This introduction covers Der Dativ — The Case After Key Prepositions within The dative case and key prepositions for GCSE German. Revise The dative case and key prepositions in Core Grammar Toolkit for GCSE German with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📦 Der Dativ — The Case After Key Prepositions
The dative case shows up after a fixed set of prepositions (mit, nach, aus, bei, seit, von, zu) and for indirect objects. Learn the dative articles and that little group of prepositions, and a whole layer of German falls neatly into place.
Practice questions for The dative case and key prepositions
Which phrase correctly means 'I am going into the city' (movement)?
Which contraction correctly fills the gap? 'Ich gehe ___ Bahnhof.' (I'm going to the station — masc.)
Quick recall flashcards
zu (+ dative)
to (a place or person) -- zum Bahnhof (zu + dem), zur Schule (zu + der), zu meiner Oma. Always dative, and usually contracts to zum/zur.
mit (+ dative)
with / by (transport) -- mit dem Bus (by bus), mit der Bahn (by train), mit meinen Freunden (with my friends). Always followed by the dative.