The preposition hinter
die Präposition hinter
hinter (“behind”) is a two-way preposition: it takes the Dativ for position and the Akkusativ for direction.
hinter takes two cases: Dativ for position (Wo?), Akkusativ for direction (Wohin?). English uses one word, “behind”, for both (“the car is behind the house” · “he drives the car behind the house”), so the change of article is easy to forget in German.
hinter: two cases, two meanings
hinter is a Wechselpräposition (two-way preposition). If the question is Wo? (Where?), it takes the Dativ; if the question is Wohin? (Where to?), it takes the Akkusativ. The goal decides: if something arrives at a place or is put somewhere, use the Akkusativ; if things happen at that place, use the Dativ.
Verb pairs make it easier (position: stehen/liegen/sitzen · placing: stellen/legen/setzen). After a position verb comes the Dativ, after a placing verb the Akkusativ.
| Question | Case | German sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wo? (Where?) | Dativ | Das Auto steht hinter dem Haus. | The car is behind the house. |
| Wohin? (Where to?) | Akkusativ | Er fährt das Auto hinter das Haus. | He drives the car behind the house. |
What counts is not movement itself but the question: a goal (Wohin?) means Akkusativ, something happening at a place (Wo?) means Dativ.
Saying where something is (Dativ / Wo?)
With the Dativ, hinter says that something is “behind” something else and stays put. Articles: der → dem, das → dem, die → der, plural die → den (+ an -n on the noun).
| German sentence | English | Article change |
|---|---|---|
| Die Katze schläft hinter dem Sofa. | The cat is sleeping behind the sofa. | das → dem |
| Unser Fahrrad steht hinter der Garage. | Our bike is standing behind the garage. | die → der |
| Der Spielplatz liegt hinter dem Bahnhof. | The playground is behind the train station. | der → dem |
| Wir sitzen hinter den Büschen. | We are sitting behind the bushes. | die (Pl.) → den (+ -n) |
In the Dativ, dem/der/dem/den should come automatically; do not memorise them as a list, learn them as a system.
- hinter dem Haus behind the house (Dativ) standard position
- hinter das Haus behind the house, as a goal (Akkusativ) standard direction
- hinter der Tür behind the door feminine position
- hinter die Tür behind the door, as a goal feminine direction
- hinterm Zaun behind the fence spoken contraction (hinter + dem)
- sich hinter etwas stellen to go and stand behind something reflexive direction pattern
Saying where something goes (Akkusativ / Wohin?)
When the goal of the movement is “behind” something, you use the Akkusativ. Only the masculine article visibly changes: der → den. Neuter das and feminine die look the same as in the Nominativ, but the case is Akkusativ. Plural die → die stays.
| German sentence | English | Article change |
|---|---|---|
| Die Katze springt hinter das Sofa. | The cat jumps behind the sofa. | das → das |
| Er schiebt den Stuhl hinter den Tisch. | He pushes the chair behind the table. | der → den |
| Sie stellt das Fahrrad hinter die Garage. | She puts the bike behind the garage. | die → die |
| Wir laufen hinter das Haus. | We run behind the house. | das → das |
Only the masculine (der → den) changes visibly; neuter and feminine articles look the same as in the Nominativ, but the case is still Akkusativ.
Contractions and a special note
In spoken German, hinter + dem = hinterm and hinter + das = hinters merge. hinter den and hinter der are not contracted in writing. In formal writing the long form (hinter dem, hinter das) is preferred.
There are figurative uses too, learnt as fixed phrases: hinter jemandem stehen (to stand behind someone, to support them), etwas hinter sich haben (to have got through something), hinter etwas kommen (to find out the truth about something).
hinterm and hinters belong to spoken German. In writing (homework, exams, emails) use the long form: hinter dem, hinter das.
Traps
Using the Dativ with a placing verb (stellen/legen/setzen)
These verbs put something (or yourself) somewhere; the question is wohin? → Akkusativ. For a position you use stehen/liegen/sitzen.
Er stellt sich hinter dem Baum.
Dativ used, but the verb “sich stellen” (to take up position / to move) expresses direction.
Er stellt sich hinter den Baum.
He goes and stands behind the tree.
Building a position with the Akkusativ
Playing is not going somewhere, it is being somewhere → the question is Wo? → Dativ.
Die Kinder spielen hinter den Baum.
position → Dativ → hinter dem
Die Kinder spielen hinter dem Baum.
The children are playing behind the tree.
Forgetting the -n in the Dativ plural
In the Dativ plural the article becomes den and the noun itself takes an -n. English has nothing like it, so the -n keeps falling off.
Die Katze schläft hinter den Möbel.
plural Dativ → Möbeln
Die Katze schläft hinter den Möbeln.
The cat is sleeping behind the furniture.
What you just learned
Er stellt das Fahrrad hinter ___ Garage.
Show the answer
die. Direction is expressed, so the Akkusativ is needed; the feminine article stays the same.
“Die Katze schläft hinter den Tisch.” is a correct sentence.
Show the answer
False. Sleeping describes a position (no movement), so the Dativ is needed: hinter dem Tisch.
How do you shorten “behind the house” in spoken German? (das Haus)
Show the answer
hinters Haus. hinter + das → hinters (Akkusativ). The Dativ contraction is hinterm.
Build the sentence yourself
Tap the words and put them in order. This is the hardest part of German — and there are no options to pick from, you build it.
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Know this before the test
The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.
- hinter = behind
A two-way preposition: what stays put takes the Dativ (hinter dem Haus), what moves toward a place takes the Akkusativ (hinter das Haus).
Der Garten ist hinter dem Haus.
- Its opposite is vor
vor dem Haus is the front, hinter dem Haus is the back. Learn them as a pair.
vor ↔ hinter
- hinters = hinter das
It is shortened in speech: hinters Haus gehen. Only the Akkusativ, and only with neuter nouns.
Wir gehen hinters Haus.
- hinten is an adverb
hinten on its own means “at the back / to the back” and takes no noun: Bitte hinten anstellen! hinter, on the other hand, is a preposition and needs a noun.
Stellen Sie sich hinten an.
Die Katze schläft hinter den Tisch.
Die Katze schläft hinter dem Tisch.
A sleeping cat describes a state: Dativ.
Er setzt die Katze hinter dem Tisch.
Er setzt die Katze hinter den Tisch.
Putting something somewhere is movement: Akkusativ.
Versteck dich hinter!
Versteck dich hinter dem Baum! / Versteck dich hinten!
hinter cannot stand without a noun; without a noun the word is hinten.
hinter's Haus
hinters Haus
The contraction takes no apostrophe.
Test yourself
Tap an answer — we will look at why together.
The cat is sleeping the table. (German: der Tisch)
He puts the cat the table.
The children are playing the garage. (die Garage)
We put the box the wardrobe. (der Schrank)
The children are playing the fences. (die Zäune)
How do you shorten “behind the house” in spoken German? (das Haus)
Practice done — –
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hinter pocket card
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Related topics
wo? · wohin?
in die Küche or in der Küche?
The questions wo?, wohin?
Prepositions and cases
für dich, mit dir
German prepositions are small words that come before a noun, link it to the sentence and decide its case: für dich, mit dir.
Akkusativ & Dativ
the full article table
Accusative vs dative: what actually changes, and what never moves at all.