Before and After
To express when an event happens relative to another, use the prepositions vor (before) and nach (after).
These prepositions always require the dative case. This means the article preceding the noun changes depending on its gender:
| Gender | Nominative | Dative |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | dem |
| Neuter | das | dem |
| Feminine | die | der |
Here is how vor and nach look with masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns in the dative case:
| I learned before the lesson. | Ich habe vor dem Unterricht gelernt. |
| After the break we have time. | Nach der Pause haben wir Zeit. |
| We celebrated after the game. | Wir haben nach dem Spiel gefeiert. |
During an Event
To say that something happens "during" an ongoing event or activity, use the preposition bei. Just like vor and nach, it always takes the dative case.
When bei is followed by dem (used for masculine and neuter nouns), they almost always contract into the single word beim. For feminine nouns, the two words remain separate (bei der).
| He drinks water during practice. | Er trinkt beim Training Wasser. |
| I cannot sleep during the flight. | Ich kann beim Flug nicht schlafen. |
| We have no time during the meeting. | Wir haben bei der Besprechung keine Zeit. |
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