01
von
from
Indicates a starting point, whether a place or a person. It means 'coming from' or 'starting from.'
example
Ich komme gerade von der Arbeit.
I'm just coming from work.
von
from / of
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Preposition with dative
The preposition 'von' always requires the dative. Regardless of the meaning of the sentence, the noun after 'von' is in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Das Geschenk ist von meiner Tante.
The gift is from my aunt.
Contraction with article
'Von' contracts with the masculine and neuter article 'dem' to form 'vom.' This short form is very common and is used in both spoken and written language.
EXAMPLE
Ich komme gerade vom Sport.
I'm just coming from sports.
Agent in the passive
In a passive sentence, 'von' + dative is used to name the person or institution that actively carries out the action. The question for this is 'Von wem?' (by whom?).
EXAMPLE
Der Kuchen wurde von meiner Mutter gebacken.
The cake was baked by my mother.
Replacement for the genitive
Especially in spoken language, 'von' + dative is often used to express possession or belonging. This construction replaces the more formal genitive, e.g. 'das Auto meines Vaters' (my father's car).
EXAMPLE
Das ist die Tasche von meiner Freundin.
That is my friend's bag.
Creator or brand
'Von' is also used to indicate the creator of a work (e.g. book, music), the designer of a product, or the brand.
EXAMPLE
Ich lese gerade einen Roman von Thomas Mann.
I'm currently reading a novel by Thomas Mann.
Talking about a topic
When 'von' indicates a topic, it is often combined with verbs such as 'sprechen' (to speak), 'reden' (to talk), 'erzählen' (to tell), 'handeln' (to be about), or 'träumen' (to dream).
EXAMPLE
Der Film handelt von einer wahren Geschichte.
The film is about a true story.
Fixed structure 'von ... bis'
The combination 'von ... bis' (from ... to) is used to define a temporal, spatial, or numerical range. 'Von' marks the starting point, and 'bis' marks the ending point.
EXAMPLE
Ich arbeite von Montag bis Freitag.
I work from Monday to Friday.
Compare with
von vs zu
to / too / closed
'zu' and 'von' can both describe a direction between places or people, but they show opposite directions. 'zu' means movement toward a destination, for example toward a person, place, or thing. 'von' means movement or origin away from a starting point. They can be confused when both the start and the destination appear in a sentence. Remember: 'zu' shows the destination, while 'von' shows the starting point.
von
Tom kommt gerade von seiner Freundin zurück.
Tom is just coming back from his girlfriend's place.
zu
Nach der Arbeit fahre ich zu meiner Freundin.
After work, I'm driving to my girlfriend's place.
In real life
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