Language/German/Grammar/Cases:-Nominative-and-Accusative

German Grammar → Definite and Indefinite Articles → Cases: Nominative and Accusative

As a German language teacher with 20 years of experience, I know that learning German grammar can be quite challenging, especially when it comes to cases. In this lesson, we will focus on the two most basic cases in German: Nominative and Accusative. We will also explore how they are used with definite and indefinite articles.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Temporal Prepositions & Past Tense Part 1 Perfect Tense.

Nominative Case

The nominative case is the case of the subject of a sentence. In other words, when a noun is used as the subject of the sentence, it is in the nominative case. In German, the definite article for the nominative case is "der" for masculine, "die" for feminine, and "das" for neuter. The indefinite article is "ein" for masculine and neuter, and "eine" for feminine. Here are some examples:

German	Pronunciation	English
Der Mann	[deːɐ̯ man]	The man
Die Frau	[diː fʁau]	The woman
Das Kind	[das kɪnt]	The child
Ein Hund	[aɪ̯n hʊnt]	A dog
Eine Katze	[aɪ̯nə kat͡sə]	A cat

For example:

• Der Mann liest ein Buch. (The man reads a book.)
• Die Frau isst ein Stück Kuchen. (The woman eats a piece of cake.)
• Das Kind spielt mit einem Ball. (The child plays with a ball.)

Accusative Case

The accusative case is used for the direct object of a sentence. In other words, when a noun is receiving the action of the sentence, it is in the accusative case. In German, the definite article for the accusative case is "den" for masculine, "die" for feminine, and "das" for neuter. The indefinite article is "einen" for masculine and neuter, and "eine" for feminine. Here are some examples:

German	Pronunciation	English
Den Mann	[deːn man]	The man
Die Frau	[diː fʁau]	The woman
Das Kind	[das kɪnt]	The child
Einen Hund	[aɪ̯nən hʊnt]	A dog
Eine Katze	[aɪ̯nə kat͡sə]	A cat

For example:

• Ich sehe den Mann. (I see the man.)
• Sie hat eine Katze gefüttert. (She fed a cat.)
• Das Kind hat den Ball verloren. (The child lost the ball.)

Definite and Indefinite Articles in Nominative and Accusative Cases

It is important to remember that the articles change depending on the case they are used in. Here is a summary of how articles change in German:

	Nominative	Accusative
Masculine "the"	der	den	Masculine "a/an"	ein	einen	Feminine "the"	die	die	Feminine "a/an"	eine	eine	Neuter "the"	das	das	Neuter "a/an"	ein	ein

Exceptions

As with any rule, there are exceptions. Some masculine nouns that end in "-e" in the nominative case will add an "-n" in the accusative case. For example:

• Der Junge spielt mit dem Ball. (The boy plays with the ball.)
• Ich sehe einen großen Bären. (I see a big bear.)

The neuter definite article "das" changes to "dass" in certain cases. "Dass" is a subordinating conjunction meaning "that" in English, and it is not a definite article. For example:

• Ich glaube, dass das richtig ist. (I believe that is correct.)

Practice

To practice using the nominative and accusative cases with definite and indefinite articles, try these exercises:

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct article and case:

• Ich sehe ___ Mann. (den, dem, das)
• Die Frau gibt ___ Kind einen Apfel. (der, die, das)
• ___ Hund beißt den Mann. (ein, eine, einen)
• Das Mädchen spielt mit ___ Puppen. (die, das, der)

2. Translate the following sentences into German:

• The cat is on the table.
• I see a big house.
• The children are playing with a ball.
• She is eating a sandwich.

Sources

• German Declension
• German Articles

Table of Contents - German Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Basic Sentence Structures

• Subject and Verb
• Noun and Gender

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Greetings and Introduction

• Greetings and Goodbyes
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Definite and Indefinite Articles

• Gender and Articles
• Plural Forms
• Cases: Nominative and Accusative

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Numbers, Dates and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Days of the Week and Months
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Conjugation

• Verb Forms
• Present Tense
• Separable Verbs

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Family and Friends

• Family Members
• Talking About Your Friends

  ---

Prepositions

• Using Prepositions
• Two-Way Prepositions

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Food and Drinks

• Food and Meals
• Drinks and Beverages

  ---

Germany and German-Speaking Countries

• Geography and Landmarks
• Cuisine and Traditions

  ---

Pronouns and Possessives

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

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Travel and Transportation

• Booking a Trip
• Public Transportation

  ---

Modal Verbs

• Expressing Abilities
• Talking About Obligations

  ---

Shopping and Clothes

• Shopping for Clothes
• Buying Groceries

  ---

Music and Entertainment

• Popular Musicians and Genres
• Movies, TV and Literature

  ---

Adjectives

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Forms

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Health and Body

• Talking About Health
• Body Parts

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Time and Temporal Prepositions

• Using Time Expressions
• Temporal Prepositions

Other Lessons

• Declension
• Give your Opinion
• Questions
• Using Time Expressions
• Expressing Abilities
• Two Way Prepositions
• Noun and Gender
• Descriptive Adjectives
• Definite Articles in German
• Talking About Obligations

Sources

• The German Cases Explained In 5 Steps - I Will Teach You A ...
• German Nominative and Accusative cases + audio
• German Cases: Your Essential Guide | German with Laura