Langvie / German grammar / wo and wohin in German: in, an, auf
Wo and wohin in German: in, an, auf.
With in, an and auf, the question decides the case: wo? takes the Dativ, wohin? the Akkusativ.
Location versus direction with in, an, and auf
The question decides the case for in, an, and auf. Wo? asks for a stationary place and demands the Dativ, while Wohin? asks for a direction or destination and demands the Akkusativ.
| Gender | Wo? (Dativ / Place) | Wohin? (Akkusativ / Direction) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine (der) | in dem / im Zug | in den Zug |
| Neuter (das) | an dem / am Auto | an das / ans Auto |
| Feminine (die) | auf der Straße | auf die Straße |
| Plural (die) | an den Haltestellen | an die Haltestellen |
- Der Bus steht an der Haltestelle.The bus is standing at the bus stop.
- Ich steige in die U-Bahn ein.I get on the subway.
Exceptions to remember
- Countries with a feminine article use in with Dativ for location and in with Akkusativ for direction instead of nach. Er kommt aus der Türkei und fliegt in die Türkei.
Practice it in the course
This rule is chapter 28 of 31 in the A1 German course in Langvie, after German prepositions with the dative and before The German dative object: mir, dir, Ihnen. In the app the chapter goes on with 8 exercises and a short spoken conversation with an AI partner, which opens with Hallo! Ich bin am Bahnhof. Wo bist du? Wohin gehen wir?
Choose the correct Dativ article. Der Bus steht an ___ Haltestelle. (die / der / den)
der. Wo? asks for a location and takes Dativ. The bus is standing at the bus stop.
Practice this rule in Langvie.
Chapter 28 of the A1 course, with exercises, cards and a conversation in German.