ABSTRACT
Prepositions are a small class of words which combine with a following noun phrase to form a prepositional phrase. In German, the noun phrase following each preposition is in a particular case – we say that the preposition ‘governs’ that case. This chapter explains the use of all the German prepositions: prepositions governing the accusative, prepositions governing the dative, prepositions governing the dative or the accusative, prepositions governing the genitive, and German equivalents for English ‘to’. In speech an accusative phrase is often used to refer to a period of time extending from the present. Several less frequently used prepositions are followed by the dative case. Most of them are characteristic of formal written registers, and several are nowadays often (and increasingly) used with a following genitive rather than a dative, since that case is regarded as particularly appropriate in elevated registers. The extent of this usage is indicated as necessary with the individual preposition.
