Accusative Prepositions in German

In Brief

The German prepositions durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, bis, and entlang are taught as accusative prepositions: the noun or pronoun connected to them normally takes the accusative case. The most visible change is masculine: der becomes den and ein becomes einen, as in durch den Park and für einen Freund.

Overview

A preposition is a short word such as “for,” “through,” or “without” that shows a relationship between parts of a sentence. In German, a preposition also determines the case of the noun phrase that follows it. A case is a grammatical form that shows a noun phrase’s role or relationship in the sentence. With the prepositions in this article, that form is normally the accusative.

This is an important A2 pattern because the English translation alone does not tell you which German case to use. Once you choose für, for example, its object—the person or thing linked to the preposition—must be accusative: für meinen Bruder, not für mein Bruder. The same rule applies whether the phrase describes a person, a place, a time, or an abstract idea.

The basic rule is straightforward, but each preposition has its own meanings and preferred structures. Bis and entlang also have usage details that are best learned separately. Start by mastering the central pattern and the common forms; the later sections explain the less regular cases.

How It Works

The core pattern

Use this structure:

accusative preposition + accusative noun phrase

• für den Kurs — for the course
• ohne eine Pause — without a break
• gegen meine Idee — against my idea
• durch dieses Fenster — through this window

The preposition, not the verb, controls the case in these phrases. In Ich kaufe ein Geschenk für meinen Vater, ein Geschenk is accusative because it is the direct object (the thing being bought), while meinen Vater is accusative because für requires it. The two accusatives have different grammatical reasons.

Article forms after accusative prepositions

Only masculine singular articles show a conspicuous change, but every noun phrase is grammatically accusative.

Gender/number	Definite article	Indefinite article	Example with für
Masculine	den	einen	für den/einen Mann
Feminine	die	eine	für die/eine Frau
Neuter	das	ein	für das/ein Kind
Plural	die	—	für die Kinder

Possessives and other ein-words follow the same pattern as ein: für meinen Sohn, ohne deine Schwester, gegen unser Team. Adjectives also take the endings required by an accusative noun phrase: durch einen langen Tunnel, für kaltes Wetter, ohne große Probleme.

Accusative personal pronouns

Pronouns make the case easier to hear because several forms change.

Basic subject form	Accusative form	Example
ich	mich	für mich
du	dich	ohne dich
er	ihn	gegen ihn
sie	sie	für sie
es	es	ohne es
wir	uns	durch uns
ihr	euch	für euch
sie / Sie	sie / Sie	gegen sie / für Sie

Do not use the English-style subject form by instinct: “for he” is impossible in English, and German similarly requires für ihn, not für er.

The seven main prepositions

Preposition	Core meaning and use	Typical example
durch	through; by means of; because of	durch den Wald, durch harte Arbeit
für	for; intended for; in favor of; for a duration	für meine Mutter, für drei Tage
gegen	against; approximately (with times/numbers)	gegen den Plan, gegen acht Uhr
ohne	without	ohne meinen Schlüssel
um	around; at a precise clock time; concerning	um das Haus, um neun Uhr
bis	until; as far as; up to	bis Montag, bis Berlin
entlang	along	den Fluss entlang

What each one contributes

Durch often describes movement into and out of an area: Wir fahren durch die Stadt. It can also name a means or cause: Durch regelmäßiges Üben wird die Aussprache besser (“Pronunciation improves through regular practice”). In everyday descriptions of people as agents, German often prefers von in passive constructions, so English “by” does not automatically mean durch.

Für marks a beneficiary, purpose, intended recipient, opinion, exchange, or duration: Das Geschenk ist für dich; eine Tasche für den Laptop; Ich bin für den Vorschlag; für zehn Euro; für eine Woche. English “for” has many uses, however, and is not always translated with für: “I have lived here for two years” is Ich wohne seit zwei Jahren hier when the situation is still continuing.

Gegen can express physical contact, opposition, protection, or an approximate time: gegen die Wand, gegen den Krieg, ein Mittel gegen Kopfschmerzen, gegen Mittag. Compare um acht Uhr (at eight, relatively exact) with gegen acht Uhr (around eight).

Ohne expresses absence: ohne Zucker, ohne meine Brille. It is commonly followed by a noun phrase, but it can also introduce an infinitive construction: Er ging, ohne etwas zu sagen (“He left without saying anything”).

Um means “around” in space and can introduce an exact clock time: um den Tisch, um 14 Uhr. It also occurs in fixed verb-preposition combinations such as sich um jemanden kümmern (“to look after someone”) and es geht um etwas (“it is about something”).

Bis sets an endpoint in time, space, or quantity: bis morgen, bis Berlin, bis hundert. It often appears directly before names, adverbs, dates, or numbers with no article, so there may be no visible accusative ending. Before an ordinary noun phrase with an article, German commonly uses bis zu, and zu then requires the dative: bis zum Bahnhof. This is a high-frequency structure, not a contradiction of the basic rule.

Entlang most commonly follows its noun phrase and takes the accusative: die Straße entlang, den Fluss entlang. Unlike the other items in the beginner list, its normal position is therefore after the noun. More formal alternatives are discussed below.

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Das ist für dich.	This is for you.	Accusative pronoun after für
Er geht durch den Park.	He walks through the park.	Masculine der becomes den
Ohne dich ist es langweilig.	Without you, it is boring.	ohne + accusative pronoun
Wir fahren durch einen langen Tunnel.	We are driving through a long tunnel.	Masculine article and adjective endings
Ich brauche ein Geschenk für meine Schwester.	I need a gift for my sister.	Intended recipient
Bist du für oder gegen den Vorschlag?	Are you for or against the proposal?	Opinion and opposition
Der Zug kommt gegen acht Uhr an.	The train arrives around eight.	Approximate time
Der Unterricht beginnt um neun Uhr.	The class starts at nine.	Precise clock time
Die Kinder sitzen um den Tisch.	The children are sitting around the table.	Spatial meaning of um
Kaffee ohne Milch schmeckt mir besser.	I prefer the taste of coffee without milk.	No article is needed
Sie bleibt für drei Wochen in Hamburg.	She is staying in Hamburg for three weeks.	Planned duration
Wir gehen bis zur nächsten Haltestelle.	We are walking as far as the next stop.	bis zu; zu governs dative
Ich muss bis Freitag fertig sein.	I have to be finished by Friday.	Endpoint with no article
Sie laufen den Strand entlang.	They are walking along the beach.	Accusative noun before postposed entlang
Durch den starken Wind war das Radfahren schwierig.	Cycling was difficult because of the strong wind.	durch expresses a cause

Common Mistakes

Leaving a masculine article in the nominative

• Wrong: Wir gehen durch der Park.
• Right: Wir gehen durch den Park.
• Why: The nominative is the form commonly used for the subject, but durch requires the accusative. Masculine der therefore changes to den.

Using a subject pronoun after the preposition

• Wrong: Das Geschenk ist für er.
• Right: Das Geschenk ist für ihn.
• Why: A personal pronoun after für must be accusative. Learn the preposition together with short chunks such as für mich, für dich, and für ihn.

Treating every English “for” as für

• Wrong: Ich wohne für zwei Jahre hier. (if you mean that you have lived here for two years and still do)
• Right: Ich wohne seit zwei Jahren hier.
• Why: Für can express a planned or bounded duration, as in Ich bleibe für zwei Jahre hier. Seit describes something that began in the past and continues now, and it takes the dative.

Saying bis der Bahnhof

• Wrong: Wir fahren bis der Bahnhof.
• Right: Wir fahren bis zum Bahnhof.
• Why: Before an article-bearing destination, standard German normally uses bis zu. Since zu takes the dative, zu dem contracts to zum.

Putting ordinary entlang before the noun with the accusative

• Awkward for the basic pattern: Wir gehen entlang den Fluss.
• Right: Wir gehen den Fluss entlang.
• Why: In its common everyday construction, entlang follows an accusative noun phrase. When it comes first, formal German generally uses a different case pattern.

Confusing accusative prepositions with two-way prepositions

• Wrong: assuming every preposition about movement takes the accusative
• Right: learn each preposition’s case group
• Why: Durch always governs the accusative, but prepositions such as in, an, and auf are two-way prepositions. Their case depends on whether the phrase expresses a destination/change of location or a location. Movement alone is not a reliable test.

Usage Notes

German speakers frequently contract um das to ums and durch das to durchs, especially in speech and informal writing: Wir gehen ums Haus; Licht kommt durchs Fenster. Für das can become fürs: Das ist fürs Büro. The full forms remain correct and can sound more deliberate or emphatic.

With geographical names that normally have no article, bis stands alone: bis Berlin, bis Deutschland. If another preposition is needed to express the final relationship, the two can occur together: bis nach Berlin, bis an die Grenze, bis in die Innenstadt. The second preposition determines the case of its own phrase.

English speakers should pay particular attention to time expressions. Um gives a clock time (um 7:30 Uhr), gegen makes that time approximate (gegen 7:30 Uhr), bis gives an endpoint (bis 7:30 Uhr), and für gives an intended duration (für zwei Stunden). Learning these as contrasting answers to “when?”, “until when?”, and “for how long?” is more dependable than translating “at,” “around,” “until,” and “for” one at a time.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to produce all of these patterns at A2, but you will meet them in careful writing and more advanced texts.

Alternative case patterns with entlang

The everyday construction places entlang after an accusative phrase: den Weg entlang. When entlang precedes the noun, formal usage commonly has the genitive: entlang des Weges (“along the path”). The dative also occurs, especially regionally or in less formal usage, but entlang des Weges is the safer formal preposed form. For now, use the reliable beginner pattern accusative + entlang.

Ohne and um with infinitive clauses

Both words participate in structures larger than a simple prepositional phrase:

• Sie ging, ohne sich zu verabschieden — She left without saying goodbye.
• Ich lerne jeden Tag, um die Prüfung zu bestehen — I study every day in order to pass the exam.

In the second example, um ... zu expresses purpose and does not assign accusative case to a noun. It should be learned as its own clause pattern.

Cases inside longer expressions

A preposition controls only its own noun phrase. In ein Geschenk für den Sohn meiner Freundin, für makes den Sohn accusative, while meiner Freundin is genitive because it means “of my friend.” Longer phrases can therefore contain more than one case.

Some words that look like members of this list also occur in compounds or fixed constructions with their own grammar. Focus first on identifying the boundary of the prepositional phrase: in Er kümmert sich um seinen kranken Vater, the complete phrase um seinen kranken Vater is accusative, including the adjective ending.

Practice Tips

1. Memorize meaningful chunks, not a bare list. Say durch den Park, für mich, gegen acht Uhr, ohne Zucker, um den Tisch, bis Freitag, and die Straße entlang. Each chunk stores meaning, case, and word order together.
2. Transform masculine phrases. Take five nominative phrases—der Zug, ein Freund, mein Bruder—and place each after several prepositions: gegen den Zug, für einen Freund, ohne meinen Bruder. Masculine forms make the accusative visible.
3. Sort examples by function. While reading or listening, collect separate examples for exact time (um), approximate time (gegen), endpoint (bis), and duration (für). This directly targets distinctions that English speakers often blur.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Accusative Case (Articles) — review the article and adjective forms used in accusative noun phrases.
• Useful contrast: Two-way prepositions — compare prepositions that always govern the accusative with in, an, auf, and others whose case changes with meaning.
• Next step: Dative prepositions — learn why combinations such as bis zum Bahnhof contain a dative form after zu.