Zen Polyglot
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Grammar notes

The Prepositions: Choosing by Meaning lesson works because those prepositions carry real meaning you can reason about. This lesson is different: many German verbs, reflexive expressions, and adjectives are simply fixed to one preposition (called their Rektion) that has nothing to do with what the preposition normally means. You can't translate your way to the right answer — you have to know the pair.

This is exactly where a direct translation from your own language misleads you most, because your language pairs the same verb with a different preposition (or none at all). The classic example: "help someone with something" is jemandem bei etwas helfen in German — not mit, even though "with" is normally exactly what mit means.

Some common pairs used in this lesson:

Expression Fixed preposition Meaning
helfen bei (+ Dat) to help with (a task)
sich freuen auf (+ Akk) to look forward to (future)
sich freuen über (+ Akk) to be happy about (already happened)
Angst haben vor (+ Dat) to be afraid of
warten auf (+ Akk) to wait for
sich interessieren für (+ Akk) to be interested in
denken an (+ Akk) to think of (a person/memory)
nachdenken über (+ Akk) to think over/reflect on (a problem)
teilnehmen an (+ Dat) to take part in
bestehen aus (+ Dat) to consist of
bestehen auf (+ Dat) to insist on
sich bedanken für (+ Akk) to say thank you for
sich beschweren über (+ Akk) to complain about
sich verabschieden von (+ Dat) to say goodbye to
träumen von (+ Dat) to dream of
sich erinnern an (+ Akk) to remember
sich vorbereiten auf (+ Akk) to prepare for
sich gewöhnen an (+ Akk) to get used to
abhängen von (+ Dat) to depend on
sich bewerben um (+ Akk) to apply for
sich kümmern um (+ Akk) to take care of
schmecken/riechen nach (+ Dat) to taste/smell of

Notice bestehen aus vs. bestehen auf — same verb, and the preposition alone changes the meaning from "consist of" to "insist on." That pairing can't be guessed from context; it has to be learned as two separate expressions that happen to share a verb.

Verb + Preposition Combinations (Rektion)

How many words this round?

24 words available · each round is a random pick, so replaying covers different ones.