Table of Contents
Understanding Place Prepositions in German
Place prepositions tell you where something or someone is. In German, many very important everyday sentences use these little words, so it is worth getting used to them early.
In this chapter we focus on the most common prepositions of place and very basic patterns. Detailed case rules for prepositions with dative and accusative are covered in a later chapter, so here we will show simple, typical beginner patterns that you can already use.
Basic Prepositions for “in” and “inside”
The preposition “in” is used when something is inside an enclosed space such as a room, a building, a container, or a country.
Examples:
Ich bin in der Küche.
Er ist in der Schule.
Die Milch ist im Kühlschrank.
Wir wohnen in Deutschland.
“im” is a short form of “in dem.” You will often see it with masculine and neuter places in very fixed beginner phrases such as:
im Supermarkt, im Büro, im Park.
Use “in” when something is inside a space.
Ich bin in der Wohnung. = I am inside the apartment.
Prepositions for “on” and “at a Surface”
The preposition “auf” often means that something is on a horizontal surface.
Examples:
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
Die Tasse steht auf dem Schreibtisch.
Die Katze sitzt auf dem Stuhl.
With public places like “Markt” or “Bahnhof,” beginners also learn:
Ich bin auf dem Markt.
Er ist auf dem Bahnhof.
The preposition “an” is used for a vertical surface or at an edge or border, and also for some “at” places.
Examples:
Das Bild hängt an der Wand.
Die Jacke hängt an der Tür.
Wir stehen an der Haltestelle.
Use “auf” for “on (a surface)” and “an” for “at / on (a border or vertical surface).
auf dem Tisch, auf dem Stuhl.
an der Wand, an der Tür.
Prepositions for “under,” “over,” and “next to”
Some very common place prepositions describe position relative to another object.
“unter” means under or below.
Examples:
Der Hund liegt unter dem Tisch.
Die Schuhe stehen unter dem Bett.
“über” means over or above, but in beginner use it is mostly “over” something.
Examples:
Die Lampe hängt über dem Tisch.
Der Spiegel hängt über dem Sofa.
“neben” means next to or beside. It shows that something is close, at the side, but not touching from above.
Examples:
Der Stuhl steht neben dem Tisch.
Ich sitze neben meiner Freundin.
Die Bank ist neben der Post.
Use “unter” for “under,” “über” for “over,” and “neben” for “next to.”
unter dem Tisch, über dem Tisch, neben dem Tisch.
Prepositions for “in Front of,” “Behind,” and “Between”
To describe position more exactly, German uses different prepositions for front, back, and between.
“vor” means in front of.
Examples:
Das Auto steht vor dem Haus.
Die Kinder spielen vor der Schule.
“hinter” means behind.
Examples:
Der Garten ist hinter dem Haus.
Der Hund liegt hinter dem Sofa.
“zwischen” means between. It needs two “sides,” two things or groups.
Examples:
Der Tisch steht zwischen den Stühlen.
Das Hotel liegt zwischen dem Bahnhof und dem Park.
Use “vor” for “in front of,” “hinter” for “behind,” and “zwischen” for “between.”
vor dem Haus, hinter dem Haus, zwischen den Häusern.
Prepositions for “At” a Place
Sometimes you want to say that you are at a place, not exactly inside or on a surface. German often uses “bei” for this. It is very common with people and with some workplaces or institutions.
Examples:
Ich bin bei meiner Freundin.
Er arbeitet bei einer Firma.
Wir sind bei der Polizei.
Ich bin beim Arzt.
“beim” is a short form of “bei dem.” You will hear it a lot in everyday sentences.
There are also some set expressions with “an” and “auf” for “at” a place, for example:
an der Haltestelle, an der Kasse, auf dem Bahnhof.
At this level, learn these as fixed phrases.
Use “bei” to say you are “at” a person or “at” a workplace or institution.
Ich bin bei meiner Familie.
Er ist beim Arzt.
Typical Place Prepositions with Common Locations
Some prepositions are very typical with certain nouns. For beginners it is helpful to learn the place and the preposition together as a chunk.
Table: Common places and typical prepositions for “where”
| German phrase | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| in der Schule | at / in school |
| in der Stadt | in town / in the city |
| in der Küche | in the kitchen |
| im Wohnzimmer | in the living room |
| im Büro | at / in the office |
| im Park | in the park |
| auf dem Markt | at the market |
| auf dem Bahnhof | at the train station |
| auf dem Tisch | on the table |
| auf dem Stuhl | on the chair |
| an der Wand | on the wall |
| an der Tür | on the door / at the door |
| an der Haltestelle | at the stop |
| vor dem Haus | in front of the house |
| hinter dem Haus | behind the house |
| neben dem Auto | next to the car |
| unter dem Bett | under the bed |
| über dem Tisch | over the table |
| bei meiner Freundin | at my girlfriend’s place |
| beim Arzt | at the doctor’s |
Try to memorize these expressions with the article and the preposition together, for example “in der Schule,” “im Park,” “an der Wand.” This will help you sound natural when you talk about where you are or where objects are.
New Vocabulary in This Chapter
| German | Part of speech | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| in | preposition | in, inside |
| im | preposition | in the (masculine / neuter) |
| auf | preposition | on, on top of, at (some places) |
| an | preposition | at, on (vertical / border) |
| unter | preposition | under, below |
| über | preposition | over, above |
| neben | preposition | next to, beside |
| vor | preposition | in front of |
| hinter | preposition | behind |
| zwischen | preposition | between |
| bei | preposition | at (with people / institutions) |
| beim | preposition | at the (short for “bei dem”) |
| die Wand | noun (f.) | wall |
| die Tür | noun (f.) | door |
| der Tisch | noun (m.) | table |
| der Stuhl | noun (m.) | chair |
| der Boden | noun (m.) | floor |
| das Haus | noun (n.) | house |
| das Bett | noun (n.) | bed |
| der Schreibtisch | noun (m.) | desk |
| die Küche | noun (f.) | kitchen |
| das Wohnzimmer | noun (n.) | living room |
| die Schule | noun (f.) | school |
| das Büro | noun (n.) | office |
| der Park | noun (m.) | park |
| der Markt | noun (m.) | market |
| der Bahnhof | noun (m.) | train station |
| die Haltestelle | noun (f.) | (bus / tram) stop |
| der Arzt | noun (m.) | doctor |
| die Polizei | noun (f.) | police |
| die Stadt | noun (f.) | city, town |
| das Bild | noun (n.) | picture, image |
| die Lampe | noun (f.) | lamp |
| der Spiegel | noun (m.) | mirror |