B1-40 · Say where you go and where you are with in, an, auf, nach and zu
Holidays abroad
Choose the right preposition for countries, islands, the sea and the mountains when you talk about holidays abroad.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Where are you going?
To say where you are going, the preposition depends on the place. Use nach for countries and cities without an article, in plus accusative for countries with an article and for mountains, and an plus accusative for the sea or a lake.
Nächsten Sommer fliegen wir nach Portugal.
Next summer, we are flying to Portugal.
Meine Schwester fährt im Juli in die Schweiz.
My sister is going to Switzerland in July.
Im August fahren wir ans Meer.
In August, we are going to the seaside.
Im Winter fahren Eva und Paul in die Berge.
In winter, Eva and Paul go to the mountains.
Ans is short for an das: ans Meer. Some countries always have an article: die Schweiz, die Türkei, die Niederlande. They take in die, never nach.
02
Where are you?
To say where you are, use the dative. Countries without an article take in: in Portugal. Feminine countries take in der: in der Schweiz. Plural names take in den: in den Niederlanden. For the sea use am, for islands auf, and for mountains in den Bergen.
| Place | Where to? | Where? |
|---|---|---|
| country without article | nach Portugal | in Portugal |
| country with article | in die Schweiz | in der Schweiz |
| sea, lake | ans Meer | am Meer |
| island | auf eine Insel | auf einer Insel |
| mountains | in die Berge | in den Bergen |
| people | zu Freunden | bei Freunden |
Wir sind gerade in der Schweiz.
We are in Switzerland at the moment.
Unser Hotel liegt direkt am Meer.
Our hotel is right by the sea.
Lena macht zwei Wochen Urlaub auf einer kleinen Insel.
Lena is spending two weeks' holiday on a small island.
In den Bergen ist es abends sehr kühl.
In the mountains, it is very cool in the evening.
Am is short for an dem. With islands, Germans say auf: auf einer Insel. The table shows each place with where to? and where?
03
Plans for a trip
Use zu when you go to people: zu Freunden, zu meiner Tante. Use auf for climbing up a mountain. Aylin writes to a colleague about her family's travel plans and about holidays in general.
Morgen fahren wir zu Freunden nach Wien.
Tomorrow, we are going to visit friends in Vienna.
Am Wochenende wandern wir auf die Zugspitze.
At the weekend, we are hiking up the Zugspitze.
Viele Deutsche machen gern Urlaub in der Türkei.
Many Germans like to go on holiday in Turkey.
Von der Insel fahren wir mit der Fähre zurück in die Niederlande.
From the island, we are taking the ferry back to the Netherlands.
Zu takes the dative: zu Freunden. Die Niederlande is plural, so it is in die Niederlande and in den Niederlanden. Die Fähre is a ferry; die Zugspitze is Germany's highest mountain.
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