When describing locations relative to landmarks like peaks, rivers, or trails, use these specific spatial prepositions. They all take the genitive case.
As a reminder for the genitive case:
- Masculine and Neuter: The article becomes des, and the noun usually gets an -s or -es ending.
- Feminine and Plural: The article becomes der, and the noun ending does not change.
Above and Below: oberhalb and unterhalb
Use oberhalb (above) and unterhalb (below) to describe a location's vertical position relative to a landmark.
| The national park was founded above the city. | Der Nationalpark wurde oberhalb der Stadt gegründet. |
| In case it snows, we are staying below the peak. | Falls es schneit, bleiben wir unterhalb des Gipfels. |
Sides of a Boundary: diesseits and jenseits
When a feature like a river or mountain acts as a dividing line, use diesseits (on this side of) and jenseits (beyond / on the other side of).
| Beyond the river lies a dark forest. | Jenseits des Flusses liegt ein dunkler Wald. |
| What kind of animal lives on this side of the slope? | Was für ein Tier lebt diesseits des Hanges? |
Notice how the masculine nouns der Fluss and der Hang become des Flusses and des Hanges in the genitive case.
Off the Beaten Path: abseits
Use abseits (away from / off) to describe a location removed from a specific line like a road or trail.
| We are hiking away from the trail whose destination is secret. | Wir wandern abseits des Pfades, dessen Ziel geheim ist. |
You can even combine these prepositions to give precise directions:
| We are parking the car away from the street, on this side of the forest. | Wir parken das Auto abseits der Straße, diesseits des Waldes. |
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