All German Accusative Case Prepositions

German prepositions are famous for being unpredictable — some take Dativ, some take Akkusativ, and a few switch depending on the sentence. The accusative prepositions are the easiest group to start with, because there are only six of them, and unlike the two-way (Wechselpräpositionen) prepositions, they always take the accusative case, with no exceptions to memorize. Once you know these six, you can use them with total confidence every time.

The 6 German Accusative Prepositions

• für — for. Das Geschenk ist für dich. — The gift is for you.
• gegen — against. Ich bin gegen diesen Plan. — I'm against this plan. Also used physically: Er ist gegen die Tür gelaufen. — He ran into the door.
• ohne — without. Ich trinke meinen Kaffee ohne Zucker. — I drink my coffee without sugar.
• durch — through. Wir laufen durch den Park. — We're walking through the park.
• um — around, or at (with clock time). Die Kinder sitzen um den Tisch. — The children are sitting around the table. Wir treffen uns um 8 Uhr. — We're meeting at 8 o'clock.
• bis — until, by. Ich bleibe bis Freitag. — I'm staying until Friday. Bis morgen! — See you tomorrow! (literally: "until tomorrow")

How to Remember Them

Because these six always take the accusative with no exceptions, most German learners memorize them as a set using a short mnemonic built from their first letters — für, um, durch, gegen, ohne, bis (sometimes with the added "entlang" for "along"). Once the list is memorized as a block, you never have to think twice about which case follows them — it's always accusative, in every context.

Watch the Adjective and Pronoun Endings

Since these prepositions trigger the accusative case, any article, adjective, or pronoun that follows has to match. Compare: der Tisch (nominative) becomes Ich sitze um den Tisch (accusative: der → den). A personal pronoun changes the same way: er becomes ihn — Das Geschenk ist für ihn (The gift is for him).

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the German accusative prepositions?

There are six: für (for), gegen (against), ohne (without), durch (through), um (around/at), and bis (until/by). They always take the accusative case with no exceptions.

Do accusative prepositions ever take a different case?

No — unlike the two-way (Wechselpräpositionen) prepositions such as "in" or "auf," the six accusative prepositions always take the accusative case, regardless of context.

How does "für" change the article that follows it?

Since "für" triggers the accusative case, masculine articles change from "der" to "den," e.g. "der Mann" becomes "für den Mann." Feminine, neuter, and plural articles stay the same as in the nominative.

What is a simple way to memorize the accusative prepositions?

Many learners use the first letters of für, um, durch, gegen, ohne, and bis as a memory aid, since these six always behave the same way — no exceptions to track.

How is "um" used besides meaning "around"?

"Um" is also the standard preposition for clock time in German, e.g. "um 8 Uhr" (at 8 o'clock), in addition to its literal meaning of "around" something.

Our A2 German course builds this kind of case mastery into real speaking practice, so it becomes automatic rather than something you calculate.