Learn German A1 – Lesson 7: In the town

This is lesson 7 of the A1 German series on the OK+ channel, and its subject is In the town. It is built for someone starting from nothing who wants to use what they learn the same day, rather than collect rules that help neither in the street nor at the office.

The grammar it works on is Dativ · Präpositionen. This page carries the rule explained, the fifteen words of the lesson, example sentences and an exercise for today.

Dativ · Präpositionen

A third case, the dative, follows a group of prepositions that simply have to be learned as a list: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu. Here every article changes, not only the masculine: der → dem, die → der, das → dem, and the plural die → den with an -n added to the noun. Some prepositions merge with the article for brevity: zu dem = zum, zu der = zur, bei dem = beim — the everyday form.

The articles in the dative

The fifteen words of this lesson

Example sentences

• Ich fahre mit dem Bus. — I go by bus.
• Die Apotheke ist neben dem Supermarkt. — The pharmacy is next to the supermarket.
• Wir gehen zum Bahnhof. — We are going to the station.
• Nach der Arbeit gehe ich nach Hause. — After work I go home.
• Gehen Sie geradeaus und dann links. — Go straight on and then left.

Today's exercise

Write the route from your home to the nearest station in five sentences, using one preposition from the list in each. Then ask of every noun: is it masculine, feminine or neuter? That question is what decides the article, and asking it five times is worth more than reading the table ten.

How to study this lesson

• Watch the lesson once end to end without stopping, to get the shape of it
• Watch it again, pausing at every new word and saying it aloud
• Write the fifteen words out by hand — writing fixes them better than reading
• Use three of the sentences the same day, even if only to yourself
• Do not move on until you can recall this vocabulary without looking

Where this lesson sits in the series

The series is twelve lessons in a deliberate order: each builds on the grammar and the vocabulary of the one before it. This is lesson 7 of twelve. Do not skip between them — skipping is the first cause of stalling at A1.

Frequently asked questions

How do I memorise the dative prepositions?
By rhythm rather than as a list: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu — repeat them aloud until they become a single phrase in your head.

What is the difference between nach Hause and zu Hause?
nach Hause is movement towards home; zu Hause is being at home.

Why does the plural add -n?
Because the plural in this case takes a final -n if it does not already end in one: die Kinder → mit den Kindern.

Are zum and zur obligatory?
Not by the rules, but they are what ordinary speech uses; leaving them apart sounds heavy to the ear.

Watch the video

The video is on the OK+ channel on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8hYbLkBoRE

Also on OK+

• Learn German A1 – Lesson 6: My flat
• Learn German A1 – Lesson 8: Work and profession
• Fifty German verbs – part one

A tool that shortens the road

The OK Plus DE app gathers German administrative calculators and form templates in one place, free, ad-free, in seven languages. Android and iPhone, from the same page:
Get the OK Plus DE app