When describing where someone or something is, a preposition + dative is often used.
Look at the examples with in + dative:
Wo warten Nico und Max? – Im Flur. (im = in dem)
Wo kann ich Kaffee trinken? – In der Cafeteria.
Wo ist Herr Müller? – Im Büro. (im = in dem)
Wo finden die Bewerbungsgespräche statt? – In den Konferenzräumen.
Some prepositions, e.g. in, can be used with the dative as well as with the accusative. Prepositions of place with the dative are always used in answer to the question Wo …? These prepositions are known as two-case prepositions.
There are nine two-case prepositions:
in, an, unter, über, auf, vor, hinter, neben and zwischen.
Nico und Max warten im Flur.
Das Schild ist an der Tür.
Das Schild ist unter dem Fenster.
Das Schild ist über der Tür.
Emma sitzt auf dem Stuhl.
Emma sitzt vor dem Stuhl.
Emma steht hinter dem Stuhl.
Emma steht neben dem Stuhl.
Emma steht zwischen den Stühlen.
Sometimes a short form can be made out of a preposition and an article:
in + dem = im
an + dem = am
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Grammatical terms in German: der Dativ: In German there are four different forms or categories (cases) of noun, known as Fälle or Kasus. As well as nominative and accusative, there is also dative. Nouns take this case when, for example, they come after certain prepositions or are the object of a verb that takes the dative. The articles have the forms: dem/einem, der/einer, dem/einem, den/-. In the plural an -n is often added to the noun. |