How do accusative prepositions work in German?

Unlike in English, when you use a preposition in German, it demands a certain case. For example, the sentence 'I raced along the platform to catch my train' would translate into German as 'Ich rannte den Bahnsteig entlang, um den Zug zu erreichen'. In English, after saying along, the 'the' remains the same, where in German after Entlang, the usual 'der' before Bahnsteig changes to 'den', as entlang demands an accusative preposition. Whilst it's easy enough to learn why and how that takes the accusative form, there are a whole host of them that need remembering. I present: FUDGEBOW, an anagram which will help you to recall them all:F – Für (for) U – Um (around)D – Durch (through)G – Gegen (against)E –Entlang (along)B – Bis (until)O – Ohne (without)W – Wider (against/contrary, e.g. against the will of my friends)

BM
Answered by Benjamin M. German tutor

2397 Views

See similar German GCSE tutors

Related German GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is the basis structure of a German sentence?


How do cases work in German?


Translate the passage into English - 'Ich wohne mit meinen zwei Kindern in einem Doppelhaus. Mein Sohn geht ins Gymnasium, wo er gute Noten bekommt. Meine Tochter hat Fremdsprachen an der Universität studiert, weil sie im Ausland arbeiten möchte.'


Was machst du gerne in deiner Freizeit?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning