In German, as in English, certain verbs are always accompanied by prepositions, forming what are known as verbal phrases.
Schneewittchen
Was ist los, Rapunzel?
What is wrong, Rapunzel?
Rapunzel
Ich warte auf Dornröschen und Aschenputtel. Wir wollen ins Kino gehen, aber sie kommen wieder zu spät!
I'm waiting for Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. We're supposed to go to the movies, but they're late!
Schneewittchen
Sie fangen gerade mit einem sehr wichtigen Artikel an. Der handelt von einer berufstätigen Märchenfrau!
They are just now starting a very important article. It deals with the working fairy-tale woman!
Rapunzel
O je, jetzt geht das schon wieder los! Sie interessieren sich nur für ihre Jobs!
Oh boy, here we go again! They are only interested in their careers!
Just as English verbal phrases (take on, listen to, read up on, etc.) are challenging for non-native speakers of English, German verbal phrases hold some mystery for non-native speakers of German too, primarily for the following reasons:
German and English often use a different preposition for the same verbal phrase.
example:
sich interessieren für = to be interested in
warten auf = to wait for
and the preposition in a German verbal phrase may not even be required in the English equivalent!
example:
anfangen mit = to start
In verbal phrases, while accusative prepositions always take the accusative case and dative prepositions always take the dative case, two-way prepositions are unique. They do not always follow their case assignment rule in verbal phrases (i.e., accusative for prepositions used to describe direction and dative for prepositions used to describe location). In general, the two-way prepositions tend to take the accusative case (the exception is an).
Accusative prepositions: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um
Dative prepositions: aus, außer, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu, gegenüber
Two-way prepositions: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen
To avoid these potential sources of confusion, the best thing to do (*sigh*) is to memorize the verbal phrases in their entirety. Below is a list of some of the most frequently used verbal phrases along with the correct cases for those phrases with two-way prepositions:
achten auf
(+ acc.)
to be careful about, to pay attention to
anfangen mit
to start (doing something)
Angst haben vor
(+ dat.)
to be afraid of
ankommen auf
(+ acc.)
to depend on
sich anpassen an
(+ acc.)
to adjust or adapt to, to conform to
antworten auf
(+ acc.)
to answer
arbeiten an
(+ dat.)
to work on
sich ärgern über
(+ acc.)
to be annoyed at
aufhören mit
to stop (doing something)
sich bemühen um
to strive for, to endeavor to do
sich beschäftigen mit
to engage with
sich bewerben um
to apply for (a job)
bitten um
to ask for, to request
danken für
to thank for
denken an
(+ acc.)
to think of
sich entscheiden für
to decide on
sich erinnern an
(+ acc.)
to remember
erzählen von
to tell about
fragen nach
to ask about
sich freuen auf
(+ acc.)
to look forward to
sich freuen über
(+ acc.)
to be happy about
gehören zu
to belong to
sich gewöhnen an
(+ acc.)
to get used to
glauben an
(+ acc.)
to believe in
halten für
to take for, to consider as
halten von
to think about, to feel about
sich handeln um
to be about, to deal with
hoffen auf
(+ acc.)
to hope for
sich interessieren für
to be interested in
sich konzentrieren auf
(+acc.)
to concentrate on
sich kümmern um
to worry about, to attend to
leiden an/unter
(+ dat.)
to suffer from, to be ill with
rechnen mit
to account for
retten vor
to save from
riechen nach
to smell like
sorgen für
to take care of, to see to
schmecken nach
to taste like
sprechen über
(+ acc.)
to talk about
teilnehmen an
(+ dat.)
to participate in
telefonieren mit
to talk on the phone with
träumen von
to dream about
sich trennen von
to break up with
übereinstimmen mit
to agree with
sich verlieben in
(+ acc.)
to fall in love with
verstehen von
to know about, to understand
verzichten auf
(+ acc.)
to do without
sich vorbereiten auf
(+ acc.)
to prepare for
warten auf
(+ acc.)
to wait for
wissen von
to know of
zweifeln an
(+ dat.)
to doubt
da-compounds
When you refer to the animate object of a preposition in a verbal phrase (or otherwise), you may either use the proper name, or a personal pronoun.
Schneewittchen
Du ärgerst dich über Dornröschen und Aschenputtel? Warum?
You are annoyed at Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella? Why?
Rapunzel
Ich ärgere mich über sie, weil sie nicht sensibel sind!
I'm annoyed at them because they are insensitive!
It is different when the object of a preposition in a verbal phrase is inanimate. Here you may either use the proper name, or a compound made up of the demonstrative adverb da and the preposition itself. The latter is called a da-compound (although when the preposition begins with a vowel, da becomes dar).
Schneewittchen
Wieso? Sie denken an die Gleichberechtigung der Geschlechter am Arbeitsplatz! Das scheint mir sehr sensibel zu sein!
How so? They're thinking of gender equality in the workplace! That seems very sensitive to me!
Rapunzel
Ja, aber sie denken nur daran und nicht an mich!
Yeah, I know, but they think only of that, and not of me!
Schneewittchen
Du solltest dich darüber freuen, dass deine Freundinnen deine Rechte schützen* wollen!
You should be happy about (the fact that) your friends are protecting your rights!
Rapunzel
Meine Rechte? Ich kümmere mich gar nicht darum - ich bin bloß eine Märchenfigur! Außerdem habe ich keinen Job.
My rights? I don't worry about them at all - I'm just a fairy-tale character! Besides, I don't have a job.
* Notice also that da-compounds may be used to refer to an inanimate object that has already been mentioned or to one that will be discussed in the following remark.
wo-compounds
When you ask a question about the inanimate object of a preposition in a verbal phrase (or otherwise), you have two options. The first option is to use the interrogative pronoun was with the preposition.
Schneewittchen
Auf was wartest du denn? Es gibt heutzutage viele gute Frauenberufe!
What are you waiting for? There are many good careers for women these days!
The second, and more common, option is to use a compound made up of the interrogative pronoun wo and the preposition itself, called a wo-compound (although when the preposition begins with a vowel, wo becomes wor). This is the more common option!
Rapunzel
Wofür hältst du mich, Schneewittchen?! Ich kann nicht arbeiten. Mein Mann will der einzige Geldverdiener sein.
What do you take me for, Snow White?! I can't work. My husband wants to be the only breadwinner.
Schneewittchen
Wozu gehörst du denn?! Zum mittelalterlichen Club für Frauen?! Dieser Standpunkt ist so passé.
What do you belong to?! The medieval club for women?! This point of view is so passé.
