Mastering Accusative Prepositions in German: A Guide for Learners

Accusative prepositions are generally used to show direction or a change of state and are not interchangeable with prepositions that govern other cases. They are fixed and must be memorized as they do not follow a clear pattern. Below is a list of the most common accusative prepositions:

• durch (through)
• für (for)
• gegen (against)
• ohne (without)
• um (around, at [time])

Each of these prepositions will always be followed by a noun or pronoun in the accusative case. For example:

• Ich gehe durch den Park. (I am walking through the park.)
• Dieses Geschenk ist für dich. (This present is for you.)
• Sie spielt gegen ihren Bruder. (She is playing against her brother.)
• Wir machen das ohne euch. (We are doing it without you.)
• Wir treffen uns um acht Uhr. (We are meeting at eight o'clock.)

Remember that the definite and indefinite articles, as well as any possessive adjectives, will change in the accusative case to reflect the gender and number of the noun they accompany. For example, "der" (the) changes to "den" for masculine nouns in the accusative case.

By mastering these accusative prepositions and their usage, learners can take a significant step forward in their journey towards fluency in German.