At CEFR level A1, mastering Nominativ and Akkusativ lets you identify subjects and direct objects correctly and choose the right article form – an essential foundation for all German sentences.
In German, nouns change their form depending on their function in a sentence. This is called case (der Kasus). There are four cases in German, and each one shows a different relationship between words in a sentence.
| Case | Question | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Wer? Was? (Who? What?) |
Subject of the sentence | Der Mann liest ein Buch. |
| Akkusativ | Wen? Was? (Whom? What?) |
Direct object | Ich sehe den Mann. |
| Dativ | Wem? (To whom?) |
Indirect object | Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. |
| Genitiv | Wessen? (Whose?) |
Possession | Das ist das Auto des Mannes. |
The Nominativ is used for the subject of a sentence - the person or thing that performs the action. To find the subject, ask: "Wer?" (Who?) or "Was?" (What?) is doing something?
| Maskulin | Feminin | Neutral | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definite | der | die | das | die |
| Indefinite | ein | eine | ein | — |
The Akkusativ is used for the direct object - the person or thing that receives the action. To find the direct object, ask: "Wen?" (Whom?) or "Was?" (What?) is being acted upon?
| Maskulin | Feminin | Neutral | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definite | den | die | das | die |
| Indefinite | einen | eine | ein | — |
Let's compare how Nominativ and Akkusativ work together in sentences:
Der Koch (Nominativ) → Who cooks? = The chef (subject)
die Suppe (Akkusativ) → What does he cook? = The soup (direct object)
Die Studentin (Nominativ) → Who learns? = The student (subject)
den Wortschatz (Akkusativ) → What does she learn? = The vocabulary (direct object)
Ein Mädchen (Nominativ) → Who finds? = A girl (subject)
einen Schlüssel (Akkusativ) → What does she find? = A key (direct object)
The verb in a sentence often determines which case to use. Most verbs take a direct object in Akkusativ.
Certain prepositions always require specific cases. Here are common prepositions that take Akkusativ:
Nominativ is used for the subject of the sentence – the person or thing doing the action. Ask Wer? (Who?) or Was? (What?). Akkusativ is used for the direct object – the person or thing receiving the action. Ask Wen? (Whom?) or Was? (What?). Example: Der Koch kocht die Suppe. – Der Koch is Nominativ, die Suppe is Akkusativ.
Only masculine articles change in the Akkusativ. The definite article der becomes den, and the indefinite article ein becomes einen. Feminine (die/eine), neuter (das/ein), and plural (die) articles stay the same in Akkusativ. Example: Ich sehe den Mann. / Er trinkt einen Kaffee.
The prepositions durch (through), um (around), für (for), gegen (against), and ohne (without) always require the Akkusativ. A helpful mnemonic is “DUFGO”: Durch, Um, Für, Gegen, Ohne. Examples: für den Mann, durch den Park, ohne das Buch.