von
/fɔn/
The English phrase 'of' can be translated into German as von.
von is a versatile preposition used to indicate possession (as in 'of') or to indicate origin and movement from a place (as in 'from'). Note that if you want to express that something is made 'of' a specific material, you should use the preposition aus instead.
Meaning: possessive genitive: belonging to (prep)
Which one should you use?
In spoken German, it is common to use von to express possession. However, the formal way to express possession is by using the genitive case endings directly on the nouns.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Swiss German, the preposition vo is frequently used to represent 'of'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The preposition von always requires the dative case for the noun or pronoun that follows it.
How do you pronounce it?
/fɔn/
Did you know?
- In some historical contexts, the word von is not just a preposition but a title of nobility, often used as 'von' followed by a surname to indicate aristocratic origin.
- The word von is a close relative of the Dutch word van, as both descended from the same Germanic roots meaning 'from'.
- Despite its meaning as 'of', von can also be used to indicate the starting point of a time period, such as 'from Monday to Friday'.
Examples in context
- Wie nett von dir!How kind of you!This sentence shows how to use von to express how kind someone is.Tatoeba #657405 by al_ex_an_der, translation #36036 by CM
- Wie dumm von mir!How silly of me!This sentence shows how to use von to express how silly one is.Tatoeba #837330 by Zaghawa, translation #255325 by CM
- Wie nett von euch!How nice of you!This sentence shows how to use von when addressing a group of people.Tatoeba #657406 by al_ex_an_der, translation #54423 by CK
- Das Buch von meinem Vater.The book of my father.
- Das Gemälde von Picasso.The painting of Picasso.
- Das Ende des Buches.The end of the book.
- Ein Ring aus Gold.A ring of gold.
- Ein Haus aus Stein.A house of stone.
- Der Rand vo de Tasse.The edge of the cup.
- Das ist ein Buch von meinem Bruder.That is a book of my brother / That is my brother's book.
- 2599 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Felix are talking about a gift for a friend.
- HannahIst das ein Geschenk von Lukas?Is that a gift from Lukas?
- FelixJa, es ist ein Geschenk von ihm.Yes, it is a gift from him.
- HannahDas ist sehr lieb von ihm.That is very kind of him.
- FelixJa, er ist wirklich ein guter Freund.Yes, he is really a good friend.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “of” translations and entries von, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries von, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
