Study Resource: List of German postpositions with examples
German words that are always postpositions
The following German words are always postpositions, meaning they follow the noun.
Adposition | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|
halber for the sake of | genitive | Meiner Gesundheit halber esse ich nur noch vegetarisch. For the sake of my health, I now only eat vegetarian. |
zuliebe for the sake of | dative | Sie hat ihre Karriere der Familie zuliebe aufgegeben. She gave up her career for the sake of her family. |
lang all along | accusative | Wir haben uns den ganzen Tag lang im Freien aufgehalten. We have spent the whole day outdoors. |
zufolge according to | dative | Dem Bericht zufolge ist die Arbeitslosigkeit in Deutschland im letzten Jahr gesunken. According to the report, unemployment in Germany fell last year. |
zuwider against | dative | Koriander ist mir wirklich zuwider. I really dislike cilantro. |
zum Trotz despite | dative | Allen Warnungen zum Trotz hat er auf einen Virenscanner verzichtet. Despite all warnings, he did without a virus scanner. |
German words that can be either prepositions or postpositions
These words can either be prepositions (introducing a noun phraseNo definition set for noun 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.) or postpositions (following a noun phrase).
Preposition and postposition have the same meaning & case
The following words have the same meaning and usually trigger the same case, regardless of whether they precede or follow the noun.
Adposition | as a… | Meaning | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
gemäß | preposition | according to | dative, (genitive) | Gemäss der Ausschreibung bist du mehr als qualifiziert. According to the announcement, you are more than qualified. |
postposition | according to | dative | Der Ausschreibung gemäß bist du mehr als qualifiziert. According to the announcement, you are more than qualified. | |
betreffend | preposition | regarding | accusative, (genitive) | Betreffend das neue Projekt gab es eine Diskussion. There was a discussion regarding the new project. |
postposition | regarding | accusative, (genitive) | Das neue Projekt betreffend gab es eine Diskussion. There was a discussion regarding the new project. | |
ähnlich | preposition | similar to | dative | Ähnlich einem Koalabären, ist die Ernährung eines Pandabärens sehr eingeschränkt. Similar to a koala bear, a panda's diet is very limited. |
postposition | similar to | dative | Es ist Mittag und er ist immer noch im Bett? Das sieht ihm gar nicht ähnlich! It's noon and he's still in bed? That's not like him at all! | |
gleich | preposition | identical to | dative | Sie hüpfte gleich einem Ball. She bounced like a ball. |
postposition | identical to | dative | Der unzufriedene Kunde stürmte einer Furie gleich in den Laden. The dissatisfied customer stormed into the store like a fury. | |
gegenüber | preposition | opposite, towards | dative | Die Post befindet sich gegenüber dem Bahnhof. The post office is located opposite the train station. |
postposition | opposite, towards | dative | Meine Schwester saß mir gegenüber am Tisch. My sister was sitting across the table from me. | |
wegen | preposition | because of | genitive, (dative) | Wir haben uns dazu entschieden, in eine größere Wohnung umzuziehen, wegen der Kinder. We decided to move to a bigger apartment because of the kids. |
postposition | because of | genitive | Wir haben uns dazu entschieden, in eine größere Wohnung umzuziehen, der Kinder wegen. We decided to move to a bigger apartment because of the kids. |
Preposition and postposition have the same meaning, but take different cases
Here, the preposition and postposition have the same meaning, but they are used with nouns in different cases.
Adposition | as a… | Meaning | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
entlang | preposition | along | genitive, (dative) | Die Schulklasse läuft entlag der Strasse. The school class is walking along the street. |
postposition | along | accusative | Die Schulklasse läuft die Strasse entlang. The school class is walking along the street. | |
zu Ehren | preposition | in honor of | genitive | Das Fest wird zu Ehren des Jubilanten veranstaltet. The festival is held in honor of the jubilarian. |
postposition | in honor of | dative | Das Fest wird dem Jubilanten zu Ehren veranstaltet. The festival is held in honor of the jubilarian. | |
inklusive | preposition | including | dative, (genitive) | Inklusive Steuern macht das genau 50 Euro. Taxes included, that makes exactly 50 euros. |
postposition | including | accusative | Steuern inklusive macht das genau 50 Euro. Taxes included, that makes exactly 50 euros. | |
inbegriffen | preposition | including | genitive | Die Firma hat alles bezahlt, inbegriffen der Reisekosten. The company paid for everything, travel expenses included. |
postposition | including | accusative | Die Firma hat alles bezahlt, die Reisekosten inbegriffen. The company paid for everything, travel expenses included. |
Preposition and postposition have different meanings
The words in this list change their meaning depending on whether they are used as prepositions or postpositions.
Adposition | as a… | Meaning | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
durch | preposition | through | accusative, (genitive) | Hänsel und Grätel gehen durch den Wald. Hansel and Grätel walk through the forest. |
postposition | throughout | accusative | Ich habe die ganze Nacht durch gelernt, um mich auf meine Prüfung vorzubereiten. I studied all night to prepare for my exam. | |
nach | preposition | after | dative | Nach dem Unterricht brauche ich ein Eis! After class I need an ice cream! |
postposition | according to | dative | Meiner Meinung nach ist dieser Film nicht besonders gut. In my opinion, this movie is not very good. | |
über | preposition | over, above | two-case preposition (dative / accusative) | Höng die Lampe bitte über den Esstisch. Please hang the lamp over the dining table. Die Lampe höngt über dem Esstisch. The lamp hangs over the dining table. |
postposition | throughout | accusative | Das Wochenende über ist der Laden geschlossen. The store is closed during the weekend. | |
entgegen | preposition | contrary to | dative, can use genitive for plurals | Entgegen den Erwartungen der Zuschauer gewann schlussendlich der Aussenseiter. Contrary to the expectations of the spectators, the underdog finally won. |
postposition | towards | dative | Das Schiff fährt dem Sonnenuntergang entgegen. The ship is sailing towards the sunset. | |
nahe | preposition | close to | dative, genitive | Kreuzlingen liegt nahe der Grenze zu Deutschland. Kreuzlingen is located near the border with Germany. |
postposition | on the brink of | dative | Die Gewinnerin war bei der Rangverkündigung sichtlich den Tränen nahe. The winner was visibly close to tears at the award ceremony. |
