Local preposition 'neben' (next to, Wo?/where? + dative)

neben means next to / beside - something is located right at the side of another thing. As a two-way preposition, neben takes the dative for a static position (question Wo?, no movement).

The rule:

• Wo? (position) → neben + Dativ
• Wohin? (movement to the side of) → neben + Akkusativ

Dative articles after neben: neben dem (m/n), neben der (f). (No contraction.)

Paired examples:

• Die Lampe steht neben dem Bett. - The lamp is next to the bed. (Wo? → Dativ)
• Ich stelle die Lampe neben das Bett. - I put the lamp next to the bed. (Wohin? → Akkusativ)
• Der Stuhl steht neben dem Tisch. - The chair is next to the table. (Wo? → Dativ)
• Sie sitzt neben der Tür. - She is sitting next to the door. (Wo? → Dativ)

Common mistakes:

• Using the accusative when nothing moves: Die Lampe steht neben das Bett is wrong - say neben dem Bett.
• Forgetting the dative article change (m/n dem, f der).

'neben' (next to / beside) takes the dative for a location (Wo?).

'neben' takes the dative for location (Wo?) and the accusative for direction (Wohin?).

'neben' steht bei einer Ortsangabe (Wo?) mit dem Dativ.