When to use „in der“ and „in die“?

Many in Germany go „in die Kirche“ on Sundays and are then „in der Kirche“ for about an hour. The fact that the article changes here is very confusing for many who are learning German as a foreign language. We will show you why this is so and that there is a logical system behind it.

You have probably already learned that the articles change depending on the case. For the local prepositions we will show you today, you need the dative and accusative.

Local prepositions

To be able to answer the questions Wo? and Wohin? we use so-called local prepositions. They allow you to describe where something is moving to or where something is located.

With the question Wo? there is no movement. You only ask for a place. In this case, we use the dative. For example: Der Stift liegt auf dem Tisch.

The question Wohin? indicates a movement. So you also have to pay attention to the verb. Is there a movement or not? In this case, we use accusative. For example: Ich lege den Stift auf den Tisch.

Important prepositions at a glance

We have summarised the most important prepositions for you in a clear table. For each preposition, you will find an example of „der“, „die“ and „das“. This way you can see how the articles change – depending on whether you use the accusative (with movement to where) or the dative (location, no movement).