per (by, via)

Meaning

per is a preposition that means "by", "via", "by means of" or "per". It names the means, channel or method by which something happens - how you travel, communicate, pay or send something.

• Wir reisen per Bahn. - We travel by train.
• Melde dich per Telefon. - Get in touch by phone.
• Ich zahle per Uberweisung. - I pay by bank transfer.

Case government

per governs the accusative. In practice, though, the noun after per is almost always used without an article, so the accusative usually leaves no visible mark:

• per Post, per E-Mail, per Bahn, per Zufall, per Hand

The accusative only becomes visible when an article or adjective appears - and then you must use accusative endings:

• per gerichtlichen Beschluss (masc. acc. - den Beschluss)
• Die Kundigung gilt per ersten Januar. (masc. acc. - den ersten Januar)

When to use it

Use per for:

• Transport: per Bahn, per Bus, per Schiff, per Anhalter
• Communication: per Telefon, per E-Mail, per Fax, per SMS
• Payment: per Uberweisung, per Kreditkarte, per Rechnung
• Formal / administrative phrases: per Gesetz, per Beschluss, per Einschreiben

Most common mistake

Learners often treat per like mit or von and add a dative article or the wrong ending: "per der Post", "per dem Zug" - both wrong. The idiomatic form is the bare noun (per Post, per Zug), and where a case does show, it is the accusative, not the dative.

Also don't confuse per with pro ("per unit / each"): zweimal pro Woche (twice a week), not "per Woche" in that sense.

The preposition "per" means "by / via / by means of" and governs the accusative; in everyday use it is followed by a bare noun (per Post, per E-Mail, per Bahn), so the accusative is usually invisible.

Use "per" to name the means, channel or method (transport, communication, payment): per Bahn, per Telefon, per Uberweisung. It takes the accusative, but the noun is normally used without an article, so you rarely see case endings. Endings only show up when an article or adjective is present: per gerichtlichen Beschluss, per ersten Januar. Do not confuse it with "pro" (= per unit: zweimal pro Woche).

Die Präposition "per" bedeutet "mit / über / mittels" und regiert den Akkusativ; im Alltag steht danach meist ein artikelloses Nomen (per Post, per E-Mail, per Bahn), sodass der Akkusativ oft nicht sichtbar ist.