TOPIC · Prepositions (Präpositionen)

Wohin? Wo? Distinguishing location prepositions: in, an and auf

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After this lesson you can correctly answer "Wohin?" and "Wo?" with "in", "an" and "auf" and form typical German expressions of place.

In this lesson you learn how to use the German prepositions "in", "an" and "auf" to talk about place and direction, and how to choose between the questions "Wohin?" (where to? – Akkusativ, movement) and "Wo?" (where? – Dativ, location).

1"Wohin?" – Akkusativ (movement)

Use "Wohin?" when someone or something moves to a place or changes position.

1.1 Overview: "in", "an", "auf" with Akkusativ

Präposition	Typical use	Example	Meaning
in	closed spaces, countries, cities, buildings	Ich gehe in die Schule.	I am going into the school (into an inside space)
an	bodies of water (See, Meer, Fluss), edges, borders, vertical surfaces	Wir fahren an den See.	We are going to the lake (to its shore / edge)
auf	surfaces, squares, public places, "on top of" something	Er geht auf den Markt.	He is going to the market square / market place

More examples:

Ich fahre in die Stadt. (I am going into town.)
Wir gehen an die Tafel. (We are going to the board.)
Sie legt das Buch auf den Tisch. (She puts the book onto the table.)

The important idea: movement towards a place → Akkusativ.

2"Wo?" – Dativ (location)

Use "Wo?" when something is staying in one place (no movement from A to B).

2.1 Overview: "in", "an", "auf" with Dativ

Präposition	Typical use	Example	Meaning
in	inside a room, country, building, closed area	Ich bin in der Schule.	I am in the school (inside)
an	at an edge, border, wall, or body of water	Wir sind am See.	We are at the lake (at the shore)
auf	on top of a surface, on a square, on a flat area	Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.	The book is (lying) on the table

More examples:

Sie wohnt in der Stadt. (She lives in the city.)
Das Poster hängt an der Wand. (The poster is hanging on the wall.)
Wir sind auf dem Markt. (We are at the market square.)

Key idea: position / no movement → Dativ.

3Important contrasts

Sometimes several prepositions are possible, with different meanings:

Ich gehe in die Schule. (I go to the school as a building / for classes.)
Ich gehe auf die Schule. (regional, less common; used with some institutions, e.g. "auf die Universität", "auf die Berufsschule".)

For most countries and cities you use "in":

Ich fahre in die Schweiz. – Ich bin in der Schweiz. (I travel to Switzerland – I am in Switzerland.)

4Contractions with the article

Often the preposition and the definite article merge into one word.

Form	Full form
ins	in das
im	in dem
am	an dem
aufs	auf das

Examples:

Ich gehe ins Kino. (in das Kino) – I am going to the cinema.
Wir sind im Kino. (in dem Kino) – We are in the cinema.
Er fährt an den Strand und bleibt am Strand. – He drives to the beach and stays at the beach.
Sie legt das Heft aufs Bett. Das Heft liegt auf dem Bett. – She puts the notebook onto the bed. The notebook is (lying) on the bed.

Remember: "Wohin?" = Akkusativ (movement), "Wo?" = Dativ (location); the preposition ("in", "an", "auf") stays the same, only the case changes.