Neben

Neben is a German preposition meaning beside or next to. It governs case: when describing a static position, it takes the dative, as in Der Stuhl steht neben dem Tisch. When indicating movement toward a location, it takes the accusative, as in Ich gehe neben den Tisch. In questions it answers wo? (where) or wohin? (where to). The preposition can also appear in adverbial form as nebenan, meaning nearby or beside.

Neben also functions as a productive prefix in German, forming compounds with a sense of being alongside, additional, or secondary. Common examples include Nebenkosten (incidental or additional costs), Nebenjob (a side or part-time job), and Nebeneffekt (a side effect). In these compounds, Neben is not treated as a separate word but as part of the lexical unit, and the resulting nouns are capitalized as standard German nouns.

Etymology and usage notes: Neben is of Germanic origin and is widely used in everyday language as both a spatial preposition and a prefix. It appears in many fixed phrases and compound nouns, reflecting a range of senses from physical adjacency to supplementary status. The related adjective forms and phrases often carry nuances of proximity, balance, or side-position, depending on the context.

In sum, Neben is a versatile term in German, primarily a spatial preposition with clear case rules, and secondarily a productive prefix that yields a family of words describing things that are beside, supplementary, or secondary to something else.