Brottin

TOPIC · Prepositions (Präpositionen)

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

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After this lesson you can correctly choose and use the causal prepositions wegen, aufgrund, aus, vor and dank with the right case and meaning in your own sentences.

In this lesson you learn five common causal prepositions in German: wegen, aufgrund, aus, vor and dank. All of them express a reason or cause, but they differ in case, style (formal vs. informal) and typical meaning.

1wegen – „wegen des Regens“

„wegen“ means “because of / due to”. In standard German it is followed by the Genitiv. In spoken German, especially in the plural or without article, you will also hear the Dativ, but in exams and formal texts the Genitiv is preferred.

Case use with „wegen“

StructureExplanationExampleMeaning
wegen + Genitivstandard, especially in written GermanWegen des starken Regens fahre ich nicht.I am not driving because of the heavy rain.
wegen + Genitiv Pluralalso normal in the pluralWegen der Bauarbeiten ist die Straße gesperrt.The street is closed because of the construction work.
wegen + Dativ (colloquial)frequent in speech, avoid in formal writingWegen dem Wetter bleiben wir zu Hause.We stay at home because of the weather.

More examples:

  • Wegen des Lärms kann ich nicht schlafen. (I cannot sleep because of the noise.)
  • Wegen eines Missverständnisses kam es zu Streit. (There was an argument because of a misunderstanding.)

2aufgrund – more formal than „wegen“

„aufgrund“ has almost the same meaning as „wegen“, but sounds more formal and is very common in official or written texts. It is normally used with the Genitiv.

StructureExplanationExampleMeaning
aufgrund + Genitivformal, writtenAufgrund seiner guten Leistungen bekam er eine Prämie.He got a bonus because of his good performance.
auf Grund + Genitivolder spelling, rather rareAuf Grund neuer Erkenntnisse ändern wir den Plan.We change the plan because of new findings.

Use the one-word form „aufgrund“ in modern texts.

More examples:

  • Aufgrund des Unfalls kam es zu Verzögerungen. (There were delays because of the accident.)
  • Aufgrund der hohen Kosten wurde das Projekt gestoppt. (The project was stopped because of the high costs.)

3aus – inner reason, motive

„aus“ usually expresses an inner reason: feelings, attitudes or motives. Often it is followed by an abstract noun without article.

StructureExplanationExampleMeaning
aus + Nouninner reason: feeling, attitude, motivationEr handelte aus Wut.He acted out of anger.
aus + abstract nounoften without articleSie half aus Freundschaft.She helped out of friendship.

Typical combinations: aus Liebe, aus Angst, aus Neugier, aus Höflichkeit, aus Versehen, aus Spaß.

More examples:

  • Er entschuldigte sich aus Höflichkeit. (He apologized out of politeness.)
  • Sie kündigte aus Frust. (She quit out of frustration.)

4vor – emotional or physical reaction

„vor“ + Dativ often describes a spontaneous reaction to an external cause (e.g. cold, fear, joy). It focuses on the reaction, not on a conscious motive.

StructureExplanationExampleMeaning
vor + Dativcause of physical or emotional reactionEr zitterte vor Kälte.He was shivering from cold.

Typical combinations: vor Freude, vor Angst, vor Kälte, vor Wut, vor Lachen.

Examples:

  • Das Kind weinte vor Angst. (The child cried from fear.)
  • Wir lachten vor Freude. (We laughed for joy.)

Contrast „aus“ vs. „vor“:

  • Er schrie aus Wut. (He shouted out of anger – conscious action.)
  • Er zitterte vor Wut. (He trembled with anger – involuntary reaction.)

5dank – positive (or ironic) cause

„dank“ expresses a reason that is usually positive: something succeeds or is possible thanks to help or an advantage. It can take the Genitiv (more common in written German) or the Dativ (very common in spoken German).

StructureExplanationExampleMeaning
dank + Genitivneutral / writtenDank seiner Hilfe haben wir gewonnen.We won thanks to his help.
dank + DativcolloquialDank seinem Einsatz wurden wir rechtzeitig fertig.Thanks to his effort we finished on time.

Examples:

  • Dank des guten Wetters war das Fest ein Erfolg. (Thanks to the good weather the party was a success.)
  • Dank ihrer Geduld lernte das Kind schnell lesen. (Thanks to her patience the child quickly learned to read.)

Ironical / negative use: „dank“ can also be used sarcastically when the cause is actually negative:

  • Dank seiner schlechten Planung mussten wir Überstunden machen. (Because of his bad planning we had to work overtime – said ironically.)
  • Dank deines „tollen“ Tipps ist jetzt alles kaputt. (Because of your “great” tip everything is broken now – ironic.)

6Summary and comparison

PrepositionCase (typical)Typical contextExampleMeaning
wegenGenitivneutral, everyday, also formalWegen des Sturms fällt der Unterricht aus.Classes are cancelled because of the storm.
aufgrundGenitivformal, writtenAufgrund der Daten treffen wir eine Entscheidung.We take a decision based on the data.
ausDativinner motivation, feelingsSie lachte aus Freude.She laughed for joy.
vorDativemotional / physical reactionEr zitterte vor Angst.He was trembling with fear.
dankGenitiv / Dativpositive or ironic causeDank der Unterstützung gelang das Projekt.Thanks to the support the project succeeded.

Pay attention to the correct case and ask yourself: is it an inner motive (aus), a reaction (vor), a neutral cause (wegen, aufgrund) or mostly a positive cause (dank)?