In this week's episode of 3 Minuten Deutsch I briefly explained how to use each of the dative prepositions: aus, außer, bei, gegenüber, mit, nach, seit, von, & zu. If you haven't seen the video, I suggest you watch it first. If you want a more in depth look at each one, you can scroll past the video to read more about them.
aus - out of, from
This preposition really isn't difficult to figure out. If something was inside of something else and you are taking it "from" or "out of" that thing, use "aus". If it is coming "from" something, but not necessarily from the inside of it, use "von". Here are a few examples of when you can use "aus".
Woher kommst du? - Where are you from?
Ich komme aus den USA. - I am from the USA.
Er nimmt den Kuli aus seiner Tasche. - He is taking the pen out of his bag.
Sie klaut meine Schokolade aus meiner Pralinenschachtel. - She is stealing chocolate from my chocolate box.
Wann kommst du aus der Schule? - When are you getting out of school?
Um 6 Uhr morgens gehe ich aus dem Haus. - At 6 AM I go out of the house.
außer - except, besides
This one works exactly as it does in English and doesn't really have any other prepositions that are confusingly similar. The only thing that sometimes trips up English native speakers is that some people will translate it as "except for", which then causes them to want to use the preposition "für" after "außer", but that is not necessary and completely incorrect. Also, it is important to note that this word can also be used as a conjunction, but then you need some more complicated grammar. We'll stick to using it as a preposition here.
Außer Jim hat er keine Freunde mehr. - Besides Jim, he has no more friends.
Wir erlauben hier keine Tiere außer meinem Hund. - We don't allow any animals here except my dog.
bei - at, near, with
Some students struggle with the difference between "bei" and "mit", but this confusion is usually fixed by translating "bei" as "at" instead of "with".
Ich übernachte bei einem Freund von mir. - I am staying the night at a friend's house.
Er arbeitet bei einer großen Firma. - He works at a large company.
Mein Fahrrad steht bei dem Haus. - My bicycle stands by the house.
gegenüber - across from
This preposition isn't used all that often, because its usage is so specific. While it can be used to mean "with respect to", that type of construction is a little more complicated. It is also a bit strange, because it can sometimes be used behind its object instead of in front of it like most prepositions.
Meine Freundin steht gegenüber dem Rathaus. - My girl friend is standing across from the city hall.
Das Bild hängt an der Wand der Tür gegenüber. - The picture is hanging on the wall across from the door.
mit - with
This is one of the most used German prepositions and is also one of the easiest to use, as it almost always directly translates as "with". The only confusion that may come up is the difference between "bei" and "mit", which I hopefully made clear earlier in this post.
Warum isst du Pizza mit einer Gabel? - Why do you eat pizza with a fork?
Du sollst nicht mit den Fremden gehen. - You shouldn't go with the strangers.
Ich lese jeden Tag ein Buch mit meinem Sohn. - I read a book every day with my son.
nach - after, towards
There are two prepositions that are used to mean "towards" or "to". "Nach" is used when the destination is a city or larger. "Zu" is used when the destination is inside of a city, but you aren't going inside it. If you are going into the place, you use "in". Another confusing tidbit is that you can also use the phrase "nach Hause" as "going home" and "zu Hause" as "at home".
Ein Freund von mir reist nach Deutschland. - A friend of mine is traveling to Germany.
Fährst du bald nach Chicago? - Are you driving to Chicago soon?
Warum gehen sie so früh nach Hause? - Why are they going home so early?
seit - since, for (time)
This preposition is exclusively used with time. It often makes the sentence start in the past and continue into the present.
Seit einem Jahr schwimme ich jeden Tag. - I have been swimming every day for a year.
Seit meinem dreißigsten Geburtstag fühle ich mich jeden Tag alt. - Since my 30th birthday, I feel old every day.
von - from
As I mentioned above, "von" means "from" and so does "aus", but the difference is that "von" isn't used when something was inside of another thing before. Long story short, if it doesn't sound right to say "out of" in English, use "von".
Ich bekomme fast nie Post von meinen Eltern. - I almost never get any mail from my parents.
Mein Flug fliegt von Berlin nach Chicago. - My flight is flying from Berlin to Chicago.
Was willst du von dem Weihnachtsmann? - What do you want from Santa Claus?
zu - at, to
As I mentioned above, "zu" is used when the destination is smaller than a city and you aren't going inside it. It is also used in the phrase "zu Hause" to mean "at home". Also, if you have a combination of "zu" and a feminine noun used with a definite article, you can shorten the two words from "zu der" to "zur". In a similar fashion, you can change "zu dem" to "zum".
Ich gehe jetzt zur Post. - I am going to the post office now.
Wann gehst du zur Bank? - When are you going to the bank?
Fühl dich wie zu Hause. - Make yourself at home.
What's next?
Next week I will not be uploading any videos, because I am sick and I want to start the 3 week Monday rotation new at the beginning of the year. The next episode of 3 Minuten Deutsch will cover the dative pronouns and will serve as a review of the dative case uses. I will upload this on January 8th.
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