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Topic test · A1

The preposition durch test

13questions
8minutes
60%pass mark
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Topic test

13 questions, easy to hard

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We’re walking through the park.

durch den Park. durch takes the accusative without exception; der Park becomes den Park in the accusative.

We’re crossing the bridge.

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.

I found it by chance.

der Zufall = chance

durch Zufall. A frozen phrase that answers “by what route?”; it takes no article.

The cat is jumping through the window. Die Katze springt Fenster.

durchs Fenster. das Fenster is neuter and durch das fuses into durchs. This contraction exists only for the neuter.

The book was written by Goethe.

von Goethe. In a passive sentence the person who does the action is introduced with von; durch is for means and events.

I know him through a friend.

durch einen Freund. durch in the sense of “via”, and because it is accusative, ein Freund → einen Freund.

He is walking around the city.

durch die Stadt. die Stadt is feminine, and feminine does not change in the accusative — the accusative only changes the masculine.

Wir fahren den Tunnel.

We’re driving through the tunnel.

Passing through the inside is durch + accusative: tunnel, park, city. Passing over the top (a bridge) would be über.

Ich habe Deutsch Filme gelernt.

I learned German through films.

Means and method are expressed with durch: through films. If it were a person (in the passive), von would come.

What is the contraction of durch + das?

durch das = durchs: durchs Fenster · durchs Land. Because durch takes only the accusative, it has no other contraction.

The sentence “Ich gehe durch dem Wald.” is correct.

False. durch always takes the accusative: durch den Wald.

Die Katze springt Fenster.

The cat is jumping through the window. (das Fenster)

durchs. The preposition durch takes the accusative. Combined with das Fenster, durch das is shortened to durchs.

Build the sentence: We’re walking through the forest.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

Wir laufen durch den Wald. The preposition durch (through) always takes the accusative. That is why der Wald becomes den Wald.
Quick rules

The rules in three lines

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  1. durch = passing through

    Park, tunnel, city, door — through the inside of a space: durch + accusative, always.

    Wir gehen durch den Park.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

Traps

Commonly mixed up

Where a direct translation breaks. The hard questions come from here.

  • 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.