'Nach' Unlocked! | All meanings + Tips & Tricks
The tiny word "nach" shows up everywhere in German — as a preposition, as a verb prefix, and inside fixed expressions — and each role gives it a completely different meaning. Once you can recognize which job "nach" is doing in a sentence, a word that looks confusingly flexible becomes much easier to predict and use correctly yourself.
Job 1: "Nach" as a Preposition (Always with Dative)
As a preposition, "nach" has three distinct uses:
a) Direction — going to a place (no article)
Used with cities, countries without an article, and "Hause": nach Berlin, nach Deutschland, nach Hause. "Ich fahre nach MĂĽnchen." (I'm going to Munich.)
b) Time — "after"
nach dem Essen (after the meal), nach der Arbeit (after work), nach zwei Wochen (after two weeks). "Nach der Arbeit gehe ich ins Fitnessstudio." (After work I go to the gym.)
c) "According to" — opinion or standard
Often placed after the noun in this meaning: meiner Meinung nach (in my opinion), der Reihe nach (in order/one after another). "Meiner Meinung nach ist das eine gute Idee." (In my opinion, that's a good idea.)
Job 2: "Nach" as a Separable Verb Prefix
"Nach-" attaches to many verbs to add the idea of "after," "following," or "checking/re-doing something":
- nachdenken — to think over, ponder. "Ich muss darüber nachdenken." (I need to think it over.)
- nachschauen — to look something up, check. "Schau mal im Wörterbuch nach." (Look it up in the dictionary.)
- nachmachen — to imitate, copy. "Kinder machen alles nach." (Children imitate everything.)
- nachholen — to catch up on, make up for. "Ich muss die Hausaufgaben nachholen." (I need to catch up on the homework.)
- nachfragen — to ask further, follow up. "Ich werde noch einmal nachfragen." (I'll ask again to follow up.)
As with all separable-prefix verbs, "nach-" splits off and moves to the end of the main clause: "Ich denke oft ĂĽber mein Leben nach."
Job 3: "Nach" Inside Fixed Adverbial Expressions
- nach und nach — little by little, gradually. "Ich lerne nach und nach mehr Wörter."
- nach wie vor — still, as before. "Er ist nach wie vor mein bester Freund." (He's still my best friend, just as before.)
Quick Decision Guide
Ask yourself these three questions in order:
- Is "nach" directly in front of a place, time expression, or a noun it governs (dative)? → It's a preposition.
- Is "nach" attached to the front of a verb in its dictionary form (nachdenken, nachschauen)? → It's a separable prefix.
- Is "nach" part of a fixed two-word phrase like "nach und nach" or "nach wie vor"? → It's part of a fixed expression — just memorize it as a chunk.
Häufig gestellte Fragen (FAQ)
What case does "nach" always take as a preposition?
Dative, in every one of its uses — direction (nach Berlin), time (nach der Arbeit), and "according to" (meiner Meinung nach).
Why does "meiner Meinung nach" put "nach" at the end?
In the "according to" meaning, "nach" is commonly placed after the noun phrase it governs rather than before it — this is simply the standard word order for this particular use, and it's worth memorizing as a set phrase.
How do I know if "nach" is a separable prefix or a preposition in a sentence?
If "nach" is directly attached to a verb in its infinitive form (nachdenken, nachschauen), it's a separable prefix. If it stands alone in front of a noun (nach Berlin, nach der Arbeit), it's a preposition.
Is "nach Hause" an exception to the direction rule?
Not really an exception — it follows the same "direction with no article" pattern as city and country names, it's just a fixed idiom worth memorizing directly since "Hause" isn't used this way anywhere else.
What's the difference between "nach" and "zu" for direction?
"Nach" is used for cities, countries (without an article), and "Hause." "Zu" is used for people and specific places/buildings with an article, like "zum Arzt" (to the doctor) or "zur Schule" (to school).
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