Introduction to Nominative and Accusative Cases

The Nominative and Accusative cases are the backbone of German sentence structure. They tell you who is doing something (Nominative) and who or what is being acted upon (Accusative). For example, Der Hund läuft (The dog runs) uses Nominative for the subject, while Ich sehe den Hund (I see the dog) switches the masculine article to den in the Accusative. Mastering these two cases gives you the power to build clear, logical sentences — whether you are describing a scene, asking a question, or telling a short story. This lesson builds directly on what you already know about noun genders and verb conjugation.

Why Nominative and Accusative Cases Matter

Clarity of roles: Cases immediately tell the listener who acts and who receives the action. In Der Mann sieht den Jungen, the case endings make it unmistakable that the man is the subject, even if word order changes.
Foundation for everything else: Once you understand how cases work, you can easily extend them to pronouns (mich, ihn), adjectives, and later to the Dative and Genitive cases.
Natural fluency: Using the correct articles (den for masculine objects) signals a solid grasp of German, helping you sound more natural and avoid beginner confusion.

Understanding Nominative and Accusative Cases

The Nominative Case – The Subject

The Nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence — the person or thing that performs the action. In a basic sentence, the subject is usually the first element, but it can be identified by asking “who or what is doing the verb?”

Gender	Definite Article	Indefinite Article	Example
Masculine	der	ein	Der Hund schläft. (The dog sleeps.) Ein Hund schläft. (A dog sleeps.)
Feminine	die	eine	Die Katze miaut. (The cat meows.) Eine Katze miaut. (A cat meows.)
Neuter	das	ein	Das Kind lacht. (The child laughs.) Ein Kind lacht. (A child laughs.)
Plural	die	— (no article)	Die Kinder spielen. (The children play.) Kinder spielen. (Children play.)

The Accusative Case – The Direct Object

The Accusative case marks the direct object — the person or thing that directly receives the action. Only the masculine article changes; feminine, neuter, and plural stay the same as in the Nominative.

Gender	Definite Article	Indefinite Article	Example
Masculine	den	einen	Ich sehe den Hund. (I see the dog.) Ich sehe einen Hund. (I see a dog.)
Feminine	die	eine	Ich sehe die Katze. (I see the cat.) Ich sehe eine Katze. (I see a cat.)
Neuter	das	ein	Ich sehe das Kind. (I see the child.) Ich sehe ein Kind. (I see a child.)
Plural	die	— (no article)	Ich sehe die Kinder. (I see the children.) Ich sehe Kinder. (I see children.)

Why the Masculine Article Changes (and Others Don’t)

German used to have a more complex system of noun endings that showed case. Over time, most of those endings disappeared, but the masculine article retained a special form (den) to mark the Accusative. Feminine and neuter nouns lost their distinct Accusative endings, so their articles stayed the same. This quirk of history means you only have to learn one new article: den for masculine direct objects.

Common Verbs That Take the Accusative

Many everyday verbs require a direct object in the Accusative. Here are the most frequent ones:

haben – Ich habe einen Bruder. (I have a brother.)
sehen – Sie sieht den Film. (She sees the movie.)
kaufen – Er kauft das Buch. (He buys the book.)
brauchen – Wir brauchen die Hilfe. (We need the help.)
mögen – Magst du den Kaffee? (Do you like the coffee?)
machen – Ich mache die Hausaufgabe. (I do the homework.)

Step‑by‑Step Guide to Using Nominative and Accusative

Find the subject: Ask “Who or what is doing the action?” That noun stays in the Nominative.
Find the direct object: Ask “Who or what is directly affected by the action?” That noun goes into the Accusative.
Select the article: If the direct object is masculine, change der to den (or ein to einen). For feminine, neuter, and plural, use the same article as in Nominative.
Conjugate the verb: Match the verb to the subject (e.g., ich sehe, du siehst).
Build the sentence: Usually subject – verb – object, but feel free to move the object to position 1 for emphasis. The case endings keep the meaning clear.

Pro Tip: If you are unsure whether a verb needs the Accusative, look for the “who” or “what” after the verb. Many common verbs like haben, brauchen, machen, and sehen almost always take an Accusative object.

Key Examples – Nominative Only

German	English	Note
Der Hund bellt.	The dog barks.	Masculine subject, Nominative.
Die Katze schläft.	The cat sleeps.	Feminine subject, Nominative.
Das Kind lacht.	The child laughs.	Neuter subject, Nominative.
Die Kinder spielen.	The children play.	Plural subject, Nominative.
Ein Mann kommt.	A man comes.	Indefinite masculine subject.
Eine Frau geht.	A woman goes.	Indefinite feminine subject.

Key Examples – Accusative Only

German	English	Note
Ich sehe den Hund.	I see the dog.	Masculine object → den.
Sie kauft die Blume.	She buys the flower.	Feminine object, article unchanged.
Er liest das Buch.	He reads the book.	Neuter object, article unchanged.
Wir treffen die Freunde.	We meet the friends.	Plural object, article unchanged.
Ich habe einen Apfel.	I have an apple.	Indefinite masculine object → einen.
Sie braucht eine Tasche.	She needs a bag.	Indefinite feminine object, unchanged.

Memory Pattern: Think of the masculine article as a “der” that grows a little “n” tail when it receives the action: der → den. The other articles are too lazy to change.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Ich sehe der Hund.
- Fix: The masculine article changes in the Accusative. Correct: Ich sehe den Hund.
Mistake 2: Sie hat eine Auto.
- Fix: Auto is neuter, so the indefinite article is ein (unchanged in Accusative). Correct: Sie hat ein Auto.
Mistake 3: Ich liebe meinen Mutter.
- Fix: Mutter is feminine, so the possessive adjective does not get the masculine -en ending. Correct: Ich liebe meine Mutter.
Mistake 4: Ich sehe einen Auto.
- Fix: Auto is neuter, so the correct indefinite article is ein, not einen. Correct: Ich sehe ein Auto.
Nuance 1: Some verbs like sein and werden take the Nominative after them, not the Accusative.
- Fix: After sein, both nouns are in the Nominative: Er ist ein Lehrer. (He is a teacher.) The same applies to werden: Er wird Lehrer.
Nuance 2: In spoken German, native speakers sometimes contract den to n or drop it entirely in fast speech (“Ich hab’n Hund”). As a learner, always use the full form to build good habits.

Pronunciation Guide

der – DAIR – Der Hund läuft.
den – DAYN – Ich sehe den Hund.
die – DEE – Die Frau kauft die Blume.
das – DASS – Das Kind liest das Buch.
einen – AY‑nen – Ich habe einen Apfel.

Cultural Insights

Clarity through cases: Germans rely on case endings to understand sentences even when word order changes. This allows for flexible, creative speech without ambiguity — a feature highly valued in literature and everyday conversation.
Gender awareness: Because articles change in the Accusative, German speakers are constantly aware of noun genders. This linguistic attention to detail carries over into a broader cultural appreciation for precision.
Regional variations: In some dialects (e.g., Bavarian, Swiss), the Accusative case may be simplified or replaced with the Dative. However, standard German expects you to use den for masculine direct objects — doing so immediately marks you as a serious learner.

Cultural Nuances

Formal vs. informal: Using the correct Accusative form in formal writing (letters, emails) shows respect. In casual chats with friends, you may hear “Ich hab den Hund gesehen” with the article often contracted, but the case still stands.
Emphasis in storytelling: When telling a story, Germans often move the Accusative object to the front to highlight it: Den Wagen habe ich gestern repariert. (The car, I repaired yesterday.) This is completely correct grammar — the case endings make it clear who is doing what.

Practice Scenarios

At the Park: Der Hund rennt. Ich sehe den Hund. (The dog runs. I see the dog.)
- Die Kinder spielen. (The children play.)
- Ich fotografiere die Blume. (I photograph the flower.)
- Er wirft den Ball. (He throws the ball.)
Shopping: Sie kauft den Apfel. (She buys the apple.)
- Ich nehme das Brot. (I take the bread.)
- Wir brauchen die Milch. (We need the milk.)
- Hast du den Kaffee bezahlt? (Did you pay for the coffee?)
Classroom: Der Lehrer erklärt den Text. (The teacher explains the text.)
- Ich verstehe die Frage. (I understand the question.)
- Sie schreibt das Wort an die Tafel. (She writes the word on the board.)
- Hörst du den Satz? (Do you hear the sentence?)
Family: Ich liebe meine Mutter. (I love my mother.)
- Er besucht seinen Vater. (He visits his father.)
- Wir sehen die Großeltern. (We see the grandparents.)
- Siehst du den Bruder? (Do you see the brother?)

Follow-Up Questions

How do I know whether a noun is the subject (Nominative) or direct object (Accusative)?
- Example Answer: Ask “who or what is doing the action?” for the subject; “who or what is being acted upon?” for the direct object. The article will then tell you the case: masculine changes from der to den.
What happens to indefinite articles (ein, eine) in the Accusative?
- Example Answer: They follow the same pattern: masculine changes from ein to einen; feminine and neuter stay the same (eine, ein). Example: Ich sehe einen Hund (I see a dog).
Can I put the Accusative object first in a sentence?
- Example Answer: Yes, you can. The verb stays in position 2, and the subject follows. Example: Den Hund sehe ich (The dog, I see). The case endings make the meaning clear.
Which verbs always take the Accusative?
- Example Answer: Common ones are haben, sehen, kaufen, brauchen, mögen, lieben, machen, and nehmen. These verbs always need a direct object in the Accusative.

Conclusion

You now understand the Nominative case for subjects and the Accusative case for direct objects. You know that only masculine articles change (from der to den), while feminine, neuter, and plural articles stay the same. This knowledge lets you build clear, flexible sentences and opens the door to pronouns, possessive adjectives, and more complex structures. Next, we’ll explore the Dative case, which introduces indirect objects and new article forms.

Practice Makes Perfect

In the exercises, you will identify subjects and direct objects, fill in the correct articles (paying special attention to masculine den and einen), and rewrite sentences to emphasise the object. The more you practice distinguishing Nominative from Accusative, the more natural German sentence construction will become.