preposition
at, on, to
A1
'an' is a two-way preposition meaning 'at', 'on' or 'to'. It governs accusative (direction/movement toward) and dative (location/static position). Use accusative for motion toward something, dative for being at or on something. Commonly used in phrases like 'an den Strand' (to the beach) or 'am Tisch' (at the table).
Examples
Der Brief hing an der Tür, als die Besucher kamen.
The letter was hanging on the door when the visitors arrived.
Häng das Bild an die Wand.
Hang the picture on the wall.
Ich warte an der Haltestelle.
I am waiting at the bus stop.
Details
Mnemonics
an arrow touching a surface (on/at)
short like English 'on'/'an' as in 'annex' (think of touching)
Notes
A two-way preposition: takes accusative for direction/movement and dative for location/state.