1.110525 · Section 1: Grammar

Prepositions (accusative, dative, two-way and genitive)

Key learnings

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Fixed-case prepositions: acc/dative/genitive
Three closed lists each FIX one case, whatever the noun's role elsewhere — the preposition is the trigger:
- Accusative: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um.
- Dative: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu.
- Genitive: wegen, während, trotz.
Chant each as a chunk (durch, für, gegen, ohne, um — immer Akkusativ), then look up the article for that case: für den Mann, mit dem Bus, wegen des Wetters. Full tables are in topic 1.2.
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Two-way prepositions: wohin? acc vs wo? dat
Nine prepositions take EITHER case, decided by meaning: an, auf, in, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen.
- Motion (wohin?) → accusative: Ich gehe in den Park.
- Location (wo?) → dative: Ich bin in dem Park.
Ask wohin oder wo? before the article. Two extras: an unstressed article FUSES in (im = in dem, ins = in das), and a preposition + pronoun for a THING becomes a da(r)- compound (dafür, damit), never für es (full tables in the note).

Common mistakes

Drawn from real examiner reports.

Dative prep, but article left unchanged

aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu take the dative — but candidates write the article as if the preposition were invisible:

✗ Ich fahre mit der Bus. → mit dem Bus (der Bus is masc; mit → dative → dem).
✗ aus die Schweiz → aus der Schweiz (die Schweiz is fem; aus → dative → der).

A dative preposition is an order to switch to the dative article.

Cambridge 0525 Writing reports, near-identical in two components: 0525/42 and 0525/43 Q3(a) Task 1 both note the dative was rarely used after mit (s22).

Apostrophe-s instead of von + dative

Standard German has no apostrophe-s for possession — a person's possession uses von + dative:

✗ meine Schwester's Zimmer → das Zimmer von meiner Schwester.

Because von is fixed-dative, the following word must carry the dative ending: von meiner Schwester, von dem Lehrer. Candidates who remember von often still leave the next word in the wrong case.

Cambridge 0525 Writing Accuracy names this near-identically across two sittings: 0525/42 advises das Zimmer von meiner Schwester rather than an apostrophe-possessive (w22, w23).

Two-way prep: motion but dative used

A two-way preposition has no case of its own — it flips on a separate question: movement TO somewhere (wohin?) or being AT somewhere (wo?). For motion, use the accusative:

✗ Ich gehe in dem Park. → Ich gehe in den Park. (gehen = movement → accusative; der Park → den.)

The article table is not the missing piece — the missing step is asking wohin oder wo? first.

Not named as a distinct instance in the four 0525 reports, but sits inside the Writing Accuracy checklist's repeated case-agreement category (general FL trap).

Two-way prep: location but accusative used

The mirror error: the verb describes a fixed STATE, so the dative is required, but the accusative is used out of habit:

✗ Ich bin in den Park. → Ich bin in dem Park. (sein = a state → dative; der Park → dem.)

Same preposition and noun as the motion example — only the verb (bin vs gehe) decides the case. Judge each sentence on its own verb.

Genitive prep left non-genitive

wegen, während, trotz always take the genitive, and masculine/neuter nouns also add -s:

✗ wegen der Wetter → wegen des Wetters (das Wetter, neuter → des, + noun -s: Wetters).
✗ während die Woche → während der Woche (die Woche, fem → der).

Treat any of the three as a signal to switch the article to the genitive column.

Not contracting preposition + article

When the article carries no special emphasis, German fuses the preposition and article into one word — leaving them apart sounds unnatural:

in das Kino → ins Kino (in + das = ins)
zu dem Bahnhof → zum Bahnhof (zu + dem = zum)

Contract with im, am, zum, zur, ins, ans, vom, beim, aufs whenever the article is generic.

A preposition can always take a plain pronoun

English says "with it," "for it" using a plain pronoun, so candidates write für es, mit es, über es — all wrong. Preposition + pronoun (mit ihm, für sie) is correct only when the referent is a PERSON. For a thing or idea, use one da(r)- compound: dafür, damit, darüber — never für es. Compare Ich spreche mit ihm (person) with Ich interessiere mich dafür (thing).

Exam tips

Classify the preposition before the article
Do not reach for the article table first. Ask which fixed list (accusative, dative, genitive) the preposition is on — that sets the case — or whether it is two-way. Only then look up the article for that case (topic 1.2).
Two-way? Ask wohin or wo first
For an, auf, in, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen the case is not fixed. Decide the meaning first: movement (wohin?) → accusative (in den Park); a fixed location (wo?) → dative (in dem Park). Let the verb, not the preposition, decide.
Contract, and use da(r)- for things
Two finishing moves. If the article is unstressed, use the contracted form (im, am, zum, ins, ans, vom, beim) — more natural German. If you refer back to a THING (not a person), use a da(r)- compound (damit, dafür, darauf), never preposition + pronoun like mit es.

Revision notes