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In German, most prepositions come right before the noun they modify. However, a few special prepositions can—or even prefer to—come *after* the noun. These are sometimes called "postpositions." Two of the most useful ones for talking about rules, expectations, and driving are *entgegen* (contrary to) and *entsprechend* (according to). Both of these require the **dative case**.

### "entgegen" (Contrary to)

When you want to say that someone acted against a rule, expectation, or instruction, use *entgegen*. While it can occasionally be placed before the noun, it is most commonly placed *after* the dative noun it modifies.

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### "entsprechend" (According to)

To express that an action is in line with a rule, law, or situation, use *entsprechend*. Just like *entgegen*, it typically follows its dative noun.

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### Word Order in the Sentence

If you place the dative noun and its postposition at the beginning of the sentence to emphasize it, the entire phrase counts as the first position. As always in standard German sentences, the conjugated verb must immediately follow in the second position.

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If the phrase appears later in the sentence, it simply acts as an adverbial block describing how the action was performed.

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Advanced dative prepositions (entgegen, entsprechend)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and gender (der, die, das)

Indefinite articles (ein, eine)

Regular verbs and statement word order (ich -e, er -t)

The second person (du -st, Sie -en)

Yes/No questions

The verb 'to have' (habe, hast, hat)

Plural pronouns and regular verbs (wir, ihr, sie)

Plural 'to be' and 'to have' (sind, haben)

Plural nouns and the plural article (die)

Sentence negation (nicht)

Noun negation (kein, keine)

Question words (wer, was, wo, wie)

Numbers 0 to 12 (null, eins, zwei)

The accusative case (den, die, das)

Indefinite accusative articles (einen, keinen)

Direct object pronouns (mich, dich, ihn)

There is / there are (es gibt)

Vowel changes: e to i/ie (er spricht, sie liest)

Vowel changes: a to ä (er fährt)

Weather and conditions (es regnet)

First- and second-person possessives in the nominative (mein, dein, Ihr)

First- and second-person possessives in the accusative (meinen, deinen, Ihren)

Third-person and plural possessives (sein, ihr, unser, euer)

Possession with names (Annas Auto)

Demonstrative pronouns (dieser, diese, dieses)

Expressing preference (gern, lieber)

Asking about direction and origin (woher, wohin)

Expressing ability (können)

Polite requests (möchten)

Expressing intention (wollen)

Modal verbs of obligation and permission (müssen, dürfen)

Separable prefix verbs

Adverbs of frequency (immer, oft, manchmal, nie)

The Dative case and definite articles (dem, der, den)

Dative indefinite and negative articles (einem, einer, keinem)

Dative personal pronouns (mir, dir, ihm, ihr...)

Dative verbs (helfen, danken, gefallen, schmecken)

Dative prepositions (aus, bei, mit, nach...)

Accusative prepositions (für, ohne, gegen)

Two-way prepositions for location (in, an, auf...)

Informal singular imperative (mach, komm)

Plural and formal imperative (macht, machen Sie)

Coordinating conjunctions (und, oder, aber, denn)

Simple past of sein and haben (war, hatte)

The perfect tense: regular verbs (gemacht, gespielt)

Past tense: irregular verbs (ge-...-en)

The perfect tense: mixed verbs (gebracht, gekannt)

The perfect tense with sein (ist gegangen)

The perfect tense: separable verbs (eingekauft)

The perfect tense: inseparable and -ieren verbs (besucht, studiert)

Informal singular commands (mach, lern)

Numbers 13 to 20 (dreizehn to zwanzig)

Counting by tens to 100 (dreißig, vierzig)

Telling time (Uhr, halb, Viertel, vor, nach)

Numbers 21 to 99 (einundzwanzig, zweiunddreißig)

Greetings and farewells

Thank you, sorry and good wishes

Everyday replies

Numbers 100 to 1,000,000 (hundert, tausend...)

Becoming and getting (werden)

The impersonal pronoun (man)

Indefinite pronouns (jemand, niemand...)

Time sequence prepositions (vor, nach, bei)

Time span prepositions (von... bis, seit, für)

Adverbs of sequence (zuerst, dann, danach)

Two-way prepositions for direction (in, auf, an...)

Directional adverbs (hin, her)

Placement verbs (setzen, stellen, legen)

Months of the year (Januar, Februar)

The four seasons (Frühling, Sommer)

Time prepositions and indefinite pronouns (an, in, um)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 19th (am ersten)

Ordinals 20th and beyond (-ste, -sten)

Placement vs. location verbs (stellen vs. stehen)

Accusative reflexive pronouns (mich, dich, sich)

Accusative reflexive verbs (sich freuen)

Dative reflexive pronouns (mir, dir, sich)

Dative reflexive verbs (sich etwas merken)

Ordinal numbers 11th to 19th (-te)

Temporal prepositions (an, in, um)

Double objects with nouns

Double objects with pronouns

The modal verb for advice (sollen)

Simple past of modal verbs (musste, wollte...)

Simple past of common irregulars (wurde, wusste, es gab)

Adverbial connectors of consequence (deshalb, darum...)

Subordinate clauses for statements (dass)

Question	Answer
the expectation	die Erwartung
contrary to	entgegen
Contrary to our expectations, the student passed the exam.	Unseren Erwartungen entgegen hat der Schüler die Prüfung bestanden.
the zebra crossing	der Zebrastreifen
Contrary to the instruction, the car did not stop at the zebra crossing.	Der Anweisung entgegen hielt der Wagen nicht am Zebrastreifen.
according to (in accordance with)	entsprechend
According to the law, nobody may park here.	Dem Gesetz entsprechend darf hier niemand parken.
the prohibition	das Verbot
the fine (monetary penalty)	das Bußgeld
He ignored the prohibition. Consequently, he has to pay a fine.	Er ignorierte das Verbot. Demzufolge muss er ein Bußgeld bezahlen.
the speed limit	das Tempolimit
He found it difficult to drive according to the speed limit.	Er fand es schwierig, dem Tempolimit entsprechend zu fahren.
The speed limit is very low here, you know, so you are risking a fine.	Das Tempolimit ist hier ja sehr niedrig, also riskierst du ein Bußgeld.
to endanger	gefährden
Contrary to the rules, he overtook and endangered us.	Den Regeln entgegen überholte er und gefährdete uns.
Why on earth did you endanger the people on the zebra crossing?	Warum hast du denn die Leute auf dem Zebrastreifen gefährdet?
the turn signal	der Blinker
According to the regulation, she turned on the turn signal immediately.	Der Vorschrift entsprechend schaltete sie sofort den Blinker ein.
Contrary to my habits, I forgot the turn signal.	Meinen Gewohnheiten entgegen vergaß ich den Blinker.
the roadway	die Fahrbahn
The roadway was wet. As a result, she braked according to the situation.	Die Fahrbahn war nass. Infolgedessen bremste sie der Situation entsprechend.
Actually, my expectation is that you won't fail.	Meine Erwartung ist eigentlich, dass du nicht durchfällst.
Contrary to the prohibition, the car is parking on the roadway.	Dem Verbot entgegen parkt das Auto auf der Fahrbahn.