an

preposition AN Common

Also means

Usage Note

an is a two-way preposition: dative for location ('on/at' a vertical surface or edge) and accusative for movement toward it. It fuses to am (an dem) and ans (an das), and lives in countless phrasal verbs like denken an ('to think of'). Use it for walls, rivers and dates, not flat surfaces (that's auf).

Examples

"Das Bild hängt an der Wand."

Natural Translation

The picture is hanging on the wall.

Literal Translation

The picture hangs on the wall.

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