Prepositions of Place and Time

Saying where something is: in, an, auf

To answer the question wo? (where?), German mostly uses three prepositions: in (inside), an (at, next to) and auf (on top of). When they answer wo?, they take the dative, which you know from the last lesson.

Two contractions do most of the work at A1: in dem becomes im, and an dem becomes am. So you say im Supermarkt (in the supermarket), im Kino (in the cinema), am Bahnhof (at the station), am Meer (at the sea). With auf, the full form stays: auf dem Tisch (on the table).

Learn locations as ready-made phrases. That way you do not have to build the case each time; the correct form is already part of the phrase. Good starter phrases: im Bett, im Büro, in der Schule, am Fenster, auf dem Markt, auf der Straße. Say each one with a simple sentence around it, for example "Ich arbeite im Büro", so the phrase and the sentence pattern arrive together.

• Ich bin im Supermarkt.

  I am in the supermarket.

  im = in dem

• Wir warten am Bahnhof.

  We are waiting at the station.

  am = an dem

• Die Lampe steht auf dem Tisch.

  The lamp is on the table.

• Meine Tasche ist in der Küche.

  My bag is in the kitchen.

  feminine dative: in der

Saying where you are going: nach, zu, in

For the question wohin? (where to?), A1 German needs three main patterns. Use nach for cities and most countries, and in the fixed phrase nach Hause (home, as a direction): nach Berlin, nach Italien, nach Hause. Use zu for people and for buildings or places you go to, and remember the contractions zum and zur: zu meiner Freundin, zum Supermarkt, zur Schule. Use in when you go inside a place, especially with ins Kino, ins Restaurant, ins Bett; ins is the contraction of in das.

Be careful with the pair zu Hause and nach Hause: zu Hause means at home (where you are), nach Hause means home (where you are going). Mixing them up is one of the most common A1 mistakes. A memory hook: nach involves movement, just as in nach Berlin, so nach Hause always goes with verbs like gehen and fahren.

• Ich fliege im August nach Spanien.

  I am flying to Spain in August.

• Gehst du heute Abend ins Kino?

  Are you going to the cinema tonight?

  ins = in das

• Sie geht zur Schule.

  She goes to school.

• Ich bin müde und fahre nach Hause.

  I am tired and am going home.

  direction: nach Hause

• Am Sonntag bleibe ich zu Hause.

  On Sunday I am staying at home.

  location: zu Hause

Saying when: am, im, um

Three little words organise almost all time expressions at A1. Use am for days and parts of the day: am Montag, am Wochenende, am Morgen, am Abend. Use im for months and seasons: im Januar, im Sommer, im Winter. Use um for clock times: um acht Uhr, um halb sieben.

One exception to remember: night uses in der, not am. You say in der Nacht (at night). For now, just learn the three anchors: am for days and parts of the day, im for months and seasons, um for clock times. They cover nearly every time expression the A1 exam uses.

• Am Montag arbeite ich nicht.

  On Monday I do not work.

• Im Winter ist es in Deutschland kalt.

  In winter it is cold in Germany.

• Der Deutschkurs beginnt um neun Uhr.

  The German course starts at nine o'clock.

• In der Nacht schlafe ich schlecht.

  At night I sleep badly.

  exception: in der Nacht

From ... to: von ... bis

To give a time span, German uses von ... bis (from ... to). It works for clock times, days and months: von acht bis zwölf Uhr, von Montag bis Freitag, von Juni bis August. You will see this pattern constantly on signs, in opening hours and in emails about appointments.

With opening hours, German often drops von and just uses bis or a simple range: Das Geschäft ist bis 20 Uhr offen. When you read a sign like "Mo-Fr 9-18 Uhr", say it out loud as von Montag bis Freitag, von neun bis achtzehn Uhr. Reading such signs aloud is excellent preparation for the A1 exam.

• Ich arbeite von Montag bis Freitag.

  I work from Monday to Friday.

• Der Supermarkt ist von acht bis zwanzig Uhr offen.

  The supermarket is open from eight until eight in the evening.

• Von Juli bis August habe ich Urlaub.

  From July to August I am on holiday.