Lokale Präpositionen (zu/bei/von/aus/nach)
Lokale Präpositionen — for English Speakers
Introduction
German local prepositions don't translate one-to-one from English. 'To' alone can be 'zu', 'nach', or 'in' depending on context. 'Zu' is for people and specific places, 'nach' for cities/countries without articles, 'in' for countries with articles. All five (zu, bei, von, aus, nach) take dative, which at least simplifies the case question.
German vs English
In German
Ich gehe zum Arzt. (zu + dem = zum)
In English
I go to the doctor.
Key Difference
English uses 'to' for everything; German uses 'zu' for people/specific places, 'nach' for cities.
In German
Sie kommt aus der Türkei. (aus = from/out of)
In English
She comes from Turkey.
Key Difference
German 'aus' means origin/coming out of; 'von' means from a person or direction. English uses 'from' for both.
Common Mistakes for English Speakers
Ich gehe nach dem Arzt.
Using 'nach' for a person — 'nach' is for cities and countries, 'zu' for people and buildings.
Ich bin zu Hause. / Ich gehe zu Hause.
Confusing location (zu Hause = at home) with direction (nach Hause = going home).
Practice Examples
Ich gehe zum Supermarkt.
I'm going to the supermarket.
Er wohnt bei seinen Eltern.
He lives with his parents.
Wir fahren nach Berlin.
We're driving to Berlin.
Memory Tip
ZU = to a specific place/person. NACH = to a city/country/home. BEI = at someone's place.
View Grammar Rule
Lokale Präpositionen (zu/bei/von/aus/nach)
Lokale Präpositionen — A2
Practice Exercises
Lokale Präpositionen (zu/bei/von/aus/nach) Übungen
8 exercises
Other Languages
Explore More
Helpful tools for anyone learning German. No signup required.
See how mitDeutsch works alongside popular German learning tools.
Master German sounds with IPA guides and practice tips.
German courses tailored to your goals.
Conjugation tables for the 100 most important German verbs.
250 essential German nouns and adjectives with articles, plurals, and examples.
Free interactive grammar exercises for every topic from A1 to C1.
10 daily news from Germany, adapted to your language level
AI German learning platform with error intelligence and pronunciation scoring.
Test yourself on this topic
Interactive exercises for this exact topic — no sign-up. Your mistakes become your first lesson.