When a massive traveling circus arrives in town, it never arrives alone. It brings a whole entourage of performers, animals, and equipment. To describe these grand arrivals, German uses formal prepositions to express inclusion: samt and nebst.
Including everything with "samt"
The preposition samt translates to "including", "along with", or "together with". It is primarily used in formal or written German and always requires the dative case.
If you are listing general titles or an inseparable group, the article is sometimes dropped. If you are referring to specific things, you will use the standard dative articles (like dem, der, or the plural den).
Notice in the next example how the plural nouns take the standard dative -n ending (Artisten, Dompteuren):
Alongside with "nebst"
Very similar to samt, the formal preposition nebst means "alongside", "together with", or "in addition to". It also strictly triggers the dative case.
These prepositions are excellent tools for painting a complete picture of an event, ensuring no detail—whether it is the director, the performers, or their massive trailers—is left behind.