präpositionale

Präpositionale is an adjective used in German grammar to describe elements that are introduced by a preposition. In analyses, terms such as Präpositionalphrase (a phrase headed by a preposition) and Präpositionsobjekt (a prepositional object) are common. Präpositionale elements express relations—spatial, temporal, causal, manner-related and other semantic facets—and function as complements or modifiers within a sentence.

A Präpositionalphrase consists of a preposition plus its complement, which is usually a noun phrase in a specific case. The case depends on the preposition. German has prepositions that require accusative, dative or genitive, and some that can govern two cases depending on movement versus location (the so-called two-way prepositions). For example: auf den Tisch (accusative, direction), auf dem Tisch (dative, position); wegen des Wetters (genitive, reason). In modern usage genitive prepositions are less frequent in speech, often replaced by dative with oder ohne article, though they remain standard in formal writing.

Prepositional objects (Präpositionalobjekte) are verbs’ objects expressed by a prepositional phrase, as in denken an dich, warten auf den Bus, sorgen sich um seine Zukunft. By contrast, Präpositionalergänzungen can function as adverbials or complements without forming a tightly bound object of the verb. The distinction between these types is a matter of syntactic function within the sentence.

Overall, präpositionale elements are a central part of German syntax, shaping how verbs relate to their arguments and how relations in space, time and other semantics are encoded.