In this lesson, you will learn all about prepositions of cause in German. You’ll also discover how many prepositions of cause are there, when they can be used, what case they go with, and what they mean.
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Prepositions of cause
Usage of prepositions of cause
Genitive
Dative
Prepositions of cause
Prepositions for cause in German describe the reason or goal of an action. They answer the questions Warum?, Weshalb?, Wieso?, Weswegen? and Aus welchem Grund? (Why? For what reason?). Many require the genitive case; some also occur with the dative case.
angesichts (in view of), anläßlich (on the occasion of), auf (on), aus* ( for , out of), bei (if), betreffs (concerning), bezüglich (with regard to), dank (thanks to), durch (by), für(for), gemäß (according to), halber (for the sake), infolge ( as a result of), kraft (by virtue of), laut (according to), mangels (for lack of), mit (with), mittels (by means of), nach (after), seitens (on the part of), trotz (despite), über(over), um (about), umwillen (for the sake of), unbeschadet (regardless of), ungeachtet (despite, in spite of), unter (under, amid), vermittels (by means of), von (from), vor (with), wegen(because of), zu (to), zufolge (according to), zwecks (for the purpose of).
For example:
Sie konnten wegen des Regens nicht joggen.- They couldn’t jog because of the rain.
Er konnte vor Aufregung kaum sprechen.- He could hardly speak for excitement.
Trotz des Unwetters ging sie spazieren.- Despite the storm, she went for a walk
Sie fuhren zur Erholung ins Spa. – Sie gingen ins Spa, um sich zu entspannen.
Das Gebäude wurde durch Feuer zerstört. – The building was destroyed by fire.
Unter diesen Umständen kann ich das Angebot nicht annehmen. – Under these circumstances, I cannot accept the offer.
Usage of Prepositions of cause
Genitive
The prepositions betferfs (regarding), beachtungs (regarding), mangels (in the absence of), seitens (by), vermittels (by means of), zwecks (in order to) are mostly used in writing.
• anlässlig + genitive (regarding)
The preposition anlässlig expresses an occasion. It can also be understood as a time proposition.
Anlässlig meines Geburtstags mache ich eine Party.
Anlässlig unseres 30-jährigen Jubileums versanstalten wir ein großes Fest.
• auf Grund (aufgrund) + genitive (on the basis of & due)
The preposition auf Grund (aufgrund) indicates the reason from which/on the basis of which something follows:
Der Mann wurde auf Grund der Zeugenaussage verhaftet. – The man was arrested on the basis of the witness statement.
aufgrund eines schweren Unfalls – due eines schweren Unfalls
aufgrund des schlechten Wetters – dues des schlechten Wetters
aufgrund dessen has the same meaning as deshalb
Ich habe alles an der Börse investiert. Aufgrund dessen hatte ich kein Geld mehr.
• angesichts + genitive ( considering & in view of & in the face of)
The preposition angesichts is used mainly in written language (newspapers, professional texts).
angesichts dieser Tatsachen – in view of these facts
angesichts einer solchen Situation – in the face of such a situation
angesichts der Lage – in view of the situation
• dank + genitive or + dative, when the noun is without article and adjective (thanking)
After the preposition dank, the singular noun is in the dative or genitive case, the plural noun is usually in the genitive case. This preposition is used only for positive consequences.
dank seiner Geduld – thanks to his patience
dank ihrem Fleiß/ihres Fleißes – thanks to her hard work
dank ihrer Hilfe – thanks to her help
dank deiner Erfahrung – thanks to your experience
dank seiner großen Erfahrungen (Plural)- thanks to his great experience (plural)
• infolge + genitive – as a result of
The preposition infolge names a past event that resulted in something.
infolge der hohen Arbeitslosigkeit – due to high unemployment
infolge der Klimaerwärmung – due to global warming
kraft + genitiv (on the basis of, thanks to)The preposition kraft expresses the power, influence, weight, authority of a certain person, institution, ….
kraft meiner Befugnisse- based on my authority
kraft (eines) Gesetzes – by virtue of a law
kraft (seines) Amtes- by virtue of (his) office
• mangels + genitive or + dative
Mangels is used with the genitive or dative when the noun is without an article and an adjective. We use the preposition mangels to indicate a lack or when something is missing.
mangels finanzieller Unterstützung – due to lack of financial support
mangels anderer Quellen – due to lack of other sources
• wegen+ genitive
But in the spoken language, the dative is also used, when the noun lacks an article and an adjective (meaning: because of)
With the preposition wegen, reason is expressed and there is no emotion.
wegen seines Betruges – because of his fraud
wegen deines Schweigens – because of your silence
• trotz + genitive (despite)
Trotz des schönen Wetters wurde das Konzert abgesagt. – Despite the beautiful weather, the concert was cancelled.
Trotz des Erfolgs ihres Projektes wurde sie nicht befördert. – Despite the success of her project, she was not promoted.
Dative
Modal prepositions often require the DATIVE when the noun is used without an article.
• aus + dative (it is almost always used without an article before the noun)
The preposition aus is used for emotions, when a controlled action follows.
For example:
Er hat ausWut eine böse E-Mail geschrieben. – He wrote a nasty e-mail out of anger.
Ich surfe aus Langweile im Internet. –I surf the Internet because I’m bored.
The preposition aus is always used with the word: Grund
For example:
aus financieren Gründen – from/ due to financial reasons
• vor + dative (used without an article before a noun)
The preposition vor is used for emotions, when an uncontrolled one follows reaction.
For example:
Sein Gesicht war rot vor Wut. – His face was red with rage.
Ich sterbe vor Langweile.- I will die of boredom.
Sie kann sich vor Schreck nicht mehr konzentrieren. – Because of the shock, he can no longer concentrate.
• mit + dative
In addition to the preposition mit expressing a connection with something, or a means, this preposition can express the way something happened, that is, it expresses the cause and often stands without an article.
For example:
Sie hat die Diplomprüfung mit Erfolg bestanden. – She successfully passed the graduation exam.
Er hat seine Arbeit mit großer Freude gemacht.- He did his work with great pleasure.
Sie hat die VeranstaltungmitSorgfaltorganisiert.- She organized the event with care.
• von + dative
Von + dative stands instead of the genitive, when the article is not used and narrows to express community or ownership.
For example:
die Königin von Spanien – the Queen of Spain
der Vertrag von Versailles – the Treaty of Versailles
die Umgebung von Basel– the Basel area
eine Mutter von vier Kindern – a mother of four children
In some phrases, other prepositions are also used, such as:
durch Zufall – by accident
mit Absicht – on purpose
aus Versehen – by mistake, accidentally
der Liebe halber – for the sake of love
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