gegenüber (von)

Based on: gegen
Adverb
  1. across from, facing
  2. across the street
1.

across from, facing

(For locations, it's usually used with "von", but with people, in the sense of "facing", using Dative is more idiomatic "mir gegenüber")
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Examples
  • Thomas sitzt mir gegenüber.
  • Thomas is sitting face to face with me.
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2.

across the street

(as an adverb)
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Examples
  • "Einen Döner mit Kräutersoße, einen Ayran und ein Bier, bitte""Ähm, der Dönerladen ist gegenüber. Das hier ist ein Starbucks."
  • "One kebab with herb sauce, one Ayran and one beer.""Erm... the kebab stand is across the street. This is a Starbuck's"
  • Practice pronunciation - click once to start recording and again to stop

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Sources for Etymology:

My Articles

German Prepositions Explained – “gegen”

A fun look at the meaning of "gegen" and why its many useful related words sometimes seem to have contradictory meanings.

Vocab: gegen, entgegen, dagegen, gegenseitig, der Gegner, begegnen, der Gegenstand, gegenüber, die Gegend, entgegnen

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Questions and Comments

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2 Comments
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John
John

Doesn’t ‘gegenüber’ also have another meaning, ‘in respect to’/’with regard to’?

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John
John
Reply to  John

Just realised this is conveyed in the example translated as ‘toward’. I missed that first time — perhaps because ‘toward’ is not so clearly metaphorical at first glimpse in English.

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How many meanings does the German word 'gegenüber (von)' have?

gegenüber (von) has 2 distinct meanings: 1. across from, facing, 2. across the street .

What is 'gegenüber (von)' related to?

The word 'gegenüber (von)' is related to gegen.

Where can I learn more about 'gegenüber (von)'?

Here are some articles where you can learn more about 'gegenüber (von)':

German Prepositions Explained – “gegen”
A fun look at the meaning of "gegen" and why its many useful related words sometimes seem to have contradictory meanings.
Vocab: gegen, entgegen, dagegen, gegenseitig, der Gegner, begegnen, der Gegenstand, gegenüber, die Gegend, entgegnen
Read article