Der Ausflug aufs Land macht mir Spaß.

to make

Breakdown of Der Ausflug aufs Land macht mir Spaß.

• der Spaß: the fun
• mir: me
• aufs: to the; (neuter, accusative)

Questions & Answers about Der Ausflug aufs Land macht mir Spaß.

Why is it aufs Land and not auf das Land?

Aufs is a standard contraction of auf das.

• auf das Land → aufs Land

In spoken and written German, aufs is much more common in this kind of phrase. Grammatically, aufs and auf das are equivalent here; aufs Land is just the more natural, idiomatic form.

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What exactly does aufs Land mean? Does it literally mean “onto the land”?

Literally, aufs Land is “onto the land” (movement onto a surface).

But idiomatically, aufs Land almost always means:

• “to the countryside / into the country”

So:

• Der Ausflug aufs Land = the trip to the countryside

It does not mean “onto land” in contrast to “on the sea/water.” That would usually be phrased differently (e.g. an Land gehen for “to go ashore”).

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What case is used in aufs Land, and why?