Prepositions & seasonal am/an

A small set of prepositions covers most of what you need to say — where you are, who you are with, when things happen. Learn the eight workhorses plus the am/an time expressions and you can place any sentence in space and time.

The prepositions you'll use every day

Eight prepositions do most of the work in everyday Luxembourgish: op (on/onto), an (in/into), mat (with), bei (at/near/with), vun (from/of), zu (in/at — for towns and places), fir (for) and ouni (without).

A couple change shape before a consonant because of the Eifeler Regel: vun loses its -n and becomes vu before most consonants (vu Lëtzebuerg), but keeps it before a vowel or before d/h/n/t/z (vun der Stad). Everything else stays as written.

D'Buch läit um Dësch.	The book is on the table.	op + dem Dësch = um Dësch.
Ech wunnen an enger Wunneng.	I live in a flat.	an = in.
Ech schaffe mat mengem Kolleeg.	I work with my colleague.	mat = with.
Ech war bei mengem Dokter.	I was at my doctor's.	bei = at someone's / near.
Dat ass den Handy vu mengem Brudder.	That's my brother's phone.	vun → vu before a consonant.
Ech wunnen zu Bettembourg.	I live in Bettembourg.	zu is used for towns, not an.
Dëse Kaddo ass fir dech.	This present is for you.	fir = for (+ accusative).
Ech drénken de Kaffi ouni Zocker.	I drink coffee without sugar.	ouni = without (+ accusative).

Seasons and times: am and an

To say when something happens across the year, Luxembourgish uses am, which is simply an + dem fused together. The seasons are masculine or neuter, so they all take am: am Summer, am Wanter, am Fréijoer, am Hierscht. The same pattern gives you the months — am Januar, am Mäerz, am September.

A few time phrases break the pattern because the noun is feminine or because the preposition is op. Learn these as fixed chunks: an der Woch (during the week — Woch is feminine, so an + der), um Weekend (at the weekend — this is op + dem, not an), and um Owend (in the evening). For parts of the day you will also hear the plain adverbs moies (in the morning) and owes (in the evening) with no preposition at all.

Am Summer gi mir ëmmer schwammen.	In summer we always go swimming.
Am Wanter ass et kal a fréi däischter.	In winter it is cold and gets dark early.
Am Fréijoer bléien d'Blummen.	In spring the flowers bloom.
Am Hierscht falen d'Blieder.	In autumn the leaves fall.
An der Woch schaffen ech, um Weekend hunn ech fräi.	During the week I work, at the weekend I'm off.	an der (feminine) vs um Weekend (op + dem).

Try it

Summer fuere mir op Portugal an d'Vakanz.

an + dem for a masculine season.

Ech schaffen an der Woch an hunn Weekend fräi.

'at the weekend' is op + dem, not an.

Which case? Dative or accusative

A preposition decides the case of the noun that follows it. Four of the everyday ones always take the dative: mat, bei, vun and zu (and later you will add no, aus and säit). Two take the accusative: fir and ouni.

The tricky pair is op and an. They are two-way prepositions: they take the dative when you describe a location (where something is) and the accusative when you describe movement toward a goal (where something is going). Compare an der Stad (in the city — no movement) with an d'Stad (into the city — movement).

Because so many prepositions pull the dative, the dative article forms are worth learning properly. See the dative case article for the full table of dem / der / den.

Ech wunnen an der Stad.	I live in the city.	Location → dative (an der).
Ech ginn an d'Stad akafen.	I'm going into the city to shop.	Movement → accusative (an d').
D'Kaz sëtzt op der Bänk.	The cat is sitting on the bench.	Location → dative (op der).
D'Kaz spréngt op d'Bänk.	The cat jumps onto the bench.	Movement → accusative (op d').

Try it

Ech schwätze gär mat Kolleeg. (den)

mat always takes the dative; masculine dative article.