ABSTRACT
In German, the noun phrase following each preposition is in a particular case – we say that the preposition ‘governs’ a particular case. Most German prepositions govern the dative or the accusative case. Prepositions governing the genitive are mainly restricted to formal registers. One important group of common prepositions is followed by the accusative or the dative case, with a difference in meaning. Table 18.1 gives the most important German prepositions, with the case they govern.
