Directional prepositions with the accusative (nach, zu, in, ...)

Directional prepositions: what is this topic about?

• Directional prepositions answer the question Wohin? = Where to?
• They describe a movement from A to B or a change of place.
• Most of them use the Accusative. Only zu uses the Dative.

Tip: If you can add “to” in English (go to, drive to, walk to), you are usually in the right place for a German directional preposition.

Step 1 – “nach”, “zu” or “in”? (The most common problem)

These three are easy to confuse. Think in three groups:

Mini-check:

• To Spain (no article) → Ich fliege nach Spanien.
• To the USA (with article: die USA) → Ich fliege in die USA.
• To my doctor → Ich gehe zum Arzt.
• To the supermarket → Ich gehe in den Supermarkt.

Step 2 – Case overview: who uses Accusative, who uses Dative?

For A1 you mainly need this simple overview:

Good enough for A1: Remember: zu and bis zu → Dative; almost everything else here → Accusative.

Step 3 – Visualising the movement (who does what?)

• von … nach … – only start and end point:
  • Der Zug fährt von Köln nach München.
  • = from A to B, no information about the route.
• durch – through the inside of an area:
  • Ich laufe durch den Park. – through the park.
• über – over / across a surface:
  • Das Auto fährt über die Brücke. – over the bridge.
• entlang – along the side of something:
  • Ich gehe die Straße entlang. – along the street.
• bis zu – up to a point, then stop:
  • Ich gehe bis zur Haltestelle. – up to the stop, and then I am there.
• um … herum – around something, not through it:
  • Das Taxi fährt um den Park herum. – around the park.

Step 4 – “zu” and “bis zu”: how are they different?

• zu + Dativ
  • Focus: the destination.
  • Ich gehe zur Bank. – I go to the bank.
  • Ich fahre zum Büro. – I drive to the office.
• bis zu + Dativ
  • Focus: the end point of a route.
  • Sie gehen geradeaus bis zur Ampel. – Go straight on up to the traffic lights.
  • Dann, at that point, something else happens (turn left, change bus, etc.).

Simple test: If the action stops exactly at this place, “bis zu” is often right.

Step 5 – Word order: where do “entlang” and “um … herum” go?

Most prepositions come before the noun:

• durch die Stadt
• über den Fluss

Two special patterns at A1:

• entlang
  • Typical A1: noun + entlang.
  • Ich gehe die Straße entlang.
• um … herum
  • um + noun + herum.
  • Das Taxi fährt um den Park herum.

Typical A1 mistakes and how to avoid them

• Mistake 1: using “in” instead of “nach” with cities and most countries
  • Ich fliege in Berlin. (means: I fly inside Berlin)
  • Correct: Ich fliege nach Berlin.
• Mistake 2: forgetting the Dative with “zu”
  • Ich gehe zu die Schule.
  • Correct: Ich gehe zur Schule. (zu + der Schule)
• Mistake 3: mixing “von … nach …” and “in”
  • Der Zug fährt von Hamburg in München.
  • Correct: Der Zug fährt von Hamburg nach München.
• Mistake 4: leaving out parts of “um … herum”
  • Das Taxi fährt um den Park. (grammatically possible, but A1: keep the clear pattern)
  • Better at A1: Das Taxi fährt um den Park herum.

Step-by-step self-check

1. Ask: Is there movement?
   • If the answer is “yes, someone/something goes from A to B”, you need a directional preposition.
2. Which kind of place is it?
   • City / country (no article) → probably nach.
   • Person / institution → probably zu (+ Dative).
   • Inside a building / country with article → in (+ Accusative).
   • Through, over, along, around → durch / über / entlang / um … herum.
3. Check the case quickly
   • zu, bis zu → Dative forms (zum, zur, zum Arzt, zur Firma).
   • Others here → Accusative (in die Stadt, durch die Stadt, über den Fluss).
4. Say the full sentence aloud
   • If you can translate it naturally with English “to / into / through / over / along / around”, you are probably correct.

What you should be able to do now

• Choose correctly between nach, zu, in for common places.
• Describe simple routes with von … nach, durch, über, entlang, bis zu, um … herum.
• Use Dative after zu and bis zu (zum, zur).
• Form short, natural sentences about your way to work, to clients, or around the city.

If you can do this without translating every word, you are ready to use these prepositions actively in conversation.