Gegen

Gegen is a German preposition that primarily expresses opposition, contrast, or direction and is often translated as "against" or "toward." It also appears in time expressions to indicate approximation, as in around a specified time.

Grammatical behavior: Gegen governs the accusative case. For example: gegen den Mann, gegen die Wand, gegen die Regeln. It is used with verbs of opposition (jemandem gegenüberstehen), with verbs indicating impact (das Auto prallt gegen die Wand), and with time phrases to indicate approximate moments (gegen drei Uhr). It can also express preference or stance in phrases such as “gegen seinen Willen” (against his will).

Usage notes: Gegen is distinct from gegenüber, another German preposition that means “across from” or “opposite.” While gegenüber takes the dative in many contexts, gegen always governs the accusative. In idiomatic expressions, gegen can pair with various nouns to convey dispute, resistance, or collision, and it can be found in both literal and figurative uses.

Examples of common usages include:

- Er ist gegen die Idee. (He is against the idea.)

- Der Ball prallte gegen die Wand. (The ball hit the wall.)

- Gegen drei Uhr beginnt die Veranstaltung. (The event begins around three o’clock.)

- Sie kämpft gegen die Krankheit. (She fights against the illness.)

See also: German prepositions, falls used in reference to similar directional or adversarial meanings. Gegen as a standalone term often appears in dictionaries as a basic preposition with broad applicability in everyday language.