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Preposition 'gegen' (against, accusative)

Präposition 'gegen' (Akkusativ)

'gegen' (against / towards) takes the .

Structure

gegen + Akkusativ

gegen + accusative

Details

Part of Speech
Preposition
Word Type
Accusative preposition
Register
Standard

Explanation

'gegen' means 'against' or 'towards', and always takes the accusative. Its A1 uses are:

  • physical contact / direction towards something: Das Auto fährt gegen den Baum. - The car drives into the tree.
  • opposition - being against something: Ich bin gegen den Plan. - I am against the plan.
  • approximate clock time - 'around': Ich komme gegen acht Uhr. - I am coming around eight o'clock.

Examples:

  • Wir spielen heute gegen die Mannschaft aus Köln. - Today we play against the team from Cologne.
  • Der Ball fliegt gegen die Wand. - The ball flies against the wall.

Common mistakes:

  • Using the : it is gegen den Baum, not gegen dem Baum.
  • Note that gegen acht Uhr means 'around eight' (approximate), while um acht Uhr means 'at exactly eight'.

About Preposition 'gegen' (against, accusative)

'gegen' (against / towards) takes the .

'gegen' always takes the ; also for approximate time (gegen 8 Uhr).

'gegen' (gegen etwas/jemanden) steht mit dem .

Caution

'gegen' = against, or an approximate time (gegen acht Uhr). Always accusative.