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Topic test · A1

the preposition zwischen 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 child is sitting between their mother and their father. (location)

Correct. Sitzen (to be sitting) describes a location → Wo? → Dative. Possessives: seiner (feminine Dative), seinem (masculine Dative).

I’m putting the vase between the table and the cabinet. (movement)

Correct. Stellen (to put, to stand something) is a movement verb → Wohin? → Accusative. Masculine nouns: den Tisch, den Schrank.

The village lies between Hamburg and Bremen.

Correct. Proper names (cities) are used without an article. Liegt (lies, is located) is a location → Dative, but with article-less names you can’t see the Dative or Accusative form. Legt is the wrong verb (to lay something down).

What is the difference between you and me?

der Unterschied = difference

Correct. After zwischen pronouns take the Dative (location/abstract). mir (me), dir (you). The Nominative (ich/du) and the Accusative (mich/dich) are wrong.

I’m squeezing the book in between the notebooks. (movement)

Correct. Klemmen (to squeeze/tuck in) is movement → Accusative. Plural Accusative article: die Hefte (in the Dative it would be den Heften, with the -n).

The meeting is between 2 and 3 p.m.

Correct. For a time span use zwischen ... und ... (Dative idea). bis means “until” and is not used with zwischen. Ist states a position.

He runs in between the trees. (direction: where to?)

Correct. Läuft (runs) + direction → Accusative. Plural Accusative article: die Bäume. The Dative zwischen den Bäumen would describe a location. Steht (is standing) is a location verb and doesn’t fit a direction.

Der Bus fährt dem Bahnhof und dem Flughafen.

The bus runs between the station and the airport.

Travelling back and forth between two points: zwischen A und B. The route describes a situation, so the Dative.

Which one is wrong?

The plural Dative adds -n to the noun: zwischen meinen Freunden.

What is the difference between zwischen and unter? (English has both “between” and “among”)

zwischen dir und mir (two sides) but unter Freunden (within a group) — just like “between you and me” vs. “among friends”.

The sentence «Das ist ein Geheimnis zwischen ich und du.» is correct.

False. After zwischen pronouns can’t be Nominative (ich/du); they must be Dative: zwischen mir und dir.

Wir parken das Auto zwischen Bäumen.

We park the car between the trees.

den. The result of parken is a location, so the Dative is used. The plural Dative article is den.

Build the sentence: The village lies between Hamburg and Bremen.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

City names are used without an article, and liegen states a location, so the Dative applies.
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. zwischen = the space between TWO things

    Two cases: standing still takes the Dative, moving toward takes the Accusative. It always wants two sides: zwischen A und B.

    Das Kind sitzt zwischen Mutter und Vater.

  2. Putting something between takes the Accusative

    Ich stelle die Vase zwischen den Tisch und den Schrank.

    zwischen die Hefte klemmen

  3. A time span takes the Dative

    zwischen 14 und 15 Uhr — the language of appointments and deliveries.

    Das Meeting ist zwischen 14 und 15 Uhr.

  4. Difference and relationship use zwischen too

    der Unterschied zwischen X und Y · die Beziehung zwischen uns.

    Was ist der Unterschied zwischen mir und dir?

Traps

Commonly mixed up

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

  • zwischen meinen Freunde

    zwischen meinen Freunden

    The plural Dative needs -n.

  • unter dir und mir

    zwischen dir und mir

    With two sides use zwischen; unter means “among” a group.

  • Ich stelle die Vase zwischen dem Tisch und dem Schrank.

    … zwischen den Tisch und den Schrank.

    Putting is a direction: Accusative.

  • zwischen Montag und Freitag habe ich Kurs (every single day, without a break)

    von Montag bis Freitag habe ich Kurs

    A continuous span is von … bis; zwischen describes ONE point between two ends.