To express how something is done in German, you can use an adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of manner like langsam(slowly), use a prepositional phraseNo definition set for prepositional phraseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of manner, like mit einem Hammer(with a hammer), or you can use a use modal clause, illustrated by the examples below: They are a type of subordinate clause that provides more information on how something was done or in what way.
Der Bäcker heizt den Ofen auf 180C vor, indem er ihn anstellt.
The baker is preheating the oven to 180C by turning it on.
Der Bäcker bereitet den Teig dadurch vor, dass er ihn lange knetet.
The baker is prepping the dough by kneading it for a long time.
In this article we’ll take a closer look first at modal clauses (as these are the trickiest) and then at the wide variety of prepositions you can use to describe how something was done. Let’s dive in!
In German, a modal clause (or “manner clause”) is a type of subordinate clause that answers questions like wie(how) or auf welche Art und Weise(in what way). Like other subordinate clauses, all modal clauses contain a verb, and they are introduced by a subordinating conjunctionNo definition set for subordinating conjunctionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
The conjunctions that introduce modal clauses are called conjunctions of manner. Like most other subordinating conjunctions in German, conjunctions of manner are “verb-kickers,” meaning that the verb in a clause that starts with these words will be “kicked” to the end of the clause.
Here are the most common conjunctions used to form a modal clause in German:
indem + subordinate clause:
We usually translate this using a “by + verbing” construction in English, but in German this conjunction is followed by a tensed verb.
Der Bäcker macht den Teig geschmeidig, indem er warme Milch zum Mehl hinzufügt.
The baker makes the dough smooth by adding warm milk to the flour.
lit. The baker makes dough by he adds warm milk to the flour.
dadurch + result + dass + subordinate clause:
We use this to explain how a result came into being. Dadurch comes before the result that was achieved, while dass introduces the manner in which that result was achieved. For example:
Der Bäcker macht den Teig dadurch geschmeidig, dass er warme Milch zum Mehl hinzufügt.
The baker makes the dough smooth by adding warm milk to the flour.
lit. The baker makes the dough thus smooth that he adds warm milk to the flour.
These are again often translated into English using the “by + verbing” construction, even though in German the verb is a conjugated verbNo definition set for conjugated verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
You can also use the word order below, which allows the “result” to be separated from dadurch.
Dadurch, dass der Bäcker warme Milch zum Mehl hinzufügt, macht er den Teig geschmeidig.
By the baker adding warm milk to the flour, he makes the dough smooth.
lit. Thus that the baker adds warm milk to the flour, he makes the dough smooth.
In German, prepositionsNo definition set for prepositionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of manner are also used to explain how something is done. We use these to form phrases that are more directly parallel to English manner phrases like “by adding,” “with a hammer” or “through trickery.”
In a sentence, these prepositional phrasesNo definition set for prepositional phrasesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of manner can either be in first position or in the middle position of a sentence, right after the verb.
Durch das lange Kneten wird der Teig geschmeidig.
By kneading it for a long time the dough becomes smooth.
Der Teig wird durch das lange Kneten geschmeidig.
The dough becomes smooth by kneading it for a long time.
Prepositions of manner, like other German prepositions, are used exclusively to introduce nouns or noun phrasesNo definition set for noun phrasesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. You will, however, often use them before nouns that come from verbs, also known as nominalized verbs. Compare these verbs to the nouns that come from them.
backen(to bake) → das Backen(the baking)
rühren(to stir) → das Rühren(the stirring)
Notice that the words on the right are used with articles and are capitalized like nouns. Therefore, they can be used after prepositions!
Let’s look through some of the most important German prepositions of manner. Notice that, like other prepositions, each is associated with a particular case.
durch(with, by) + accusativeNo definition set for accusativeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
Das Brot geht durch das Benutzen von frischer Hefe schneller auf.
The bread is rising faster with the use of fresh yeast.
unter(by) + dativeNo definition set for dativeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
Das Brot wird unter Verwendung von großer Hitze besonders knusprig.
The bread is becoming extra crispy with the use of intense heat.
mit(with) + dative:
Das Brot wird mit der korrekten Knettechnik sehr luftig.
The bread is becoming very airy with the correct kneading technique.
What is the difference between durch(with) and mit(with)?
Mit can be used to introduce a tool:
mit dem Schneebesen
with the egg whisk
Durch is generally used with an action noun that describes the process through which something was achieved. This also sounds more formal and would be found less in day to day speech.
durch das Benutzen eines Schneebesens
with/through the use of an egg whisk
mittels(through/by) + genitiveNo definition set for genitiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
Man bekommt das beste Brot mittels des Mischens von qualitativ hochwertigen Zutaten.
You get the best bread through the mixing of high quality ingredients.
In German, there are a number of different ways to say that you did something “without” doing something else or “without” the use of a tool. These are also manner descriptions, as they still answer the question “how?” just in a slightly different way!
ohne… zu :
The conjunction ohne is used before an infinitive clause with zu to achieve a meaning a lot like the English structure “without verbing.”
Er holte das Brot aus dem Ofen, ohne einen Topflappen zu benutzen.
He took the bread out of the oven without using an oven mitt.
This is the most common way to say “without” + action in German.
ohne + accusative:
The word ohne can also be used as a preposition that take the accusative case. Usually its object will be a nominalized verb, like das Benutzen(the using).
Er holte das Brot aus dem Ofen, ohne das Benutzen eines Topflappens.
He took the bread out of the oven without using an oven mitt.
ohne dass…
You can also use ohne in combination with dass to introduce a complete, tensed subordinate clause.
Er holte das Brot aus dem Ofen, ohne dass er einen Topflappen benutzte.
He took the bread out of the oven without using an oven mitt.
lit. He took the bread out of the oven without that he used an oven mitt.
mangels + genitive
The word mangels is a preposition meaning “for the lack of” or “due to a lack of” and is used before the genitive case. You’ll usually find mangels in the first position of a sentence.
Mangels Zeit konnte der Bäcker keinen Kuchen backen.
For lack of time, the baker wasn’t able to bake any cake.
Mangels is normally used to introduce a fundamental requirement, like an asset, time, or a characteristic that is required to accomplish something else.
There are three main ways to say that you did something “instead of” something else in German:
(an)statt… zu:
You can use (an)statt before an infinitive clause with zu as an equivalent to the English construction “instead of verbing.” This is the most common way to say “instead of” in German.
Der Bäcker knetete den Teig mit der Hand (an)statt eine Maschine zu benutzen.
The baker kneaded the dough by hand instead of using a machine.
Remember, the subject of an infinitive clause is always understood from context.
anstatt dass…:
You can also say “instead of” by using anstatt (not statt!) before the conjunction dass. This is then followed by a complete subordinate clause, with a tensed verb.
Der Bäcker knetete den Teig mit der Hand, anstatt dass er eine Maschine benutzte.
The baker kneaded the dough by hand instead of using a machine.
lit. The baker kneaded the dough by hand instead of that he used a machine.
Remember, you can’t say statt dass!
(an)statt+ genitive:
Der Bäcker knetete den Teig mit der Hand (an)statt des Benutzens einer Maschine.
The baker kneaded the dough by hand instead of using a machine.
lit. The baker kneaded the dough by hand instead of the use of a machine.
In this post we talked about a few different ways you can describe “how” or “in what manner” something happened:
Use an adverb of manner.
Use a modal clause (or “manner clause”) that means “by verbing.” These have the structures below:
indem + subordinate clause
dadurch + result + dass + subordinate clause
Use a preposition of manner before a noun or nominalized verb:
durch(with, by) + accusative
unter(by) + dative
mit(with) + dative
mittels(through, by) + genitive
Use a phrase meaning “without verbing.” These have three possible structures:
ohne + infinitive clause with zu
ohne + accusative
ohne dass + subordinate clause
Use a phrase meaning “instead of verbing.” These have these possible structures:
(an)statt + infinitive clause with zu
anstatt dass + subordinate clause
(an)statt + genitive
And now, let’s practice and solidify our knowledge! Head on over to our German prepositions and conjunctions of manner exercises!
