Breakdown of Er küsste sie auf die Wange.
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
die Wange
the cheek
küssen
to kiss
Questions & Answers about Er küsste sie auf die Wange.
Why does auf take the accusative (die Wange) here instead of the dative?
Auf is a two-way preposition. The action of kissing is directed onto the cheek, showing a destination or movement. Therefore, it takes the accusative case. If you used the dative (auf der Wange), it would sound like he was physically located on her cheek while kissing her!
Why does the sentence use die Wange (the cheek) instead of ihre Wange (her cheek)?
In German, it is standard to use a definite article instead of a possessive pronoun for body parts when the owner is already clear from the context. Since he is kissing her (sie), it is obvious whose cheek is involved, making the possessive pronoun unnecessary.
Could I say Er hat sie auf die Wange geküsst instead?
Yes. The sentence uses küsste, which is the simple past tense (Präteritum) mostly found in written stories and literature. In everyday conversation, you would almost always use the conversational past tense (Perfekt) and say Er hat sie auf die Wange geküsst.
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