Understanding the Four German Cases

German grammar is known for its cases, which can be challenging for learners. Cases are used to show the function of a word in a sentence – whether it's the subject, direct object, indirect object, or shows possession. Let's break down each case to provide a clearer understanding.

If at any point you want more detail about a specific case, you can check out the specific topic for that case via the related topics navigation.

Nominative Case (Der Nominativ)

The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence – the person or thing that is performing the action. It answers the question "Who or what is doing something?" In German, articles and adjectives in the nominative case have specific endings that correspond to the gender and number of the noun.

• Example: Der Hund spielt. (The dog is playing.)
• Here, "der Hund" is in the nominative case as it is the subject performing the action of playing.

Accusative Case (Der Akkusativ)

The accusative case is used for the direct object of a sentence – the person or thing that is directly receiving the action. It answers the question "Whom or what is the subject doing something to?" In German, some articles and adjectives change in the accusative case, but not all of them.

• Example: Ich sehe den Hund. (I see the dog.)
• "den Hund" is in the accusative case because it is the object that is being seen.

Dative Case (Der Dativ)

The dative case is primarily used for the indirect object of a sentence – the person or thing that is indirectly affected by the action. It answers the question "To or for whom is the subject doing something?" In German, all articles and some adjectives take on dative endings.

• Example: Ich gebe dem Mann den Hund. (I give the man the dog.)
• "dem Mann" is in the dative case because it is the indirect object; the man is receiving the dog.

Genitive Case (Der Genitiv)

The genitive case shows possession or a close relationship between two nouns. It can typically be translated as "of" or "belonging to" in English. The genitive case affects articles, adjectives, and sometimes the nouns themselves.

• Example: Das ist das Haus meines Bruders. (That is my brother's house.)
• "meines Bruders" is in the genitive case to indicate possession; the house belongs to my brother.

Understanding these cases and how they change the articles and adjectives is essential for constructing grammatically correct sentences in German. The key to mastering German cases is practice and familiarity with patterns and exceptions.