The prepositions combining with the accusative (Akkusativ) are: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, entlang. It’s best to learn them by heart in exactly this order, to the point where you can pronounce them in one breath: “durch-für-gegen-ohne-um-entlang.” If you need extra help remembering this sequence, you can arrange them into something along the lines of a nursery rhyme. This way you will quickly be able to see in your head whether a given preposition connects to an Akkusativ or not. This is a proven method, thanks to which I once learned them myself, and now I encourage my students to do the same.
After using these prepositions, you should use the noun or pronoun in the accusative. Take a look at the table below:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| durch | through |
| durch den Park | through the park |
| Wir gehen durch den Park. | We walk through the park. |
| für | for |
| für dich | for you |
| Das Geschenk ist für dich. | The gift is for you. |
| für das Geschenk | for the gift |
| Sie dankt mir für das Geschenk. | She thanks me for the gift. |
| gegen | against |
| gegen den Plan | against the plan |
| Sie ist gegen den Plan. | She is against the plan. |
| gegen die Idee | against the idea |
| Sie ist gegen diese Idee. | She is against the idea. |
| gegen das Grundgesetz | against the Basic Law |
| Der Präsident ist gegen das Grundgesetz. | The President is against the Basic Law. |
| ohne | without |
| ohne Milch und ohne Zucker | without milk and without sugar |
| Ich hätte gerne einen Kaffee ohne Milch und ohne Zucker. | I would like a coffee without milk and sugar. |
| ohne dich | without you |
| Ohne dich ist es langweilig. | It’s boring without you. |
| um | to |
| um den Job | for the job |
| Sie bewerben sich um den Job. | You are applying for the job. |
| um die Ecke | around the corner |
| Das Haus befindet sich um die Ecke. | The house is around the corner. |
| entlang | along |
| den Fluss entlang | along the river |
| Wir machen eine Fahrradtour den Fluss entlang. | We are going on a bike ride along the river. |
If you want to learn more about prepositions in German, or cases (Dativ, Akkusativ, Genitiv), please visit our other articles in the “Learning German” section.
