Deutsche Verben mit Präpositionen - The Top 20
Look at sich freuen: you can say Ich freue mich für dich, Ich freue mich auf den Urlaub and Ich freue mich über deine Nachricht, three sentences with the same verb and three different prepositions. That is why verbs with prepositions feel annoying. This lesson gives you the 20 most important and most commonly used ones, each with the case that follows the preposition and an example sentence. There are around 100 verbs with prepositions in total, and you can download the whole list for free at the end.
Why You Have to Learn the Case Too
Every German preposition takes a specific case. Some take only the accusative, some only the dative, and some take both. Of the roughly 100 verbs with prepositions, 46 take the dative and 49 take the accusative, so it is pretty much 50-50. The best way is to learn the verb together with the preposition and the case. This is really only a problem for the Wechselpräpositionen (two-way prepositions), and there is a bonus tip for that at the end. A lot of these verbs are also reflexive, like sich ärgern über.
The Top 20 Verbs with Prepositions
| # | Verb + preposition | Meaning | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angst haben vor | to be afraid of | Dativ | Ich habe Angst vor großen Spinnen. I am afraid of big spiders. |
| 2 | ankommen auf | to depend on | Akkusativ | Das kommt aufs Wetter an. That depends on the weather. |
| 3 | sich ärgern über | to get annoyed with | Akkusativ | Ärgerst du dich oft über deine Nachbarn? Do you often get annoyed with your neighbors? |
| 4 | beginnen mit | to start with | Dativ | Heute beginnen wir mit Lektion 12. Today we start with lesson 12. |
| 5 | sich beschweren über | to complain about | Akkusativ | Die Leute beschweren sich oft über die Deutsche Bahn. People often complain about the German railway. |
| 6 | danken für | to thank for | Akkusativ | Ich danke dir für deine Hilfe. I thank you for your help. |
| 7 | denken an | to think of | Akkusativ | Denkst du oft an deinen Ex-Freund oder an deine Ex-Freundin? Do you often think of your ex? |
| 8 | einladen zu | to invite to | Dativ | Tina und Mario haben uns zu ihrer Hochzeit eingeladen. Tina and Mario invited us to their wedding. |
| 9 | sich entscheiden für | to decide on, to choose | Akkusativ | Für welches Handy hast du dich entschieden? Which cell phone did you choose? |
| 10 | sich erinnern an | to remember | Akkusativ | Erinnerst du dich an dein erstes Handy? Do you remember your first cell phone? |
| 11 | sich freuen auf / über | to look forward to / to be happy about | Akkusativ | Sabine freut sich auf ihren Urlaub. Sabine is looking forward to her vacation. Ich habe mich sehr über deine Nachricht gefreut. I was very happy to get your message. |
| 12 | sich gewöhnen an | to get used to | Akkusativ | Hast du dich an die neue Wohnung gewöhnt? Have you got used to the new apartment? |
| 13 | halten von | to think of (an opinion) | Dativ | Was hältst du von der neuen Präsidentin? What do you think of the new president? |
| 14 | sich interessieren für | to be interested in | Akkusativ | Timo interessiert sich sehr für deutschen Fußball. Timo is very interested in German soccer. |
| 15 | sich kümmern um | to take care of | Akkusativ | Mein Onkel kümmert sich oft um unsere Großmutter. My uncle often takes care of our grandmother. |
| 16 | nachdenken über | to think about | Akkusativ | Ich muss über dieses Problem nachdenken. I have to think about that problem. |
| 17 | sprechen mit / über | to talk to / to talk about | Dativ / Akkusativ | Mit wem hast du gerade gesprochen? Who did you just talk to? Worüber habt ihr gesprochen? What did you talk about? |
| 18 | teilnehmen an | to take part in | Dativ | Roberto nimmt an einem Kochkurs teil. Roberto takes part in a cooking course. |
| 19 | sich verlassen auf | to rely on | Akkusativ | Du kannst dich auf mich verlassen. You can rely on me. |
| 20 | warten auf | to wait for | Akkusativ | Wir warten schon seit 20 Minuten auf den Bus. We have been waiting for the bus for 20 minutes already. |
Notes on Some of the Verbs
- Angst haben vor: vor is a two-way preposition, but with Angst haben it always takes the dative.
- ankommen auf: a common answer when you plan the weekend and say you could go camping: Das kommt aufs Wetter an.
- beginnen mit, einladen zu: mit and zu always take the dative, so there is nothing to worry about. Einladen is a separable verb.
- danken für, sich entscheiden für, sich interessieren für: für always takes the accusative.
- sich kümmern um: um always takes the accusative.
- sich verlassen auf: a typical answer when your boss asks if you can do something until Monday: Kein Problem, du kannst dich auf mich verlassen.
- sprechen mit / über: mit wem (dative, with m) vs. wen (accusative, with n). Worüber is wo + über, the question word for things.
- teilnehmen an is a separable verb, and an takes the dative here.
halten von: a handy way to make suggestions
In spoken German we use halten von to suggest an activity. You ask Hast du Zeit am Wochenende? and your friend says yes. Then you ask Was hältst du von Kino?, Was hältst du von Essen gehen? or Was hältst du von Fußballschauen?
Bonus Tip: Verbs with a Two-Way Preposition
Quite a few of the verbs above use a two-way preposition. There are nine of them, and each can take the accusative or the dative. For verbs with prepositions there is unfortunately no rule. You can only memorize the case together with the verb. But if you forget it, take the accusative, because most verbs with a two-way preposition take the accusative. An is the one preposition that often takes the dative, as in teilnehmen an, while the others mostly come with the accusative. Note that denken an, sich erinnern an and sich gewöhnen an are accusative.
Free Gift: The Complete List
There are around 100 verbs with prepositions, and we did the work for you. Download the complete list for free here: free list of German verbs with prepositions.
What to Learn Next
Many of these verbs are reflexive. See ALL A1 German Reflexive Verbs with Prepositions and ALL A2 German Reflexive Verbs. For more verbs with prepositions at A2, read German Verbs With Prepositions for A2. To master the question words and the da and wo forms, go to German da-words: Da Compounds Explained, Wer? Wen? Wem? and German questions with prepositions and welch-. For the nine two-way prepositions, see Wechselpräpositionen: Dative or Accusative.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many German verbs with prepositions are there?
Around 100. Of these, 46 take the dative case and 49 take the accusative case, so it is pretty much 50-50. This lesson covers the 20 most common ones.
How do I know which case follows the preposition?
The best way is to learn the verb together with the preposition and the case. Only the two-way prepositions are a real problem. If you forget the case, take the accusative, because most verbs with a two-way preposition use it.
Which prepositions always take the same case?
Für and um always take the accusative, mit, zu and von always take the dative. The nine two-way prepositions can take both, depending on the verb.
Are many verbs with prepositions reflexive?
Yes. A lot of them are reflexive, for example sich ärgern über, sich interessieren für and sich verlassen auf.
What is the difference between sich freuen auf and sich freuen über?
Sich freuen auf means to look forward to something: Sabine freut sich auf ihren Urlaub. Sich freuen über means to be happy about something: Ich habe mich sehr über deine Nachricht gefreut.
Verbs with prepositions become easy when you see them again and again in context. Our B1 German online course brings them back with clear video lessons and exercises.
