aus
from
Indicates origin from a country, city, or place.
EXAMPLE
Meine Familie kommt ursprünglich aus Italien.
My family originally comes from Italy.
aus
from / out
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
aus
out of
Describes movement from inside to outside.
EXAMPLE
Er nahm ein Buch aus dem Regal.
He took a book out of the shelf.
aus
made of
Indicates the material something is made of.
EXAMPLE
Der Ring ist aus purem Gold.
The ring is made of pure gold.
aus
out of
Names a reason, motivation, or cause for an action.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat ihm aus Mitleid geholfen.
She helped him out of pity.
aus
off / over
Used as an adverb or part of a separable verb and means 'switched off', 'finished', or 'over'.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Film war der Fernseher die ganze Nacht aus.
After the movie, the TV was off all night.
Usage tips
Always with dative
The preposition 'aus' always requires the dative. Make sure to decline the article and pronoun after 'aus' correctly.
EXAMPLE
Er kommt aus einem kleinen Dorf.
He comes from a small village.
Indicating origin
'Aus' is the standard word used to indicate geographic origin from a country, city, or region. It answers the question 'Woher?' (from where?).
EXAMPLE
Dieser Wein kommt aus Frankreich.
This wine comes from France.
Describing material
When you want to say what something is made of, you use the structure 'aus + Material' (made of + material). Typical combinations are 'aus Holz' (made of wood), 'aus Glas' (made of glass), or 'aus Plastik' (made of plastic).
EXAMPLE
Dieser Tisch ist komplett aus Holz gefertigt.
This table is made entirely of wood.
Reason and motivation
'Aus' can also indicate the inner reason or motivation for an action. It often appears with feelings or abstract nouns such as 'aus Angst' (out of fear), 'aus Liebe' (out of love), or 'aus Versehen' (by accident).
EXAMPLE
Er hat ihr aus reiner Neugier geantwortet.
He answered her out of pure curiosity.
Adverbial use
As an adverb or as part of a separable verb, 'aus' means something like 'ausgeschaltet' (switched off) or 'beendet' (finished). It is the opposite of 'an' (on).
EXAMPLE
Ist der Herd wirklich aus?
Is the stove really off?
Compare with
aus vs in
in
aus names the material that an object is made of. With works of art, in more often refers to the material or medium in which something is executed or represented. For the making of an object, aus is the appropriate choice; for its artistic execution, in can be appropriate.
aus
Die Künstlerin hat die Figur aus Bronze gefertigt.
The artist made the figure out of bronze.
in
Die Künstlerin hat die Figur in Bronze ausgeführt.
The artist executed the figure in bronze.
In real life
Loading video examples...