Prepositions of Relationship, Purpose, and Possession

In this lesson, you'll learn some English prepositions that are used to indicate relationships, purpose, and possession. You'll also learn some English words for animals.

Interactive flashcards and a quiz are included to help you learn the concepts covered in this lesson.

Prepositions of Relationship, Purpose, and Possession

With

With is used to indicate accompaniment, connection, or the instrument used to perform an action.

I am going to the cinema with my brother.	Ich gehe mit meinem Bruder ins Kino.
She cut the cake with a sharp knife.	Sie schnitt den Kuchen mit einem scharfen Messer.
Can you go with me to the concert?	Kannst du mit mir zu dem Konzert gehen?

Without

Without is used to indicate the absence of something or someone.

He managed to finish the marathon without any water.	Es gelang ihm, den Marathon ohne Wasser zu beenden.
It is difficult to navigate the city without a map.	Es ist schwierig, sich ohne Karte in der Stadt zurechtzufinden.

Against

Against is used to indicate opposition, disagreement, or physical contact/pressure.

The local community voted against the new development.	Die lokale Gemeinschaft stimmte gegen die neue Entwicklung.
He leaned his bicycle against the brick wall.	Er lehnte sein Fahrrad an die Ziegelwand.

For

For is used to indicate purpose, reason, or the person intended to receive something.

I bought this bouquet of flowers for my mother.	Ich habe diesen Blumenstrauß für meine Mutter gekauft.
They are studying hard for their final exams.	Sie lernen hart für ihre Abschlussprüfungen.
He waited for two hours.	Er wartete zwei Stunden lang.

Of

Of is used to indicate belonging, origin, or the material something is made from.

This is the first page of the book.	Dies ist die erste Seite des Buches.
The table is made of solid oak.	Der Tisch ist aus massivem Eichenholz.

About

About is used to indicate the subject or topic of a conversation, book, or thought.

The story is about a cat.	Die Geschichte handelt von einer Katze.
We were talking about our plans for the summer.	Wir haben über unsere Pläne für den Sommer gesprochen.
I am reading a fascinating story about space travel.	Wir haben über unsere Pläne für den Sommer gesprochen.

Compound Prepositions

A compound preposition consists of two or more words, but acts like a single preposition. The following table shows some common compound prepositions.

ahead of	as far as	because of	by means of
in addition to	in back of	in case of	in regard to
in spite of	instead of	next to	out of

Examples

They arrived ahead of me.	Sie kamen vor mir an.
Your jacket is next to the door.	Ihre Jacke liegt neben der Tür.
I finished in spite of the interruptions.	Ich habe es trotz der Unterbrechungen beendet.