Genau
Topic test · A1

the preposition unter test

13questions
8minutes
60%pass mark
Start the test Read the topic first

One question at a time, the clock runs. Answers stay closed like a real exam: you see every correct answer with its explanation at the end. Score 60% to finish the topic.

Topic test

13 questions, easy to hard

Pick an option and press «Next». You can go back and change it. Anything left blank counts as wrong.

The cat is sitting under the table.

Die Katze sitzt unter dem Tisch. “Sitzen” describes a situation and answers “wo?” → Dativ “dem”.

He is putting the box under the shelf.

Er stellt die Kiste unter das Regal. “Stellen” expresses movement, “wohin?” → Akkusativ “das” (neuter).

We are meeting among friends.

Wir treffen uns unter Freunden. “Unter Freunden” means “among friends”: Dativ plural “Freunden”, no article.

Die Katze unter den Tisch.

The cat is jumping under the table.

springt because “unter den” is the Akkusativ and needs movement; “sitzen” and “liegen” take the Dativ.

Wir legen die Decke Auto.

We are laying the blanket under the car.

unter das – “Legen” is movement, neuter “das Auto” → Akkusativ “das”.

Das Kind spielt Baum.

The child is playing under the tree.

unter dem – “Spielen” is a position, “wo?” → Dativ “dem” (masculine).

The cats live under the bridge.

unter der Brücke. Living is a position, not a movement → Dativ. die Brücke is feminine, and the feminine Dativ is der.

Der Hund schläft dem Bett.

The dog is sleeping under the bed.

unter = under. The opposite is über. A sleeping dog is in a situation: Dativ.

Kinder sechs Jahren fahren gratis.

Children under six travel for free.

With numbers unter = below/less than: unter sechs Jahren · unter 100 Euro. The mirror image of über. unten is an adverb and takes no noun; zwischen needs two ends.

What does “unter uns” mean? — Das bleibt unter uns.

Between people unter reads as “among”: unter uns · unter Freunden. The language of secrets: Das bleibt unter uns.

The case in the sentence “Die Katze sitzt unter den Tisch.” is correct.

False. sitzen expresses a position, not a movement (where?), so the Dativ (dem) must be used.

Er stellt die Kiste unter Regal.

He is putting the box under the shelf.

das. stellen expresses movement (where to?), so the Akkusativ is used and das Regal does not change.

Build the sentence: We are meeting among friends.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

For “among friends” the phrase unter Freunden is used; it is Dativ plural and takes no article.
Quick rules

The rules in three lines

The full topic lives on its own page. This is only the core you need for the test.

  1. 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.

  2. With numbers: below

    unter sechs Jahren · unter 100 Euro — below the threshold.

    Kinder unter sechs Jahren fahren gratis.

  3. Among people

    unter Freunden · unter uns — within a group. Secrecy phrase: Das bleibt unter uns.

    Wir sind unter Freunden.

  4. 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

Traps

Commonly mixed up

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

  • 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.