Accusative prepositions (for, through, without, etc.)

What are accusative prepositions?

An accusative preposition in German is a preposition that always requires its object to be in the accusative case. That means the noun (or pronoun), its article and any adjectives or possessives must take the accusative forms. These prepositions do not change with context — whenever you use them, the following phrase is accusative.

Quick example:
- Ich gehe durch den Park. — I walk through the park. (durch always takes the accusative: der Park → den Park)

Remember: a preposition determines the case of what comes after it. If the preposition is accusative-only, always use accusative forms.

When do I use accusative prepositions?

Use an accusative preposition whenever that preposition appears in a sentence. You do not decide accusative vs dative by the verb here — the preposition decides. This is different from the so-called two-way prepositions (in, an, auf, etc.) that use dative for location and accusative for direction.

Important to memorize at least the most common accusative-only prepositions. The five you will see most often are: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um. After those, a few more words often behave like accusative prepositions (bis, entlang, pro, per), but some of these have special rules — see the special cases section.

The five main accusative prepositions

durch — through / by means of
- Wir gehen durch den Park. — We walk through the park. (der Park → den Park)
- Sie fuhr durch die Stadt. — She drove through the city. (die Stadt stays die — feminine)
- Durch harte Arbeit hat er Erfolg gehabt. — He succeeded through hard work. (durch + noun without article)

für — for (recipient, purpose, certain durations)
- Das Geschenk ist für dich. — The gift is for you.
- Ich habe eine Karte für meinen Bruder gekauft. — I bought a ticket for my brother. (mein → meinen for masculine accusative)
- Ich bleibe für zwei Wochen. — I will stay for two weeks. (duration)
- Ich interessiere mich für klassische Musik. — I’m interested in classical music. (verb + für requires accusative)

gegen — against; around/approximately (time)
- Ich bin gegen diesen Plan. — I am against this plan. (dieser → diesen: accusative masculine)
- Der Ball prallte gegen die Wand. — The ball bounced against the wall.
- Wir treffen uns gegen 18 Uhr. — We’ll meet around 6 p.m. (approximate time)

ohne — without
- Ich gehe nicht ohne deinen Schlüssel. — I won’t go without your key.
- Sie arbeitet ohne Pausen. — She works without breaks.
- Er verließ den Raum, ohne sich zu verabschieden. — He left the room without saying goodbye. (ohne + zu + infinitive)

um — at (time) / around (movement); also used in the purpose construction um … zu
- Das Konzert beginnt um 20 Uhr. — The concert begins at 8 p.m.
- Er joggt um den See. — He jogs around the lake. (movement around something)
- Ich lerne, um die Prüfung zu bestehen. — I study in order to pass the exam. (um … zu + infinitive: purpose)

Other accusative prepositions and special cases

Not every preposition is as straightforward as the five above. Here are a few additional words you will meet and their common patterns.

Tip: "bis" often appears without an article (bis Montag) — then the following word is in accusative form when inflected (bis nächsten Montag).

Modern German also sometimes allows dative with entlang in colloquial speech, but the traditional patterns above are safest for learners.

These are commonly used with bare nouns or numbers; they don’t show case endings the way articles do.

This is less common in everyday conversation but still appears in fixed expressions and formal writing.

How to form the accusative after these prepositions (articles, adjectives, pronouns)

When a preposition forces the accusative, you must use the accusative forms of articles, possessives and pronouns. Here are the basic forms to remember.

Definite articles (the):
- Masculine: nominative der → accusative den
- Feminine: die → die (unchanged)
- Neuter: das → das (unchanged)
- Plural: die → die (unchanged)

Examples:
- durch den Park (masculine) — through the park
- ohne die Frau (feminine) — without the woman
- durch das Tor (neuter) — through the gate
- für die Kinder (plural) — for the children

Indefinite articles (a / an) and negatives (kein):
- Masculine: ein → einen ; kein → keinen
- Feminine: eine → eine ; keine → keine
- Neuter: ein → ein ; kein → kein

Examples:
- Ich habe ein Buch für einen Freund gekauft. — I bought a book for a (male) friend.
- Ohne einen Plan kann das schiefgehen. — Without a plan this can go wrong.
- Ich habe keine Zeit für das Treffen. — I have no time for the meeting.

Possessive pronouns (my/your/etc.) — masculine accusative ends in -en
- mein → meinen (m.), meine (f./pl.), mein (n.)
Example: Ich habe ein Geschenk für meinen Bruder. — I have a present for my brother.

Personal pronouns (accusative forms):
- ich → mich
- du → dich
- er → ihn
- sie → sie
- es → es
- wir → uns
- ihr → euch
- sie → sie (them)
- Sie → Sie (formal you)

Examples:
- Das ist für mich. — That is for me.
- Er spielt gegen dich. — He plays against you.
- Ich habe das nur für sie getan. — I did it only for her/them (depending on context).

Adjective endings after accusative articles (short note):
If an adjective follows a definite or indefinite article, its ending changes according to the strong/weak/ mixed declension rules. A common pattern learners need first is the accusative masculine -en ending after an article: eben "für meinen netten Freund" (not "mein netter Freund").

Example:
- Ich kaufe das Geschenk für meinen netten Freund. — I buy the present for my nice (male) friend.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

- Confusing accusative with dative because you translate from English. Wrong: Das Geschenk ist für mir. Correct: Das Geschenk ist für mich. (Use the accusative pronoun.)

- Mixing up two-way prepositions (in, an, auf, hinter, vor, zwischen, neben, über, unter): those can be accusative (direction/motion) or dative (location). Example pair:
- Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. — I put the book onto the table. (accusative: movement)
- Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. — The book lies on the table. (dative: location)

- Forgetting the masculine accusative change ein → einen. Wrong: Ich habe ein Geschenk für ein Freund. Correct: Ich habe ein Geschenk für einen Freund.

- Using the wrong form with bis and bis zu. Compare:
- Ich bleibe bis Montag. — I stay until Monday. (bis + noun without zu)
- Ich bleibe bis zum Montag. — I stay until Monday. (bis + zu + dem = bis zum)

- Placing entlang before the noun and expecting accusative. Prefer: den Fluss entlang (accusative after noun) or entlang des Flusses (genitive before noun).

Quick reference — common accusative prepositions

The most important accusative-only prepositions to memorize first:
- durch — through
- für — for
- gegen — against / around (time)
- ohne — without
- um — at (time), around (movement)

Other useful ones to know (special rules apply):
- bis — until / up to
- entlang — along (postposition: after the noun → accusative)
- pro / per — per (for each)
- wider — against (formal/archaic)

Glossary

- Preposition: a word that links a noun/pronoun to another part of the sentence (e.g., für, durch).
- Accusative case (Akkusativ): the case used for direct objects and for objects of accusative prepositions.
- Direct object: the noun or noun phrase that directly receives the action of the verb (in English often answers "whom?" or "what?").
- Two-way preposition (Wechselpräposition): a preposition that can take dative (location) or accusative (direction) depending on the meaning (e.g., in, an, auf).
- Postposition: a word placed after its object (entlang often behaves like this: den Fluss entlang).

Summary / Practical tips

- Memorize the five core accusative prepositions first: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um.
- Always change the article and pronouns to accusative after these prepositions (der → den, ein → einen, ich → mich, etc.).
- Watch out for bis and entlang: they behave slightly differently and are common sources of mistakes.
- When in doubt, ask: Does the preposition normally require the accusative? If yes, use the accusative form of the noun/pronoun.

By practicing sentences that use each preposition with different genders, pronouns and adjectives, you will quickly get used to the required accusative forms.