what is it?
Certain German nouns and adjectives are bound to a specific preposition that always takes the same grammatical case. The preposition is not chosen freely — it is fixed by the noun or adjective itself and must be learned as part of the item's entry. For example, stolz always takes auf + accusative, and abhängig always takes von + dative. When the complement is a clause rather than a noun phrase, the preposition cannot directly introduce the clause; instead, a da(r)-correlate (e.g. darauf, dafür) stands in the main clause and points forward to the subordinate clause.
when to use it
With a noun-phrase complement. Use the fixed preposition + the required case directly before the noun phrase: die Angst vor dem Hund, stolz auf ihre Arbeit.
With a dass-clause or infinitive clause. A preposition cannot directly precede dass or zu + infinitive. Place the da(r)-correlate in the main clause and follow it with the subordinate clause: Er ist stolz darauf, die Prüfung bestanden zu haben.
When the complement is optional. Some items can appear without an explicit complement (Ich bin zufrieden.), but as soon as a complement is expressed, the fixed preposition is obligatory.
formation
The table below lists high-frequency nouns and adjectives with their fixed prepositions and required cases. Learn each item as a unit: word + preposition + case.
| word | fixed preposition + case | example phrase |
|---|---|---|
| die Angst | vor + dative | Angst vor der Prüfung |
| der Grund | für + accusative | der Grund für diese Entscheidung |
| die Antwort | auf + accusative | die Antwort auf die Frage |
| das Interesse | an + dative | Interesse an dem Thema |
| stolz | auf + accusative | stolz auf ihre Arbeit |
| abhängig | von + dative | abhängig von der Situation |
| zufrieden | mit + dative | zufrieden mit dem Ergebnis |
| begeistert | von + dative | begeistert von dem Film |
Forming the da(r)-correlate. Combine da- with the fixed preposition. If the preposition begins with a vowel, insert -r- to aid pronunciation.
| fixed preposition | da(r)-correlate | used with |
|---|---|---|
| auf | darauf | stolz darauf, dass … |
| für | dafür | der Grund dafür, dass … |
| von | davon | abhängig davon, ob … |
| mit | damit | zufrieden damit, dass … |
| an | daran | Interesse daran, dass … |
| vor | davor | Angst davor, dass … |
The da(r)-correlate is required when the complement is a clause. It cannot be omitted, even though it has no direct English equivalent.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Transferring the English preposition. English «proud of» or «dependent on» does not map onto German. *stolz über and *abhängig auf are both wrong. The correct forms are stolz auf and abhängig von. Learn the preposition together with the word, not by translation.
Wrong case after the fixed preposition. Even when the preposition is correct, the case of the following noun phrase must match. *stolz auf ihrer Arbeit uses dative, but auf here requires accusative: stolz auf ihre Arbeit. Always memorise the case alongside the preposition.
Dropping the da(r)-correlate before a dass-clause. When the complement is a clause, the da(r)-correlate is obligatory. Saying *Er ist stolz, dass er gewonnen hat. omits the required correlate. The correct sentence is Er ist stolz darauf, dass er gewonnen hat. Without darauf, the link between the adjective and its clause complement is missing.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Sie ist sehr froh ___, endlich ihren Traumurlaub gebucht zu haben.
Fill in the blank with the correct fixed-preposition correlate.