How do accusative prepositions work in German?

Unlike in English, when you use a preposition in German, it demands a certain case. For example, the sentence 'I raced along the platform to catch my train' would translate into German as 'Ich rannte den Bahnsteig entlang, um den Zug zu erreichen'. In English, after saying along, the 'the' remains the same, where in German after Entlang, the usual 'der' before Bahnsteig changes to 'den', as entlang demands an accusative preposition. Whilst it's easy enough to learn why and how that takes the accusative form, there are a whole host of them that need remembering. I present: FUDGEBOW, an anagram which will help you to recall them all:F – Für (for) U – Um (around)D – Durch (through)G – Gegen (against)E –Entlang (along)B – Bis (until)O – Ohne (without)W – Wider (against/contrary, e.g. against the will of my friends)

BM
Answered by Benjamin M. German tutor

2792 Views

See similar German GCSE tutors

Related German GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do I recognise Partizip 1 in a sentance?


What are the differences between the various endings of adjectives in German?


How is the perfect tense formed in German?


How can I identify whether I am using the nominative, accusative or genitive case in German?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning