The frame carries the case
Each phrase below is frozen: the article is fixed, the noun is fixed, and what follows takes one case and no other. Learning the noun alone (der Rahmen, der Lauf, der Fall) does not give you any of this.
| phrase | what follows | |
|---|---|---|
| im Gegensatz zu | in contrast to | DATIVE |
| im Zusammenhang mit | in connection with | DATIVE |
| im Hinblick auf | with a view to, regarding | ACCUSATIVE |
| im Rahmen | within the framework of | GENITIVE |
| im Laufe | in the course of | GENITIVE |
| im Falle | in the event of | GENITIVE |
| In contrast to his brother he speaks no French. | Im Gegensatz zu seinem Bruder spricht er kein Französisch. |
Two datives that look like mistakes
im Laufe and im Falle keep the old dative -e that modern German has otherwise dropped. Im Laufe des Jahres, im Falle eines Unfalls — you will also meet im Fall without it, and both are correct.
| In the course of the year a lot has changed. | Im Laufe des Jahres hat sich vieles geändert. |
Ranking and hedging
in erster Linie ranks: first and foremost. im Prinzip concedes the principle while leaving room to object — in principle, yes, but… — and im Nachhinein judges after the fact: with hindsight.
| First and foremost it is about safety. | In erster Linie geht es um die Sicherheit. |
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