Case Triggers: Prepositions

In the onSET C-test, a single word to the left of the gap often reveals the entire case: the preposition. Some prepositions are stubborn, they always demand the same case no matter what follows. Others, the two-way prepositions, switch between accusative and dative depending on meaning. Once you can tell the two groups apart reliably, you have one of the most common gap types under control before you even reach the ending itself.

This article shows you both preposition triggers. You get the matching ending from Case Reference: the Article Tables — here the only job is deriving the right case from the preposition. The complete preposition lists with meaning and an example for every single preposition live in Prepositions & Valency; this page is the 10-second drill version of it.

Quick rule: Found a preposition → the case is fixed. Fixed preposition: one case, always. Two-way preposition: wohin? → accusative, wo? → dative.

Prepositions with a fixed case

The clearest trigger of all. Many prepositions always demand the same case, no matter what follows. If such a preposition sits to the left, the case is already decided, and all you do is set the ending from the article tables.

The memory hook is enough for the quick call: accusative is durch, für, gegen, ohne, um. Dative is aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu. Genitive is während, wegen, trotz.

See mit on the left → dative, so the ending -em / -er / -en. See für → accusative. See während → genitive. Complete the endings:

Did you feel it? You did not guess those endings, you read them off the preposition standing right in front of them, since mit, für, and während each lock in the case before the rest of the word is even visible.

The memory hook only names the most common prepositions. The complete lists with more examples live here:

Prepositions & Valency: the complete lists

Two-way prepositions: wohin or wo

Nine prepositions are the wobbly ones: in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen. They govern sometimes the accusative, sometimes the dative, depending on meaning. The rule of thumb: direction (the question wohin?, where to) takes the accusative, a fixed location (the question wo?, where) takes the dative.

Think of these nine as the room prepositions: anything that places you somewhere in relation to something else, whether in, on, at, over, under, in front of, behind, next to, or between. Picture stepping yourself into a room with each of these words, then ask just one question: am I heading there (wohin, accusative) or already there (wo, dative)?

A verb of movement toward a goal (gehen, legen, hängen, stellen, sich setzen) usually points to wohin and thus the accusative. A verb of state or position (sein, wohnen, liegen, hängen, stehen, sitzen) points to wo and thus the dative. Watch the same noun in two roles:

First gap: Ich lege is an action with a goal (wohin?), so accusative, der Stein → den. Second gap: er liegt describes the fixed location (wo?), so dative, der Stein → dem.

For the two-way prepositions too: here you see the principle, the complete list of all nine prepositions with further example sentences lives in:

Prepositions & Valency: the complete lists

Boss gap

Now both preposition triggers in one sentence: first identify the trigger, then the case, then the ending. Spotting both triggers stacked at once is the hardest call in this article: seit hands you its case with no exceptions, but vor only gives up the dative once you ask wo? and realize it means a fixed spot, not a direction.

Common mistakes

Guessing a two-way preposition wrong. in, an, auf are not automatically dative. Always ask wohin or wo: Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch (direction, accusative) versus Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch (location, dative).

The second mistake is sneakier: reading for meaning where a glance to the left would have done. Test yourself in a blitz round — eight fixed prepositions in a row, three seconds each, and you never need the sense of the sentence:

Worth remembering

• Fixed prepositions decide instantly and without exception: mit → dative, für → accusative, während → genitive.
• Two-way prepositions (in, an, auf ...): wohin? → accusative, wo? → dative. The verb (movement or state) usually reveals which question applies.
• The complete preposition lists live in Prepositions & Valency, the matching endings in Case Reference: the Article Tables.
• If there is no preposition to the left of the gap, the verb or a genitive relationship decides instead: Case Triggers: Verbs and Genitive.

Two triggers, one glance to the left, a two-second call: prepositions are among the fastest points in the whole test. Use the Practice button below until the reflex sets in, then it carries you through every preposition gap automatically.