PrepositionA1

von

from (a place or person) · of (belonging to) · by (agent in passive) · about (a topic)

A very common preposition meaning 'from' or 'of'. It indicates origin, starting point, possession, or cause. It always takes the dative case.

What von means

from (a place or person) — indicating origin or starting point
of (belonging to) — indicating possession or association, often instead of genitive
by (agent in passive) — indicating the doer of an action
about (a topic) — used with verbs like 'wissen', 'verstehen', 'handeln'

Heard in real German videos

Lines where von was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.

Du bist von mir weggelaufen.You ran away from me.
Hör zu, Bewohner von Bikini Bottom.Listen up, residents of Bikini Bottom.
Niemand hat Ahnung von Musik.Nobody knows anything about music.

Example sentences

Ich komme von der Arbeit.I'm coming from work.
Das ist das Auto von meinem Vater.That is my father's car.
Er hat viel von der Welt gesehen.He has seen a lot of the world.
Das Buch wurde von einem bekannten Autor geschrieben.The book was written by a well-known author.

Grammar

Case	Dative
Contraction	von + dem = vom

Always followed by the dative case. In spoken German, 'von' often replaces the genitive to show possession.

Common phrases

von mir ausas far as I'm concerned; fine by me
von jetzt anfrom now on
von Zeit zu Zeitfrom time to time
von Anfang anfrom the beginning

The mistake English speakers make

Using 'von' with the wrong case. Always use dative after 'von', e.g., 'von dem Mann' not 'von den Mann'.

Don’t confuse it with

aus — 'aus' is used for coming out of enclosed spaces or for material, while 'von' is for origin from a person or place.
ab — 'ab' indicates a starting point in time or place, often with a sense of 'from...onwards', while 'von' is more general.

Questions learners ask

When do I use 'von' instead of the genitive case?

In spoken German, 'von' + dative is often used instead of the genitive to show possession, especially with proper names or when the genitive would sound awkward.

What is the difference between 'von' and 'aus'?

'Von' is used for the starting point of a movement or for origin from a person, while 'aus' is used for geographical origin (where you are from, like a city or country), for coming out of an enclosed space, or for material. For example: 'Ich komme von der Arbeit.' (I come from work) vs. 'Ich komme aus Deutschland.' (I come from Germany).

How do I use 'von' in passive sentences?

In passive sentences, 'von' introduces the agent (the doer), e.g., 'Das Buch wurde von mir geschrieben.' (The book was written by me).