Expressing "each other" with einander
When a subject consisting of two or more people performs an action on each other, German uses the reciprocal pronoun einander (each other). Unlike other pronouns, einander never changes its form, regardless of case.
| The neighbors support each other. | Die Nachbarn unterstützen einander. |
| The siblings helped each other. | Die Geschwister haben einander geholfen. |
Combining prepositions with einander
In English, we use phrases like "with each other" or "from each other". In German, when you combine a preposition with einander, the two words fuse together into a single compound word.
For example, mit (with) + einander becomes miteinander (with each other). The same pattern applies to prepositions like von (from) and für (for).
| They talk to each other instead of arguing. | Sie sprechen miteinander, anstatt zu streiten. |
| They can learn a lot from each other. | Sie können viel voneinander lernen. |
| My parents have no time for each other today. | Meine Eltern haben heute keine Zeit füreinander. |
Fixed prepositions and einander
Many German expressions require a specific fixed preposition. For instance, Rücksicht nehmen auf means "to be considerate of", and sich freuen auf means "to look forward to".
When these actions are mutual, the preposition auf attaches directly to the front to form aufeinander.
| Good friends are considerate of each other. | Gute Freunde nehmen Rücksicht aufeinander. |
| We are looking forward to one another. | Wir freuen uns aufeinander. |
Spatial relationships
You can also use this exact same pattern with spatial prepositions to describe where things are in relation to one another. For example, combining neben (next to) with einander gives you nebeneinander.
| The children sit next to each other in the garden. | Die Kinder sitzen nebeneinander im Garten. |
| They live next to each other and support each other. | Sie wohnen nebeneinander und unterstützen einander. |
