German Dative Prepositions: aus, bei, mit, nach, von, zu

What are German dative prepositions?

German dative prepositions are prepositions that always force the following noun phrase into the dative case, no matter what the verb is or whether the meaning is locational or directional. The core seven are aus, bei, mit, nach, von, zu, seit, plus gegenüber, außer, and ab. Whenever you see one of these words, the article and noun that follow take dative endings — *mit dem Bus, von der Arbeit, aus dem Haus, mit den Kindern*.

This page lists every dative-only preposition with a meaning and a worked example, shows the dative article and pronoun forms (definite, indefinite, plural with -n), covers the four standard contractions (zum, zur, vom, beim), untangles tricky pairs like aus vs. von, and ends with the most common mistakes A1 learners make. For two-way prepositions that can take either dative or accusative, see Wechselpräpositionen; for prepositions that always take the accusative, see accusative prepositions.

Want to drill it rather than just read? The interactive exercises on this page let you practise dative prepositions for free — no sign-up, with instant correction on every answer.

Ich fahre mit dem Bus. — I travel by bus.

Quick reference: dative preposition list

The rhyme that locks the core seven

A classic mnemonic: "Mit, von, zu, bei, nach, seit, aus — Dativ, man, oh Graus!"

(The seven most common dative prepositions in one rhyme — memorise this and you cover the bulk of A1 dative usage.)

German dative articles: dem, der, dem, den

After a dative preposition, the definite article changes form by gender. Masculine and neuter share dem; feminine is der; plural is den, and the noun itself takes an extra -n (see below).

For a fuller treatment of dative article forms (including dieser, jener, welcher), see German dative articles.

Indefinite articles in the dative: einem, einer, einem

The indefinite article in the dative mirrors the definite pattern: masculine and neuter share einem, feminine is einer.

There is no indefinite article for plural — use keinen (none) or a possessive: *mit meinen Freunden*.

Personal pronouns after dative prepositions

A dative preposition puts a following pronoun into the dative too — not just articles and nouns. The personal pronouns have their own dative forms, which show up constantly in phrases like bei mir, mit dir, von ihm.

With gegenüber the pronoun comes first: mir gegenüber, ihm gegenüber. For the full pronoun system across all four cases, see German personal pronouns.

Kommst du mit mir? — Are you coming with me?

How does the dative plural -n rule work?

In the dative plural, the noun itself gets an extra -n, unless its plural already ends in -n or -s. This is the rule learners most often forget.

Ich spiele mit den Kindern. — I play with the children.

Common contractions: zum, zur, vom, beim

In everyday German, four dative prepositions routinely merge with the definite article. These contractions are not slang — they are the standard form in both speech and writing, and using the full form often sounds unnatural.

Use the uncontracted form only when something blocks the contraction — typically a following adjective (bei dem alten Arzt) or a deictic emphasis (gerade zu dem Mann).

aus vs. von: two ways to say "from"

Both aus and von translate as from, and picking the wrong one is a classic A1 slip. The deciding question is whether you were inside something.

• aus = out of an enclosed space, or where someone is originally from (origin, nationality, source): Ich komme aus dem Haus (out of the house), Sie kommt aus der Schweiz (she's from Switzerland), ein Zitat aus dem Buch (a quote from the book).
• von = from a point, person, surface or direction — a starting point you were not inside: Ich komme von der Arbeit (from work), ein Geschenk von meinem Vater (from my father), Nimm es vom Tisch (off the table).

Rule of thumb: were you inside it? → aus; is it a point, person or direction? → von. In casual speech von + dative also replaces the genitive of possession: das Auto von meinem Bruder = my brother's car.

Common mistakes with dative prepositions

These are the traps that cost A1 learners marks again and again.

1. Using zu instead of nach for cities and countries

Bad: Ich fahre zu Berlin. Good: Ich fahre nach Berlin.

Nach is the destination preposition for cities, countries, and continents — nach Italien, nach Asien, nach Hause. Use zu for people and named businesses or institutions (zum Arzt, zur Bäckerei, zu meinem Bruder).

2. Confusing bei and mit

Bad: Ich wohne mit meinen Eltern (when you mean at my parents' place). Good: Ich wohne bei meinen Eltern.

Bei = location or association (at someone's place, at work). Mit = accompaniment or means (together with someone, by some transport). Ich wohne mit meinen Eltern is also grammatical but means I live together with my parents (as roommates).

3. Seit + perfect tense (English interference)

Bad: Ich habe seit drei Jahren hier gewohnt. Good: Ich wohne seit drei Jahren hier.

German uses the present tense with seit for situations that started in the past and still continue. English uses the present perfect (I have lived here for three years), so direct translation produces the wrong tense.

4. Forgetting the -n on dative plural nouns

Bad: Ich spiele mit den Kinder. Good: Ich spiele mit den Kindern.

The dative plural adds -n to every noun whose plural doesn't already end in -n or -s. This applies even when the article (den) already signals dative — the noun itself must carry the ending too.

5. Confusing dative-only prepositions with two-way prepositions

Bad: Ich gehe in dem Park. (Treating in as dative-only.) Good: Ich gehe in den Park. (Direction → accusative.)

In, an, auf, hinter, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen are Wechselpräpositionen — they take dative for location (wo? im Park) but accusative for direction (wohin? in den Park). The prepositions on this page are dative only — they never alternate.

6. Treating gegenüber as accusative

Bad: gegenüber den Bahnhof Good: gegenüber dem Bahnhof (or dem Bahnhof gegenüber)

Gegenüber describes a static position and always takes the dative. With pronouns it normally follows the noun phrase: mir gegenüber, ihm gegenüber.

7. zu Hause vs. nach Hause

Bad: Ich gehe zu Hause. (when you mean going home) Good: Ich gehe nach Hause.

Zu Hause means at home — a location, answering wo? (Ich bin zu Hause). Nach Hause means (going) home — a direction, answering wohin? (Ich fahre nach Hause). Hause is a fixed expression here and takes no article; zu Hause may also be written as one word, zuhause.

Quick tips

1. Memorise the core seven: mit, von, zu, bei, nach, seit, aus — they cover the bulk of A1 dative.
2. Masculine and neuter share the same dative form: dem / einem.
3. Feminine dative = der — don't confuse it with masculine nominative der.
4. Always add -n to plural nouns in the dative (unless they end in -n or -s).
5. Use the contractions (zum, zur, vom, beim) — they are the natural form.
6. Match preposition to meaning: nach for cities, zu for people; bei for location, mit for accompaniment.
7. aus vs. von: aus = out of an enclosed space or origin (aus der Schweiz); von = from a point, person or direction (von der Arbeit).