vor
in front of
Indicates a position that is spatially farther forward than something else.
EXAMPLE
Das Auto parkt direkt vor dem Haus.
The car is parked directly in front of the house.
vor
before / in front of
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Meanings
vor
before / ago
Indicates a point in time in the past (e.g., an hour ago) or a point in time that comes before another event (e.g., before eating).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe dich vor fünf Minuten angerufen.
I called you five minutes ago.
vor
from / with
Indicates the cause of an uncontrollable emotional or physical reaction.
EXAMPLE
Sie zitterte vor Kälte.
She was trembling from the cold.
vor
from / against
Indicates what someone or something is protected from.
EXAMPLE
Diese Creme schützt vor Sonnenbrand.
This cream protects against sunburn.
vor
before
Used in legal contexts to describe presence before an institution such as a court.
EXAMPLE
Der Angeklagte muss morgen vor Gericht erscheinen.
The defendant must appear before the court tomorrow.
Usage tips
Two-way preposition
'Vor' is a two-way preposition. It is used with the dative to describe a location (question: 'Wo?' (Where?)) and with the accusative to indicate a direction (question: 'Wohin?' (Where to?)).
EXAMPLE
Das Kind spielt vor dem Haus. (Wo? → Dativ)
The child is playing in front of the house. (Where? → dative)
As a prefix
As a prefix in verbs like 'vorlesen' (to read aloud), 'vorbereiten' (to prepare), or 'vorstellen' (to introduce / imagine), 'vor-' often carries the meaning of 'forward', 'first', or 'making public'.
EXAMPLE
Kannst du mir die Geschichte vorlesen?
Can you read the story aloud to me?
Time expression with dative
When 'vor' describes a time expression in the past in the sense of 'ago', the time expression is always in the dative. This construction is used with the simple past or the perfect tense.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben uns vor einem Jahr kennengelernt.
We met each other a year ago.
Cause with dative
To express the cause of an uncontrollable physical or emotional reaction, you use 'vor' with the dative. Typical verbs are 'zittern' (to tremble), 'weinen' (to cry), 'Angst haben' (to be afraid), or 'strotzen' (to brim with).
EXAMPLE
Er konnte vor Aufregung kaum sprechen.
He could hardly speak from excitement.
Protection with dative
Verbs that express protection, warning, or fleeing are often combined with 'vor' and the dative. Examples are 'schützen vor' (to protect from/against), 'warnen vor' (to warn about/against), and 'fliehen vor' (to flee from).
EXAMPLE
Die Impfung soll vor der Krankheit schützen.
The vaccination is meant to protect against the disease.
Compare with
vor vs aus
from / out
With emotions, „aus“ usually indicates the motivation for a conscious or deliberate action. „vor“ typically names the cause of an involuntary physical or emotional reaction. That is why someone acts „aus Angst“ (out of fear), but trembles „vor Angst“ (from fear).
vor
Sie zittert vor Angst am ganzen Körper.
She is trembling all over from fear.
aus
Sie läuft aus Angst schnell aus dem Haus.
She runs quickly out of the house because she is afraid.
In real life
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