Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing arylamines or heteroarylamines or arylamides or heteroarylamides by cross-coupling of primary or secondary amines or amides with substituted aryl or heteroaryl compounds in the presence of a Brønsted base and a catalyst or precatalyst, wherein the catalyst comprises a) a transition metal, a complex, a salt or a compound of this transition metal selected from the group consisting of Ni, Pd and b) at least one ligand selected from the group consisting of bidentate bis(phosphino)alkanediyls having the following formula in a solvent or solvent mixture, where the radicals Ar1-4 are each, independently of one another, an aryl or heteroaryl substituent selected from the group consisting of phenyl, naphthyl, pyridyl and biphenyl or Ar1-4 is hydrogen, C1-, C2-alkyl, straight-chain, branched or cyclic C3-C8-alkyl, and L is an alkanediyl bridge which has from 1 to 20 carbon atoms.