what is it?
German uses several different prepositions where English uses only "to." The correct choice depends entirely on the type of destination: whether it is a city, a country, a person, a building you enter, a body of water, an island, or an event. The five prepositions covered here are nach, zu, in, an, and auf. Each triggers a specific set of nouns and, where an article is present, requires the accusative case.
when to use it
nach — used with cities and most countries that have no article: nach Berlin, nach Italien, nach Japan. Also used in the fixed phrase nach Hause (going home).
zu — used with people and institutions: zum Arzt, zur Arbeit, zu meiner Freundin. zu + dem → zum; zu + der → zur.
in — used with enterable places (buildings, rooms, shops) and with countries that carry an article: in die Schule, in die Schweiz, in den Iran. The article is in the accusative.
an — used with edges and bodies of water: ans Meer, an den See, an die Küste. an + das → ans.
auf — used with islands and certain events or open spaces: auf die Insel, auf den Markt, auf eine Party.
formation
When the preposition is followed by a definite article, the article takes the accusative form. Two common contractions are obligatory in standard German.
| preposition | combines with | contraction | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| zu | dem (masc./neut.) | zum | zum Arzt |
| zu | der (fem.) | zur | zur Arbeit |
| an | das | ans | ans Meer |
| in | das | ins | ins Kino |
| in | die (fem.) | — (no contraction) | in die Schweiz |
| in | den (masc.) | — (no contraction) | in den Iran |
nach and auf do not contract with articles. nach is almost always used without any article at all.
nach Hause vs. zu Hause — these two phrases look similar but mean different things. nach Hause expresses motion toward home (I am going home). zu Hause expresses location at home (I am at home). Neither follows the general rules above — both are fixed expressions.
examples in context
common pitfalls
nach with people or institutions. nach only goes to places without an article. Saying *nach dem Arzt is wrong. Use zum Arzt instead.
zu with countries and cities. zu is for people and institutions, not geographical destinations. *zu Italien is wrong. Use nach Italien.
Dropping the article with countries that require one. Some countries — die Schweiz, die Türkei, der Iran — always use an article. Saying *nach Schweiz is wrong. Because the article is present, in is required: in die Schweiz.
Mixing up nach Hause and zu Hause. nach Hause describes movement toward home: Ich gehe nach Hause (I am going home). zu Hause describes being at home: Ich bin zu Hause (I am at home). Using one in place of the other changes the meaning entirely.