Nicht vergessen: Regeln sind Leitlinien – sie sind nur selten absolut.

Here is a list of Main Preposition Categories

1. Time ⏰

  • at, on, in
  • before, after
  • during, while
  • since, for
  • by, until, till
  • within

2. Place / Position 📍

  • in, on, at
  • under, over, above, below
  • next to, beside, between, among
  • behind, in front of
  • inside, outside
  • near, far from

3. Movement / Direction ➡️

  • to, into, onto
  • from, out of, off
  • toward(s), away from
  • across, through
  • along, around
  • up, down

4. Describing / Characteristics 🎨

  • with, without
  • in (in red, in English)
  • of (a man of honor)
  • like, unlike
  • as (work as a teacher)

5. Cause / Reason ⚡

  • because of
  • due to
  • owing to
  • thanks to
  • from (from stress)
  • for (famous for)

6. Purpose 🎯

  • for
  • to
  • in order to
  • for the purpose of

7. Possession / Relationship 🔗

  • of
  • with
  • to (the key to the door)
  • belonging to

8. Manner / Method 🛠️

  • by (by car)
  • with (with a knife)
  • in (in silence)
  • like (like this)
  • without

9. Comparison ⚖️

  • like
  • unlike
  • as … as
  • than
  • compared to / with

10. Agent (Passive) 👤

  • by (written by)
  • with (cut with a knife)

11. Condition ⚠️

  • in case of
  • in case
  • without
  • but for

12. Topic / About 🧠

  • about
  • on
  • regarding
  • concerning
  • related to

13. Part of Phrasal Prepositions 📚

(multi-word prepositions)

  • according to
  • in front of
  • because of
  • instead of
  • due to
  • in spite of

14. Fixed Expressions / Collocations 🧩

  • interested in
  • afraid of
  • good at
  • responsible for
  • dependent on
  • married to