Prepositional Complements:

Some verbs require complements with prepositions. This means that the verb only has a specific meaning when used in combination with these prepositions.

Without the preposition, the verb either does not function correctly or has a different meaning. The preposition always determines the case (dative/accusative/genitive)

Examples:

„Ich interessiere mich für das neue iPhone.“ (Das Verb „sich interessieren“ benutzt immer die Präposition „für“. Ohne „für“ ist der Satz nicht vollständig.)
„Ich passe auf den Verkehr auf.“ (Das Verb „aufpassen“ benutzt immer die Präposition „auf“. Ohne „auf“ ist der Satz nicht korrekt.)

Examples: Two Prepositional Complements

Some verbs also require two complements with two different prepositions:

„Ich spreche mit meiner Mutter über meinen Bruder.“
„Er bedankt sich bei ihr für das Geburtstagsgeschenk.“

(„Sprechen“ and „bedanken“ theoretically require two complements. However, if one of the pieces of information is obvious or unknown, it can be omitted. The prepositions also determine the case here.)

Asking Questions with Prepositions

When formulating questions with verbs that require a prepositional complement, several things need to be considered. When asking about the complement with the preposition, the preposition itself must also be included in the question:

Accusative preposition + „wen“
Auf	wen	warten wir?
An	wen	denkst du?
Dativpräposition + „wem“
Mit	wem	tanzt du?
Mit	wem	redet er?

Asking about People

Depending on which case the preposition determines, the question word must be chosen accordingly in that case. The preposition always comes before the question word.

Asking about Things

Form the question word with „wo“ + preposition.

Wo (r) + Preposition
Wovon	träumst du?
Womit	machst du die Flasche auf?
Woran	denkst du?

For prepositions that begin with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) an „r“ needs to be inserted.

Another variant is also possible:

Preposition + „was“
An	was	denkst du?
Mit	was	machst du die Flasche auf?
Von	was	träumst du?

This variant works as well. However, it's very informal. It's not as popular because it sounds a bit „dumm“.

Summary:

Some verbs require complements with prepositions.
This usually doesn't mean the verb won't work without the preposition.
However, without the preposition, it has a different meaning.
For a specific meaning, the verb must be used with the preposition.
The preposition then determines the case, and the preposition must be integrated into the question word when asking questions.

You can also have Jan explain the grammar to you in a video lesson:

Exercises:

T2.1: Complete the appropriate question words:

Worauf? Wovor? Worüber? Woran ….?

Auf wen? Mit wem? Vor wem …..?

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Grammar Training – Verbs with Prepositions

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