The preposition über
die Präposition über
über is a two-way preposition: it takes the Dativ for position and the Akkusativ for direction.
Learners get stuck most often on whether über takes the Dativ or the Akkusativ. The question decides: being somewhere above (wo?) means Dativ; going over something or being put above it (wohin?) means Akkusativ.
über – two cases (Dativ / Akkusativ)
über takes two cases: if it answers wo? (where?) it wants the Dativ; if it answers wohin? (where to?) it wants the Akkusativ. So if things happen in the space above (even a bird circling above the roof), use the Dativ; if something goes over to the other side or is put somewhere above, use the Akkusativ.
The same preposition with different cases: Die Lampe hängt über dem Tisch. (position – Dativ) ↔ Die Katze springt über den Tisch. (direction – Akkusativ).
What counts is not movement but direction: a bird circling above is Dativ, a ball flying over the fence is Akkusativ. This holds for all the Wechselpräpositionen (two-way prepositions).
über for position (Dativ) – everyday sentences
In the sentences below, über says that something is above a place, without touching it; that is why the noun is in the Dativ.
| German | English | Case |
|---|---|---|
| Das Bild hängt über dem Sofa. | The picture is hanging above the sofa. | Dativ |
| Die Lampe hängt über dem Tisch. | The lamp is hanging above the table. | Dativ |
| Ein Vogel kreist über dem Dach. | A bird is circling above the roof. | Dativ |
| Die Wolken ziehen über den Bergen. | The clouds are moving above the mountains. | Dativ |
All the examples use über + Dativ (dem, den). The bird circles and the clouds move, but they stay above the same place: wo? → Dativ.
- Die Lampe hängt über dem Regal. The lamp hangs above the shelf. position
- Er hängt die Lampe über das Regal. He hangs the lamp above the shelf. direction
- Wir reden über das Wetter. We are talking about the weather. about
- Die Brücke führt über den Fluss. The bridge leads over the river. direction
- Ein Flugzeug fliegt über die Stadt. A plane is flying over the city. direction
- Das Poster hängt über dem Bett. The poster hangs above the bed. position
über for direction (Akkusativ) – everyday sentences
Here über expresses a movement across something or over something, like crossing or throwing; that is why the noun is in the Akkusativ.
| German | English | Case |
|---|---|---|
| Er wirft den Ball über den Zaun. | He throws the ball over the fence. | Akkusativ |
| Sie springt über den Bach. | She jumps over the stream. | Akkusativ |
| Das Kind klettert über den Stuhl. | The child climbs over the chair. | Akkusativ |
| Wir fahren über die Brücke. | We drive over the bridge. | Akkusativ |
When something goes over to the other side (wohin?), über takes the Akkusativ (den, die).
One contraction, and the meaning “about”
When über means “about”, it always takes the Akkusativ. The only contraction you will see in writing is über das → übers, and even that is mostly spoken (übers Wochenende). English does the same job with a different word – “talk about” – but German keeps über for both “over” and “about”.
Example: Wir sprechen über den Film. – “We are talking about the film.”
Memorise the pattern “über + Akkusativ = about”; the Dativ never comes up.
Traps
Using the Dativ when something goes over
If the cat jumps over the table to the other side, there is a direction; learners often leave the Dativ here.
Die Katze springt über dem Tisch.
Jumping over to the other side is a direction (wohin?) → the Akkusativ (den) is needed.
Die Katze springt über den Tisch.
The cat is jumping over the table.
Using the Dativ for “about”
When you want to say “we talk about something” with über, the verb for “talk” takes the Akkusativ.
Wir sprechen über dem Film.
“über” + Dativ is wrong; “about” always takes the Akkusativ (den).
Wir sprechen über den Film.
We are talking about the film.
Using the Akkusativ in a sentence about position
In a sentence that describes a state, über takes the Dativ; the Akkusativ is wrong here.
Das Bild hängt über den Tisch.
“hängt” expresses position, so the Dativ (dem) is needed.
Das Bild hängt über dem Tisch.
The picture hangs above the table.
What you just learned
Er wirft den Ball über ___ Zaun.
Show the answer
den. It expresses a movement (throwing) and the fence is crossed, so the Akkusativ (den Zaun) is used.
The sentence “Wir sprechen über dem Film.” is grammatically correct.
Show the answer
False. When über means “about”, it always takes the Akkusativ: über den Film.
The picture is hanging above the table.
Show the answer
Das Bild hängt über dem Tisch. — über dem Tisch. hängen here states a position (where?) → Dativ. If you were hanging it up there (Er hängt das Bild über den Tisch.), it would be the Akkusativ.
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.
- über = above without touching
Lamp, picture, cloud – anything sitting above without contact is über + Dativ. If it touched, it would be auf.
Die Lampe hängt über dem Tisch.
- Going across is Akkusativ
Bridge, fence, street – a movement that passes over: über die Brücke · über den Zaun.
Er wirft den Ball über den Zaun.
- “About” is ALWAYS Akkusativ
sprechen über · ein Film über · denken über – a topic, not a place; the case is always Akkusativ.
Wir sprechen über den Film.
- With numbers: more than
über 30 Grad · über 100 Euro – an amount above a threshold.
Es ist über 30 Grad.
Wir sprechen über dem Film.
Wir sprechen über den Film.
“About” is not a position; it is always Akkusativ.
Die Lampe hängt über den Tisch.
Die Lampe hängt über dem Tisch.
Something hanging is a position: Dativ.
Wir fahren durch die Brücke.
Wir fahren über die Brücke.
You cross a bridge on top of it, not through it.
Ich freue mich auf dein Geschenk. (when you already have the present)
Ich freue mich über dein Geschenk.
Being happy about something that has happened is über; auf is for the future.
Test yourself
Tap an answer — we will look at why together.
The picture is hanging above the table.
He throws the ball over the fence.
We are talking about the film.
The bridge leads over the river.
The lamp is above the table. (hanging)
The plane is flying over the city.
Practice done — –
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über 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.