the preposition unter
die Präposition unter
unter is a two-way preposition: it takes the Dativ for position and the Akkusativ for direction.
Unter is a Wechselpräposition (two-way preposition): if it answers wo? (where?), you use the Dativ; if it answers wohin? (where to?), you use the Akkusativ. Sentences about movement to a place (direction) take the Akkusativ; sentences about where something is (even if it moves around there) take the Dativ.
Unter – two cases (Dativ / Akkusativ)
Unter expresses both position (where?) and direction (where to?). English does the same with the single word “under”: “The cat sits under the table” and “The cat runs under the table”. German marks the difference in the article.
For position the question wo? calls for the Dativ; for direction the question wohin? calls for the Akkusativ.
| Question | Sentence | Case |
|---|---|---|
| wo? (where?) | Die Katze sitzt unter dem Tisch. | Dativ |
| wohin? (where to?) | Die Katze läuft unter den Tisch. | Akkusativ |
Same preposition, same object: what changes the case is whether the sentence states a position (wo?) or a direction (wohin?).
Unter + Dativ – position (where?)
There is no movement in these sentences; the person or thing simply stays somewhere underneath.
| German | English | Case |
|---|---|---|
| Der Hund schläft unter dem Bett. | The dog sleeps under the bed. | Dativ |
| Die Kinder spielen unter dem Baum. | The children play under the tree. | Dativ |
| Wir essen unter der Pergola. | We eat under the pergola. | Dativ |
| Die Katze liegt unter dem Sofa. | The cat lies under the sofa. | Dativ |
None of these sentences contains movement, so they all take the Dativ.
- Die Maus sitzt unter dem Schrank. The mouse sits under the cupboard. position
- Er kriecht unter den Zaun. He crawls under the fence. direction
- Wir reden unter Freunden. We are talking among friends. among
- Das Kind stellt die Schuhe unter das Bett. The child puts the shoes under the bed. direction
- Die Vögel fliegen unter der Brücke. The birds fly under the bridge. position
- Sie schiebt den Teppich unter das Sofa. She pushes the rug under the sofa. direction
Unter + Akkusativ – direction (where to?)
In these sentences a person or thing moves to a place underneath something.
| German | English | Case |
|---|---|---|
| Die Katze springt unter den Tisch. | The cat jumps under the table. | Akkusativ |
| Er schiebt die Kiste unter das Regal. | He pushes the box under the shelf. | Akkusativ |
| Wir stellen die Stühle unter die Markise. | We put the chairs under the awning. | Akkusativ |
| Sie legt die Decke unter das Auto. | She puts the blanket under the car. | Akkusativ |
If something moves to a place (direction), the Akkusativ is a must.
Contractions and the “among” meaning
Unter merges with two articles: unter dem → unterm (position), unter das → unters (direction). Both are mostly spoken; the full form is always correct in writing. The other articles do not merge.
In phrases like “unter Freunden” it takes on the meaning “among”, and the case is still the Dativ.
| Contraction | Expanded | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| unterm | unter dem | under (position) |
| unters | unter das | under (direction) |
It only merges with “dem” and “das”; with “der, die, den” the words stay separate.
Traps
Using the Akkusativ in a sentence about a situation
English uses the same “under” whether the cat is resting or running, so nothing warns you. In German, when there is no movement, you must not write the Akkusativ.
Die Katze sitzt unter den Tisch.
“Sitzen” describes a position, not a movement; the Dativ “dem” is needed.
Die Katze sitzt unter dem Tisch.
The cat sits under the table.
Using the Dativ in a sentence about movement
With verbs of movement or placing (legen, stellen, schieben) the Akkusativ is a must.
Er legt das Buch unter dem Tisch.
“Legen” expresses movement; the Akkusativ “den” is needed.
Er legt das Buch unter den Tisch.
He puts the book under the table.
Using the wrong article “die” for the “among” meaning
In phrases like “unter Freunden” there is no definite article, just the Dativ plural.
Wir treffen uns unter die Freunde.
“Unter” + “die” is the Akkusativ, but the “among” meaning takes the Dativ plural “Freunden”.
Wir treffen uns unter Freunden.
We meet among friends.
What you just learned
Er stellt die Kiste unter ___ Regal.
Show the answer
das. stellen expresses movement (where to?), so the Akkusativ is used and das Regal does not change.
The case in the sentence “Die Katze sitzt unter den Tisch.” is correct.
Show the answer
False. sitzen expresses a position, not a movement (where?), so the Dativ (dem) must be used.
We are meeting among friends.
Show the answer
Wir treffen uns unter Freunden. “Unter Freunden” means “among friends”: Dativ plural “Freunden”, no article.
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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tap the words
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tap the words
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tap the words
Know this before the test
The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.
- unter = under
It has two cases: something that stays takes the Dativ (unter dem Tisch), something that moves there takes the Akkusativ (unter den Tisch). The opposite is über.
Die Katze sitzt unter dem Tisch.
- With numbers: below
unter sechs Jahren · unter 100 Euro — below the threshold.
Kinder unter sechs Jahren fahren gratis.
- Among people
unter Freunden · unter uns — within a group. Secrecy phrase: Das bleibt unter uns.
Wir sind unter Freunden.
- The difference from zwischen
zwischen is the space between TWO things, unter is inside a group. English makes the same split: “between” two, “among” a group.
zwischen dir und mir · unter Kollegen
Die Katze springt unter dem Tisch. (jumping to a place under it)
Die Katze springt unter den Tisch.
Jumping under something is direction: Akkusativ.
Das Kind spielt unter das Baum.
Das Kind spielt unter dem Baum.
The child who is playing stays there: Dativ. (And it is der Baum, too.)
zwischen Freunden sein (meaning “within a group”)
unter Freunden sein
Within a group is unter; zwischen needs two sides.
Kinder unter sechs Jahre
Kinder unter sechs Jahren
In number phrases it is the Dativ plural: Jahren.
Test yourself
Tap an answer — we will look at why together.
The cat is sitting under the table.
He is putting the box under the shelf.
We are meeting among friends.
Die Katze unter den Tisch.
The cat is jumping under the table.
Wir legen die Decke Auto.
We are laying the blanket under the car.
Das Kind spielt Baum.
The child is playing under the tree.
Practice done — –
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unter 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.