TOPIC · Prepositions (Präpositionen)

Prepositions of cause: wegen, aufgrund, aus, vor, dank

A2B1B2

After this lesson, the learner will be able to use the prepositions wegen, aufgrund, aus, vor, and dank correctly in German.

In this lesson, we will explore the prepositions that indicate a reason in German: wegen, aufgrund, aus, vor, and dank. Each of these prepositions functions differently and is used with specific grammatical cases.

1. WEGEN

  • The most commonly used preposition is “wegen.”
  • It usually requires the genitive case when used with nouns that have an article or adjective. For plural nouns without an article or adjective, the dative case is used.
ExampleTranslation
Wegen des Regens will ich nicht gehen.Because of the rain, I do not want to go.
Wegen Regen will ich nicht gehen.I do not want to go because of the rain.

2. AUFGRUND

  • “Aufgrund” also means “because of” and can be used interchangeably with “wegen,” but is more common in formal or administrative contexts.
ExampleTranslation
Aufgrund seiner guten Noten wurde er genommen.Due to his good grades, he was accepted.

3. AUS - VOR

  • The prepositions “aus” and “vor” refer to emotional states or attitudes.
  • These nouns usually appear without an article.
ExampleTranslation
Er handelte aus Wut und schlug auf den Tisch.He acted out of anger and slapped the table.
Sie tat es aus Verantwortungsgefühl.She did it out of a sense of responsibility.

4. DANK

  • “Dank” is used for positive causes. When used in a negative context, it often conveys sarcasm.
ExampleTranslation
Dank seiner Hilfe konnten wir es beenden.Thanks to his help, we were able to finish it.
Dank seiner schlechten Vorbereitung war alles Chaos.Thanks to his poor preparation, everything was chaos. → (Sarcasm)