The preposition durch
die Präposition durch
durch is a German preposition that always takes the accusative: durch den Park, durch Zufall.
The preposition durch always takes the accusative. The most common mistake is using the dative or the nominative instead.
durch always takes the accusative
durch takes the accusative without exception. The article or pronoun after it has to be in the accusative: der Park → durch den Park.
Only the nine two-way prepositions switch case depending on the situation (in · an · auf …). durch is not one of them and never switches. Learn the rule once and it is always true.
| Nominative | After durch (accusative) |
|---|---|
| der Mann | den Mann |
| die Frau | die Frau |
| das Kind | das Kind |
| die Leute | die Leute |
Watch out: the only thing that changes is the masculine article — der → den. Feminine, neuter and plural stay as they are.
Main meaning: passing through something
The basic meaning of durch is spatial: going in one side and coming out the other. The movement passes through the inside of the space.
It is used most often with places you can pass through: a park, a street, a tunnel, a forest.
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| durch den Park | through the park |
| durch den Tunnel | through the tunnel |
| durch die Stadt | through the city |
In all three examples the noun is in the accusative: den, den, die.
- Ich gehe durch den Park. I’m walking through the park. movement
- Wir fahren durch den Tunnel. We’re driving through the tunnel. movement
- Sie hat die Nachricht durch das Internet erhalten. She got the news through the internet. means
- Er hat es durch Zufall gefunden. He found it by chance. means
- Der Fehler wurde durch einen Test gefunden. The error was found through a test. passive means
- Wir spazieren über die Brücke, nicht durch den Fluss. We’re walking over the bridge, not through the river. contrast
Second meaning: thanks to / by means of
durch does not only show place: it also shows the way or the means by which something happens.
In this sense it corresponds to English “through”, “by means of”, “thanks to”.
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| durch das Internet | through / thanks to the internet |
| durch Zufall | by chance |
| durch seine Hilfe | with his help |
The meaning changes, but the case does not: here too the noun is in the accusative (das, seine; durch Zufall is a fixed phrase without an article).
durch vs. über, and von / durch in the passive
durch means going through the inside of an area (tunnel, forest, crowd); über means going over the top (bridge, roof, hill). English keeps “through” and “over” apart too, but as soon as you think “cross” or “get across” the two blur — so this is the pair people mix up most.
In a passive sentence the person who does the action is introduced with von; the means or method is introduced with durch. With a lifeless cause both are correct: vom Sturm zerstört · durch den Sturm zerstört.
| Situation | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Going through the inside | durch | Wir gehen durch den Wald. |
| Going over the top | über | Wir fahren über die Brücke. |
| Passive — the person doing it | von | Das Buch wurde von dem Autor geschrieben. |
| Passive — means / cause | durch | Das Fenster wurde durch einen Stein zerbrochen. |
Keep this in mind: von = who? (a person) · durch = by what? (a means).
Traps
Using the dative after durch
After durch comes the accusative, not the dative. This is the most common mistake learners make — because in English “through the park” shows no case at all, so nothing warns you.
Ich gehe durch dem Park.
dem is dative; durch takes the accusative → den.
Ich gehe durch den Park.
den is the accusative article of masculine nouns — this is correct.
Using durch for a bridge
When you think “cross the bridge”, the difference between inside and top disappears. German keeps the inside and the top apart.
Wir fahren durch die Brücke.
would mean driving through the inside of the bridge
Wir fahren über die Brücke.
We’re driving over the bridge.
Saying durch instead of von in the passive
In a passive sentence von marks the person who actually does the action, and durch marks the means. The one who wrote the book is a person, not a means.
Das Buch wurde durch Goethe geschrieben.
Goethe wrote the book himself; he is not a means — so it needs von, not durch.
Das Buch wurde von Goethe geschrieben.
von Goethe shows the person who did it — this is correct.
What you just learned
Die Katze springt ___ Fenster.
Show the answer
durchs, durch das — durchs. The preposition durch takes the accusative. Combined with das Fenster, durch das is shortened to durchs.
The sentence “Ich gehe durch dem Wald.” is correct.
Show the answer
False. durch always takes the accusative: durch den Wald.
We’re crossing the bridge.
Show the answer
Wir fahren über die Brücke. — über die Brücke. If you go over the top, it is über; durch means “through the inside”, and you do not pass through the inside of a bridge.
The other accusative prepositions
Build the sentence yourself
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Know this before the test
The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.
- durch = passing through
Park, tunnel, city, door — through the inside of a space: durch + accusative, always.
Wir gehen durch den Park.
- Means and go-betweens take durch
durch Filme lernen · durch einen Freund kennen · durch Zufall finden — method, go-between, chance.
Ich kenne ihn durch einen Freund.
- durchs = durch das
durchs Fenster · durchs Land. It is the only contraction, because durch has only one case: the accusative.
Die Katze springt durchs Fenster.
- Over the top is über, the person doing it is von
Crossing a bridge is über die Brücke; in the passive the person doing the action takes von (a cause or means takes durch).
Wir fahren über die Brücke.
Wir fahren durch die Brücke.
Wir fahren über die Brücke.
You cross a bridge over the top; durch is passing through the inside (a tunnel).
Das Buch wurde durch Goethe geschrieben.
Das Buch wurde von Goethe geschrieben.
In the passive, the PERSON who writes takes von.
durch dem Park
durch den Park
durch never takes the dative.
Ich habe es mit Zufall gefunden.
Ich habe es durch Zufall gefunden.
The set phrase for “by chance” is durch Zufall.
Test yourself
Tap an answer — we will look at why together.
We’re walking through the park.
We’re crossing the bridge.
I found it by chance.
der Zufall = chance
The cat is jumping through the window. Die Katze springt Fenster.
The book was written by Goethe.
I know him through a friend.
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durch pocket card
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