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FAQ - Dative Prepositions
Frequently asked questions: Dative Prepositions in German.
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Prepositional Verbs Accusative Prepositions Cases Summary Dative CaseFrequently Asked Questions
Which Preposition Pairs with "Sprechen"?
For example - "Er spricht mit seinem Vater"
The correct preposition to use with "sprechen" to convey the meaning of "to speak with" is "mit", making the expression "sprechen mit". The sentence "Er spricht mit seinem Vater" means "He is speaking with his father". The other prepositions are not suitable to express the act of speaking with someone.
Which Preposition Pairs with "Treffen"?
For example - "Sie trifft sich mit ihren Freunden"
The correct preposition to use with "treffen" to convey the meaning of "to meet with" is "mit", making the expression "treffen mit". The sentence "Sie trifft sich mit ihren Freunden" means "She is meeting with her friends". The other prepositions are not suitable to express the act of meeting with someone.
Which preposition pairs with "lernen"?
For example - "Er hat aus seinen Fehlern gelernt"
The correct preposition to use with "lernen" to convey the meaning of "to learn from" is "aus", making the expression "lernen aus". The sentence "Er hat aus seinen Fehlern gelernt" means "He learned from his mistakes".
Which preposition pairs with "gehen"?
For example - "Ich gehe morgen zum Arzt"
The correct preposition to use with "gehen" to convey the meaning of "to go to" is "zu", forming the phrase "gehen zu". This means the sentence "Ich gehe morgen zum Arzt" translates to "I am going to the doctor tomorrow". Note that 'zu' changes to 'zum' as a shorthand for 'zu dem'.
Which preposition pairs with "träumen"?
For example - "Sie träumt jede Nacht von ihrem Urlaub"
The correct preposition to use with "träumen" to convey the meaning of "to dream of" is "von", making the expression "träumen von". The sentence "Sie träumt jede Nacht von ihrem Urlaub" means "She dreams about her holiday every night".
Which Preposition Pairs with "Kommt"?
For example - "Mein Freund kommt aus den USA"
The correct preposition to use with "kommt" is "aus" when indicating a geographical origin. Thus, "Mein Freund kommt aus den USA" translates to "My friend comes from the U.S."
What preposition pairs with 'fahren' to mean 'to drive to'?
For example - "Er fährt zu seiner Arbeit"
The correct preposition to use with 'fahren' to convey the meaning of 'to drive to' is 'zu', forming the phrase 'fahren zu'. The sentence 'Er fährt zu seiner Arbeit' translates to 'He is driving to his work.' The other prepositions are not used to express the concept of driving to a place. Fun Fact: 'Fahren zu' requires the dative case, as it typically involves a direction or destination – the place being driven to.
Which Preposition Pairs with "Hängen"?
For example - "Die Schlüssel hängen am Kleiderhaken"
The correct preposition to use with "hängen" is "an", resulting in "hängen an". Therefore, "Die Schlüssel hängen am Kleiderhaken" means "The keys are hanging on the clothes hook". Note that "an dem" gets shortened to "am".
Which Preposition Pairs with "Liegen"?
For example - "Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch"
The correct preposition to use with "liegen" is "auf", making the expression "liegen auf". The sentence "Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch" means "The book is on the table". Did you know? Prepositions in German can change the case of the noun that follows them. In the case of "liegen auf", the preposition "auf" requires the noun to be in the dative case.