Back to library

Local preposition 'neben' (next to, Wohin?/where to? + accusative)

Lokale Präposition 'neben' (Wohin? + Akkusativ)

'neben' (next to) takes the for movement towards a place (Wohin?).

Structure

neben + Akkusativ (Wohin?)

neben + accusative (Wohin?)

Details

Part of Speech
Preposition
Word Type
Two-way preposition
Register
Standard

Explanation

neben with movement means next to / to the side of - you place a thing right beside another. As a two-way , neben takes the accusative for movement towards (question Wohin?).

The rule:

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

articles after neben: neben den (m), neben die (f), neben das (n). (No contraction.)

Paired examples:

  • Ich stelle die Lampe neben das Bett. - I put the lamp next to the bed. (Wohin? → Akkusativ)
  • Die Lampe steht neben dem Bett. - The lamp is next to the bed. (Wo? → Dativ)
  • Er stellt den Stuhl neben den Tisch. - He puts the chair next to the table. (Wohin? → Akkusativ)
  • Sie setzt sich neben die Tür. - She sits down next to the door. (Wohin? → Akkusativ)

Common mistakes:

  • Using the when something moves: Ich stelle die Lampe neben dem Bett is wrong - say neben das Bett.
  • Forgetting the masculine change der → den.

About Local preposition 'neben' (next to, Wohin?/where to? + accusative)

'neben' (next to) takes the for movement towards a place (Wohin?).

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

'neben' steht bei einer Richtungsangabe (Wohin?) mit dem .

Caution

For direction (Wohin?) use the accusative: 'neben das Bett'. With position (Wo?) it takes the dative.

Related