is walking without the car.)
  • das is used because Auto is neuter.
• Wir sind bis die Straße gegangen.
  (We went until the street.)
  • die is used because Straße is feminine.

Accusative with Personal Pronouns

When we use personal pronouns after accusative prepositions, the pronouns must also be in the accusative case. Here’s a quick review of the accusative personal pronouns:

Examples with Accusative Pronouns:

• Er geht ohne mich.
  (He is going without me.)
  • mich is the accusative pronoun for "I."
• Ich kaufe das für dich.
  (I am buying that for you.)
  • dich is the accusative pronoun for "you."
• Sie läuft um ihn.
  (She is running around him.)
  • ihn is the accusative pronoun for "he."
• Wir treffen uns für euch.
  (We are meeting for you all.)
  • euch is the accusative pronoun for "you (plural)."
• Ich kann es nicht finden.
  (I can’t find it.)
  • es is the accusative pronoun for "it" (neuter).

Foundation Tier Example Sentences:

• Ich laufe durch den Wald.
  (I am walking through the forest.)
  • den is used for Wald (masculine).
• Er geht ohne die Tasche.
  (He is going without the bag.)
  • die is used for Tasche (feminine).
• Wir fahren um das Haus.
  (We are driving around the house.)
  • das is used for Haus (neuter).
• Sie hilft uns gegen die Schwierigkeiten.
  (She is helping us against the difficulties.)
  • uns is the accusative pronoun for wir.

Higher Tier Example Sentences:

• Die Kinder laufen durch den Park und spielen mit ihren Freunden.
  (The children are walking through the park and playing with their friends.)
  • den is used for Park (masculine).
• Wir müssen gegen die Regeln kämpfen.
  (We must fight against the rules.)
  • die is used for Regeln (feminine).
• Er fährt ohne mich, weil ich krank bin.
  (He is driving without me because I am ill.)
  • mich is the accusative pronoun for ich.
• Kannst du es für uns kaufen?
  (Can you buy it for us?)
  • es is the accusative pronoun for es (neuter).
• Ich kann gegen sie nichts tun.
  (I can’t do anything against her.)
  • sie is the accusative pronoun for she.

Summary:

• Accusative prepositions (e.g. durch, für, gegen, ohne, um) always require the object following them to be in the accusative case.
• The definite articles change in the accusative case: der becomes den (masculine), die stays die (feminine and plural), and das stays das (neuter).
• Personal pronouns also change in the accusative: ich becomes mich, du becomes dich, er becomes ihn, and so on.

These forms are essential to mastering German word order and ensuring grammatical accuracy in sentences involving accusative prepositions.

Key Vocabulary:

• through: durch
• for: für
• against: gegen
• without: ohne
• around: um
• until: bis