German Verbs with Fixed Prepositions Don’t Exist

German Verbs with Fixed Prepositions Don’t Exist

German verbs with fixed prepositions don’t exist. In this lesson I will explain why some people think verbs with fixed prepositions exist, how this myth originated, and what you should really learn instead.

If you would like a copy of the video script as a PDF along with a worksheet and answer key and MP3 download of the audio from the video, you can get that here.

German Verbs with “Fixed Prepositions” Skit

Herr Lehrer: Guten Morgen, Schüler. Today we are going to learn about German verbs with fixed prepositions. These are verbs that have to be used with certain prepositions. For example: warten (to wait) requires the preposition ā€œaufā€. You need to say: Ich warte auf den Bus. – I am waiting on the bus.

Lerner: Can’t I just leave out the prepositional phrase entirely? Could I say: ā€œIch warte. – I am waiting.ā€?

Herr Lehrer: Yes, but…

Lerner: What if I’m waiting in a place? Could I say: “Ich warte im Bahnhof. – I am waiting in the train station.”?

Herr Lehrer: Yes, but…

Lerner: What if I am waiting with someone else? Could I say: “Ich warte mit meiner Mutter. – I am waiting with my mother.”?

Herr Lehrer: Well, yeah, but in order to say you are waiting for or on something, you need the preposition ā€œaufā€.

Lerner: So the preposition ā€œaufā€ isn’t really ā€œfixedā€ so much as just commonly used with ā€œwartenā€.

Herr Lehrer: Maybe I chose a bad example. When using the verb ā€œdenkenā€, you need to use the preposition ā€œanā€. For example: Ich denke an Schokolade. – I am thinking of chocolate.

Lerner: What about the question: “Was denkst du über die neue Lehrerin? – What do you think about the new teacher?”

Herr Lehrer: Yeah, you can say that, too. Some verbs, like ā€œdenkenā€, have two fixed prepositions.

Real Herr Antrim: NO THEY DON’T! Fixed prepositions are not a thing. Today I am going to bust this myth and explain how these things really work.

Why German Verbs with “Fixed Prepositions” Can’t Exist

Here’s the thing. If verbs with fixed prefixes were a thing, why are there certain verbs that take more than one preposition on a regular basis? For example: If you use ā€œbestehenā€ with the preposition ā€œaufā€ it translates as ā€œto insist onā€.

Er besteht auf organisches Obst.
He insists on organic fruit.

If you use it with ā€œausā€, it means ā€œto consist ofā€.

Diese Serie besteht aus zwanzig Folgen.
This series consists of twenty episodes.

But to complicate this matter even more, you can use the verb ā€œbestehenā€ in other instances when the preposition used doesn’t have anything to do with the verb. For example:

Es bestehen keine Zweifel an seinen FƤhigkeiten.
There are no doubts about his skills.

When this is done, the verb ā€œbestehenā€ translates as ā€œto existā€.

Es besteht eine starke Verbindung zwischen Dampfen und vielen Krankheiten.
There is a strong link between vaping and many illnesses.

sich freuen auf vs sich freuen über

Surely this is an isolated example, right? Absolutely not. I’m sure you were confused when you learned there was the phrase ā€œsich freuen aufā€, which means ā€œ to look forward toā€, but also the phrase ā€œsich freuen überā€, which means ā€œto be pleased with or happy aboutā€. Again, we have an instance in which a preposition has been so commonly used with a certain verb that people think it is attached or ā€œfixedā€ to that verb.

In reality, neither of these prepositions are ā€œfixedā€ to the verb freuen. The verb ā€œfreuenā€ means to make happy. It is used reflexively, which means that you say things like ā€œIch freue michā€ (I make myself happy) and ā€œFreust du dichā€ (you make yourself happy). This is because the person in those sentences is making themselves happy. When you use ā€œĆ¼berā€ it has the same translation it always does, ā€œoverā€.

Ich freue mich über den Sonnenschein.
I am am happy about the sunshine.

In that sentence, you are saying that you are making yourself happy over the sunshine.

Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.
I am looking forward to the weekend.

In this sentence, you are casting your happiness in the direction of the weekend. The preposition ā€œaufā€ shows this when you throw something onto something else.

Er wirft das Buch auf das Regal.
He throws the book onto the shelf.

If German verbs with “fixed prepositions” don’t exist, what should we learn instead?

Herr Lehrer: Ok, Herr Allwissend.

Herr Antrim: Ƅhm. Doktor Allwissend, aber das ist ein anderer YouTube Kanal. Hier ist nur Herr Antrim.
Herr Antrim: Uh. Doctor All-Knowing, but that is a different YouTube channel. Here is just Herr Antrim.

Herr Lehrer: Whatever smartypants. What would you suggest we learn if ā€œverbs with fixed prepositionsā€ is such a problematic topic?

I would recommend learning verbs on their own and then the prepositions that are commonly used with them. Calling them ā€œfixed prepositionsā€ gives the impression that you have to use these prepositions with these verbs or that any other prepositions are wrong. This severely limits your creativity with the language. Don’t think of them as fixed prepositions, but rather, ā€œthis is how I express thatā€.

A common problem amongst language learners is that they try to do one-to-one translations. This causes them to force translations that don’t make sense or pigeon hole words to the point that they can’t be used to their full potential. If you think that ā€œarbeitenā€ has to be used with ā€œanā€, you might have trouble when you are working on the floor on your car.

Ich arbeite auf dem Boden an meinem Auto.
I am working on my car on the floor/ground.

denken an vs nachdenken über

If you know that ā€œdenkenā€ means ā€œto thinkā€, you can separate that from the prepositions ā€œanā€ and ā€œĆ¼berā€ and the prefix ā€œnachā€. This makes the following distinction easier.

Ich denke an meine Mutter.
I am thinking about my mother.

Ich denke über den Sommer in Schweden nach.
I am reflecting on the summer in Sweden.

In the first one, we simply have the verb ā€œdenkenā€ and the preposition ā€œanā€, which generally translates as ā€œonā€, but in a way that means you are sort of next to something. I think of the prefix ā€œnachā€ as ā€œafterā€. This means that ā€œnachdenkenā€ means ā€œto think afterā€, as in ā€œafter the event has taken placeā€. Add in ā€œĆ¼berā€ and you end up with ā€œthinking over something after it has taken placeā€. Even with this stretch of translations one can see the benefits of learning the words for their actual meanings instead of thinking ā€œthis combination of words means thisā€ and ā€œthat combination of words means thatā€.

The Bottom Line About German Verbs with “Fixed Prepositions”

The bottom line is this, there are certain prepositions in German which are used commonly with certain verbs. Many people call them “fixed prepositions”, but this leads to confusion when these verbs are used with different prepositions or without a preposition at all. It is helpful to learn how certain verbs and prepositions interact with each other, but it is just as important to realize that the prepositions aren’t ā€œfixedā€ to the verb in any way.

More Examples of German Verbs with “Fixed Prepositions”

Since I know you need more examples, let’s take a look at a few more verb and preposition combinations. The following examples are amusing to me, because there are those, who will tell you that the prepositions ā€œanā€ and ā€œvonā€ can both be used with ā€œhƤngenā€, but it changes the meaning.

hängen + an, von, über, in, and more

If something uses ā€œhƤngen anā€, it is supposed to mean ā€œto attachā€. If something uses ā€œhƤngen vonā€, it is supposed to mean ā€œto depend uponā€. Unfortunately, the verb ā€œhƤngenā€ just means ā€œto hangā€. You can hang things on walls and from things that are above you. You can even hang things between other things. This means you can use pretty much all of the prepositions of place with the verb ā€œhƤngenā€. To say that one or more of them are ā€œfixedā€ to the verb is really going to mess with you when you need to hang a picture on the wall between the other two pictures above the desk.

Der Junge hƤngt sich an dieses MƤdchen.
The boy is attaching himself to (hanging around) this girl.

Deine Zukunft hƤngt von diesem Ergebnis ab.
Your future depends upon this result.

Das Foto hƤngt an der Wand.
The photo is hanging on the wall.

Die Lampe hƤngt von der Decke.
The lamp is hanging from the ceiling.

Der Junge hängt das Foto an die Wand zwischen den anderen Fotos über dem Schreibtisch im Büro.
The boy is hanging the photo onto the wall between the other photos above the desk in the office.

schimpfen mit vs schimpfen über

Here’s a brain-buster. schimpfen mit vs schimpfen über THEY ARE BOTH LISTED AS ā€œTO COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMEBODYā€! Is my dictionary just trying to mess with me? What is going on here? Well, the verb ā€œschimpfenā€ on its own means ā€œto rant, offend, or scoldā€. It is basically to talk bad about someone. If you use it with ā€œmitā€, it means that you are speaking with that person while you are complaining about them.

Generally, this is translated as ā€œto scoldā€. When you use the preposition ā€œĆ¼berā€, it means that you are talking about the person, but they are not in the conversation. This is usually translated as ā€œto complain aboutā€. So what happens when you complain about someone with someone else.

Ich schimpfe oft über meine Mutter mit meiner Frau.
I often complain about my mother with my wife.

sich unterscheiden durch vs sich unterscheiden in vs sich unterscheiden von

And now the bonus round. What is the difference between ā€œsich unterscheiden durchā€ and ā€œsich unterscheiden inā€. To me ā€œto differ throughā€ and ā€œto differ inā€ are about the same thing. The change in translation from ā€œdifferā€ to ā€œdistinguishā€ doesn’t help either, as distinguish just means that they differ. So how do these two verbs differentiate from one another?

ā€œSich unterscheiden durchā€ und ā€œsich unterscheiden inā€ unterscheiden sich durch die Menschen, die diese PrƤpositionen benutzen, und in den Regionen, wo man ƶfter ā€œinā€ oder ā€œdurchā€ sagt.
ā€œsich unterscheiden durchā€ and ā€œsich unterscheiden inā€ differ through the people who use these prepositions and in the regions, where one uses ā€œinā€ or ā€œdurchā€ more often.

Oh, and there is also ā€œsich unterscheiden vonā€. For example:

Pandas unterscheiden sich von anderen BƤren durch die FellfƤrbung und andere Merkmale.
Pandas differ from other bears through the fur color and other features.

Comments about German Verbs with “Fixed Prepositions”

Now that you know that there is no such thing as a verb with a fixed prefix, I want you to write a sentence or two in the comments below that uses a verb with a preposition other than the ones traditionally listed as ā€œfixed prepositionsā€. Expand your German language flexibility and be entertained by the creativity of others. Das ist alles für heute. Danke fürs Zuschauen. Bis zum nƤchsten Mal. Tschüss.

Herr Antrim
Herr Antrim is a German teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience. In 2011 he started his successful YouTube Channel "Learn German with Herr Antrim". In 2015 he created this website to enhance the German language lessons he was providing on YouTube. He is now the author of his own e-book, "Beginner German with Herr Antrim". He has also been featured on numerous blogs and other sites. *This site uses a variety of affiliate links. If there is a link that leads to an outside site from which you could potentially make a purchase, it is very likely an affiliate link for which Herr Antrim will receive a small portion of your purchase. This does not cost you any extra, but it does help keep this website going. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you would like more information about the affiliate programs this site uses, click here.
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