Circumpositions (Zirkumposition) in German are pairs of words that function like 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., except they are split into two parts: one part before the noun and one part after the noun.
circumpositionnoun
Die Läufer sprinten auf das Ziel zu.
The runners sprint towards the finish.
→ It’s a word sandwich!
Where prepositions (pre = before) come before the noun, and postpositions (post = after), circumpositions (circum = around) go around the noun! Circumpositions, prepositions, and postpositions are together referred-to as “adpositions,” as and they all have the same basic function: indicating how a noun should be related to the rest of a sentence.
By the end of this post you'll be a master of German circumpositions and you’ll be able to impress all your friends with your delicious grammatical finesse. Let's take a closer look at these cuddly little adpositions and how they work in German grammar!
What are the circumpositions in German?
The most important German circumpositions are listed in the table below, along with their meanings. Like German prepositions and postpositions, each circumposition “triggers” a certain case.
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*These are more formal or literary and are rare in everyday speech.
In general, circumpositions are not as common as prepositions in German, but it’s still important to learn to use them. In the sections below, we’ll go through each of these circumpositions in detail, with some examples of each. Let’s have a look!
What is the difference between a circumposition and paired prepositions?
In German, there are many cases in German where two prepositions “work together” as a pair. But in these cases, each preposition still introduces its own “object” noun. For example:
prepositionobject of a preposition
Zum Dank für deine Hilfe möchte ich dich gerne zum Essen einladen.
To thank you for your help, I would like to invite you to dinner.
Im Hinblick auf das bevorstehende Meeting sollten wir unsere Präsentation überarbeiten.
In light of the upcoming meeting, we should revise our presentation.
When using a true circumposition, there is only one “object,” as we can see in the example from the introduction.
circumpositionnoun
Die Läufer sprinten auf das Ziel zu.
The runners sprint towards the finish.
‘von…an’
This circumposition roughly means “from + [point in time] + on.” The noun it surrounds represents a starting point for an action or situation and will be in the dative case.
circumpositiondative
Von heute an werde ich jeden Morgen eine halbe Stunde früher aufstehen.
From today on, I will get up half an hour earlier every morning.
Ich fühlte mich hier vom ersten Augenblick an sehr wohl.
I felt very comfortable here from the first moment.
Vom ersten Januar an gilt der neue Fahrplan.
From the first of January, the new timetable will apply.
Von…an serves as an alternative to the more colloquial preposition ab(starting):
preposition
Ab dem ersten Januar gilt der neue Fahrplan.
From the first of January, the new timetable will apply.
‘von…ab’
Von…ab also means “from…on” but unlike von…an, it is used for space rather than for time. It takes the dative.
circumpositiondative
Alle Läufer beginnen das Rennen von der Startlinie ab.
All runners start the race from the starting line.
‘von…aus’
Von…aus also means “from…on” and takes the dative case, except it is generally used when you have some particular with an ending point in mind:
circumpositiondative
Von hier aus sind es nur noch 200 Meter bis zur nächsten Bushaltestelle.
From here it is only 200 meters to the nearest bus stop.
Von Zuhause aus brauche ich ungefähr eine Stunde, bis ich bei dir bin.
It takes me about an hour to get to you from home.
This circumposition is used in a few other common constructions:
Use von Zuhause aus(from home) to describe “work from home”:
In unserer Firma haben wir die Wahl, zwei Tage pro Woche von Zuhause aus zu arbeiten.
In our company, we have the choice to work from home two days a week.
Use von Natur aus how you might use the phrase “by nature” in English:
Hauskatzen sind von Natur aus sehr zutraulich.
Domestic cats are very trusting by nature.
You can use von + reflexive pronoun + aus like “on ones own accord” or “by ones own volition”:
Der Gewinner hat von sich aus auf das Preisgeld verzichtet.
The winner has waived the prize money of his own accord.
The phrase von mir aus is used to express that you’re fine with something:
Das war super! Von mir aus könnte es direkt weitergehen!
That was great! As far as I’m concerned, it could go directly further!
Often, it follows a little bit of pleading:
Speaker A:Kann ich deinen Keks haben?
Speaker B:Nein, ich würde ihn gerne selber essen.
No, I’d rather eat it myself.
Speaker A:Bitte bitte bitte! Der ist sooo lecker!
Please, please, please! It’s sooo delicious!
‘auf…zu’
Auf…zu means “towards” and can be used in the context of both space and time. Since it indicates movement, the accusative is used.
circumpositionaccusative
Die Rennfahrer rasen auf die Ziellinie zu.
The racers are racing toward the finish line.
Unsere Nachbarin geht auf die 80 zu.
Our neighbor is approaching 80 (years of age).
‘auf…hin’
Auf…hin means “because of”, “in reaction to, or “following.” It takes the accusative.
circumpositionaccusative
Die Patientin stellte auf den Rat ihres Doktors hin ihre Ernährung um.
The patient changed her diet on the advice of his doctor.
Der Koch hat auf mein Bitten hin ein vegetarisches Menü erstellt.
The chef created a vegetarian menu at my request.
‘in…inbegriffen’
In…inbegriffen means “included in,” and is mostly used in the context of purchasing a product or service. It’s used with the dative case.
circumpositiondative
Wasser und Strom sind nicht im Mietpreis inbegriffen.
Water and electricity are not included in the rent.
Die Mehrwertsteuer ist im Preis inbegriffen.
VAT is included in the price.
‘an…entlang’
An…entlang, like entlang on its own, means “along.” As a circumposition, it’s used with the dative case.
circumpositiondative
Die wunderschöne Radstrecke führt am Ufer entlang.
The beautiful bike route runs along the shore.
Die Entenfamilie watschelt unbeholfen an der Straße entlang.
The duck family waddles clumsily along the road.
In both cases, it is possible to use entlang on its own as a postposition instead.
dativepostposition
Die wunderschöne Radstrecke führt das Ufer entlang.
The beautiful bike route runs along the shore.
Die Entenfamilie watschelt unbeholfen die Straße entlang.
The duck family waddles clumsily along the road.
A more formal or literary alternative is to use entlang as a preposition, triggering the genitive case:
prepositiongenitive
Die wunderschöne Radstrecke führt entlang des Ufers.
The beautiful bike route runs along the shore.
Die Entenfamilie watschelt unbeholfen entlang der Straße.
The duck family waddles clumsily along the road.
‘um…willen’
Um…willen is a little more formal and literary, meaning “for the sake of.” It is used with the genitive case.
circumpositiongenitive
Die streitenden Parteien hatten noch viel zu sagen, aber um des Friedens willen schwiegen sie.
The contending parties still had much to say, but for the sake of peace they kept silent.
Um der Kinder willen sind wir auf das Land gezogen.
We moved to the countryside for the sake of the children.
Um…willen is a more formal synonym of wegen(because of) or zuliebe(for the sake of):
preposition
Wegen den Kindern sind wir auf das Land gezogen.
We moved to the countryside for the sake of the children.
postposition
Die streitenden Parteien hatten noch viel zu sagen, aber dem Frieden zuliebe schwiegen sie.
The contending parties still had much to say, but for the sake of peace they kept silent.
You’ll often hear this circumposition in the common phrase Um Himmels willen(for heaven’s sake):
Um Himmels willen, was hast du denn jetzt wieder angestellt!?
For heaven’s sake, what have you done now!?
If you want to express something like “for your sake” or “for her sake”, adverbs like seinetwillen and ihretwillen are used. They are formed by taking the respective possessive adjective and adding -etwillen.
Ich habe es nicht seinetwillen getan, sondern ihretwillen.
I did not do it for his sake, but for her sake.
Note that these sound quite archaic.
‘an…statt’
An…statt is a formal circumposition meaning “in place of.” It takes the genitive case.
circumpositiongenitive
Die Präsidentin kann aus gesundheitlichen Gründen nicht am Forum teilnehmen. Der Vizepräsident wird an ihrer statt anreisen.
The president cannot attend the forum due to health reasons. The vice president will attend in her place.
A less formal way to phrase this is to use the construction an jemandes Stelle(in someone’s place):
Die Präsidentin kann aus gesundheitlichen Gründen nicht am Forum teilnehmen. Der Vizepräsident wird an ihrer Stelle anreisen.
The president cannot attend the forum due to health reasons. The vice president will attend in her place.
You’ll often hear an…statt in the set phrase Annahme an Kindes statt(adoption in lieu of a child), which is a legal term for child adoption.
Die “Annahme an Kindes statt” ist ein rechtlicher Begriff für die Adoption.
“Adoption in lieu of a child” is a legal term for adoption.
‘von…wegen’
Von…wegen(by the power of) is almost exclusively found in legal language and it takes the genitive case.
Two of the most common uses, within formalized language, are:
von Amts wegen → “ex officio” or “by official mandate,” often shortened to v. A. w.
von Rechts wegen → “ipso jure” and is shortened to v. R. w.
For example:
circumpositiongenitive
Die Erteilung eines Führerscheins erfolgt von Amts wegen, wenn alle erforderlichen Unterlagen vorliegen.
A driver's license is issued ex officio if all the required documents are available.
Haustiere sollen bald auch von Rechts wegen als »lebendige, fühlende Wesen« betrachtet werden.
Pets will soon also be considered "living, sentient beings" by law.
Within legalese, the genitive -s is also used with certain feminine nouns:
circumpositiongenitive
Jeder hat von Verfassungs wegen das Recht auf Meinungsfreiheit und Religionsfreiheit.
Everyone has a constitutional right to freedom of expression and freedom of religion.
Summary
And these are the circumpositions of German! Here are some points to remember:
Circumpositions are like prepositions that surround the noun. Like prepositions, they’re each associated with a particular case.
Circumpositions are not as common in German as simple prepositions, but some, like von…an(starting from) and auf…zu(towards) are a little more common. Others, like an…statt(in place of) or von…wegen(by), are really only found in literary, formal, or legal language.
Ready to study? Review this list of German circumpositions, then try our German circumpositions activities!
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