aus/bei/mit/nach/seit/von/zu

Dative Prepositions

Level 1

The prepositions aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu are 'fixed-case' words. No matter the context or movement, they always trigger the dative case.

How It Works

These seven prepositions are essential for basic German communication. When you use them, the following noun or pronoun must change to the dative form.

The Seven Prepositions:

  • aus: Out of / from (origin from inside a place or a country/city).
  • bei: At / with (at a person's home, a business, or during an activity).
  • mit: With / by (accompaniment or means of transport).
  • nach: To / after (geographical destinations without articles, or time).
  • seit: Since / for (actions starting in the past that are still happening).
  • von: From / of (from a point, a person, or showing possession).
  • zu: To (towards a person, a specific building, or an event).

Common Contractions:
In natural speech, some of these merge with the article 'dem' or 'der':

  • bei + dem = beim
  • von + dem = vom
  • zu + dem = zum
  • zu + der = zur

Note: Unlike other prepositions, these do not care if there is 'movement' or 'location'—they are always dative.

Examples (6)

  1. Ich komme aus der Schweiz.

    I come from Switzerland.

    Word by Word: I come out-of the Switzerland.

    'Schweiz' is feminine. After 'aus', 'die' changes to 'der' (dative).

  2. Ich bin beim Arzt.

    I am at the doctor's.

    Word by Word: I am at-the doctor.

    'Beim' is a contraction of 'bei dem'. 'Arzt' is masculine dative.

  3. Fährst du mit dem Bus?

    Are you going by bus?

    Word by Word: Travel you with the bus?

    'Mit' always takes the dative. 'Der Bus' becomes 'dem Bus'.

  4. Nach dem Essen gehen wir spazieren.

    After the meal, we are going for a walk.

    Word by Word: After the meal go we walk.

    'Nach' indicates time here and triggers the dative 'dem'.

  5. Ich wohne seit einem Monat in Berlin.

    I have been living in Berlin for a month.

    Word by Word: I live since a month in Berlin.

    'Seit' is used for ongoing actions. 'Ein Monat' becomes 'einem Monat' (dative).

  6. Kommst du mit mir zum Bahnhof?

    Are you coming with me to the train station?

    Word by Word: Come you with me to-the train-station?

    This uses 'mit' (with dative pronoun 'mir') and 'zu' (contracted to 'zum').

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative case with 'zu' because of movement.

    Ich gehe zu den Bahnhof.
    Ich gehe zum Bahnhof.

    Learners often think 'movement means accusative'. Even with two-way prepositions that is not the test: those take the accusative for a destination (wohin?) and the dative for a location (wo?), so movement inside a place still takes the dative. With 'zu' the case never varies: it is always dative. 'Zu dem' becomes 'zum'.

  • Using the past tense with 'seit' for something that is still going on.

    Ich wohnte seit zwei Jahren hier.
    Ich wohne seit zwei Jahren hier.

    When the situation is still going on, German uses the present tense with 'seit' where English uses 'have been'. A stretch of time that finished in the past takes a past tense instead: Seit dem Unfall konnte er nicht mehr arbeiten.

  • Forgetting the 'n' ending for dative plural nouns.

    Ich spiele mit den Kinder.
    Ich spiele mit den Kindern.

    In the dative case, plural nouns usually add an extra '-n' (unless they already end in -n or -s).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

aus/bei/mit/nach/seit/von/zuLevel 1Dative Prepositions

Learn This First

To use dative prepositions, you first need to understand the concept of grammatical cases and noun genders, as these determine how the articles and pronouns will change after the preposition.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

seit