preposition
against, towards, versus
A1
'gegen' means 'against', 'towards' or 'versus' and always governs the accusative. Use for physical opposition ('gegen die Wand'), opposition in argument ('gegen die Idee') or comparisons/versus ('Deutschland gegen Brasilien'). It also commonly indicates approximate time ('gegen sechs' = around six o'clock).
Examples
Er ging gegen den Wind.
He walked into/against the wind.
Das Auto fuhr gegen den Baum.
The car drove into (crashed against) the tree.
Die Partei trat gegen das Gesetz an.
The party stood in opposition to the law.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture two arrows pointing opposite each other with a 'gegen' sign between them
sounds like 'gay-gen' → 'against' (imagine opposing)
Notes
Governs the accusative case. Can mean 'against' (physical or opposition) and in some contexts 'towards' (motion).