Präpositionalglieder

Präpositionalglieder, also known as prepositional phrases, are grammatical units in German that consist of a preposition followed by a noun or pronoun and its modifiers. They function as various sentence parts, most commonly as adverbs or adjectives. As adverbial phrases, they specify circumstances such as time, place, manner, or cause. For example, in the sentence "Er wartet auf den Bus" (He is waiting for the bus), "auf den Bus" indicates the object of waiting. In "Sie geht mit ihren Freunden ins Kino" (She is going to the cinema with her friends), "mit ihren Freunden" describes the manner or company of her going.

Präpositionalglieder can also act as adjectival phrases, modifying nouns or pronouns. In "Das Buch von meinem Bruder liegt auf dem Tisch" (The book from my brother is lying on the table), "von meinem Bruder" describes which book it is. The preposition itself governs the case of the following noun or pronoun. Some prepositions always require a specific case (e.g., genitive, dative, or accusative), while others can take different cases depending on the context, often indicating a change of location (accusative) versus a static location (dative). Understanding Präpositionalglieder is crucial for constructing grammatically correct and nuanced German sentences.