Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Two-Way Prepositions Part 3
Two-Way Prepositions Part 3 Believe it or not, two German accusative/dative prepositions make yet another distinction that English does not! The common prepositions an and auf can both mean on or at but they differ in how they are applied to surfaces. If an object is on or near a vertical surface (a wall, a chalkboard, etc.), then usually the prepositionan is used. If a horizontal surface (a tabletop, a floor, etc.) is involved, then auf is used to express on or at. Look at the illustrations below... Horizontal and Vertical ON or ATAN (vertical) and AUF (horizontal) AN  VERTICAL - SENKRECHT  die Wand the wall​​ An object approachinga vertical surface.The accus. phrase an die Wandanswers the question wohin? An object on or atthe wall. (vertical surface)The dative phrase an der Wandanswers the question wo?  AUF  HORIZONTAL - WAAGERECHT  der Tisch the table​ An object approachinga horizontal surface.The accus. phrase auf den Tischanswers the question wohin? An object onthe table. (horizontal surface)The dative phrase auf dem Tischanswers the question wo? Now, if youve been paying attention, can you say what the dative prepositional phrase an dem Tisch or am Tisch means? Unlike auf dem Tisch, an dem Tisch means at or next to the table. If you are sitting at the table, you are am Tisch. If you are sitting on top of the table, you are auf dem Tisch! German is being very consistent here. If you are talking about your location in relation to the vertical part of the table (the legs, etc.), then you use an. If youre talking about your location in relation to the horizontal top of the table, then you use auf. This logic also applies to expressions like an der Donau (on the Danube). The use of an refers to being on the edge of the river. If were actually on the Danube (in a boat), then were auf der Donau. More Examples (A accus., D dative)Here are some examples of the uses of an and auf: wo? an der Ecke D - on/at the cornerwohin? an die Ecke A - to the cornerwo? an der Grenze D - on/at the borderwohin? an die Grenze A - to the borderwo? am Rhein D - on the Rhinewohin? an den Rhein A - to the Rhinewo? auf dem Dach D - on the roofwohin? auf das Dach A - onto the roof Idiomatic ExpressionsBesides their normal uses, an and auf are also used in many idiomatic expressions and verbal phrases. Here are some examples: auf der Bank - at the bankjemandem auf der Tasche liegen - to live off of someoneauf der Straße liegen A - to be down and outjemanden an der Nase herumfà ¼hren - to lead someone around by the nose, take them for a foolworan liegt das? - whats the reason for that? Most of the other two-way prepositions are used in idiomatic expressions as well. Related Links The Four German CasesA guide to the four German cases: Accusative, Dative, Genitive and Nominative. Includes cases and the two-way prepositions. A guide to the many ways to say by in German. Prepositional PitfallsPotential problems and how to avoid them.
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