aufgrund

Aufgrund is a German preposition meaning "on the basis of" or "due to." It introduces a phrase that expresses the cause, justification, or condition for what follows, often modifying a main clause.

Grammatically, aufgrund governs the genitive case. Typical constructions include aufgrund des Berichts, aufgrund der neuesten Daten, or aufgrund der Entscheidung. The phrase can appear at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence: Auf Grundlage des Berichts wurden Maßnahmen ergriffen. In formal contexts, this genitive construction is standard.

In everyday language, the variant auf Grund von is also common, followed by a noun phrase (often in dative): Auf Grund von Wetterbedingungen wurde der Flug gestrichen. The "von" form is widespread in colloquial speech and journalism, but many style guides still favor the pure genitive after aufgrund for a more formal tone.

Etymology and history: the preposition is built from auf (on) + Grund (basis, reason). Historically, two words, auf Grund, appeared in older texts; since the 20th century the one-word form aufgrund has become standard in most modern German.

Usage notes: due to its formal and impersonal character, aufgrund is typical in official documents, academic writing, and reporting. It signals a stated basis—policy, evidence, data—rather than a personal motive. When choosing between due to, because of, or due to a basis, aufgrund emphasizes the factual ground or justification behind a statement.