Choisissez vos modules ci-dessous
Online German course
Level A1 to C1
In German, nouns and pronouns change their form depending on their function in the sentence. There are four grammatical cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive.
Nominative: the subject or subject complement
The nominative case is used for:
- The subject of the sentence: the person or thing performing the action.
Der Hund sitzt im Garten. → The dog is sitting in the garden.
- The subject complement (predicate nominative) with certain verbs: sein (to be), bleiben (to remain), werden (to become), and scheinen (to seem).
Er ist der beste Schüler. → He is the best student.
Accusative: the direct object, expressing a movement from position/place to another, time expressions
L’accusatif sert pour :
- The direct object (direct object complement).
Siehst du das Auto? → Do you see the car?
- After the prepositions bis, durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, and entlang.
Das Auto fährt durch den Wald. → The car drives through the forest.
- A complement of place when there is movement toward a location.
Der Bus fährt in die Schweiz. → The bus goes to Switzerland.
- A time expression without a preposition.
Das Kind hat den ganzen Tag geschlafen. → The child slept all day.
- Greetings and expressions of good wishes.
Guten Tag! → Good day! / Hello!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch! → Congratulations!
Dative: the indirect object, static location, personal state and time expressions
The dative case is used for:
- The indirect object
Der Mann gibt dem Mädchen ein Geschenk. → The man gives a gift to the girl.
- After the prepositions aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, and zu
Die Eltern sind mit den Kindern gekommen. → The parents came with the children.
- A static location (no movement from one place to another)
Die Blumen stehen auf dem Tisch. → The flowers are on the table.
- A time expression with two-way (mixed) prepositions (in, an, auf)
In zwei Stunden sind wir in Wien. → In two hours, we will be in Vienna.
- Feelings or a personal state
Es geht mir gut. → I am doing well.
Ihr ist schlecht. → She feels sick.
Genitive: possession or after certain prepositions
The genitive case is used for:
- Expressing possession (between two nouns)
Der Ton des Radios ist furchtbar. → The sound of the radio is terrible.
- It can often be replaced by von + dative:
Der Ton vom Radio ist furchtbar.
- After certain prepositions: außerhalb, innerhalb, statt, trotz, während, and wegen
Trotz des Regens fand das Festival statt. → The festival took place despite the rain.
- After a word indicating a quantity or proportion
Die Hälfte des Apfels → Half of the apple.
Einige der Verletzten → Some of the injured.
Short summary
Case Question to ask Exemple
Nominative Who? / What is the subject? Der Hund sitzt
Accusative What ? / Where am I going ? Ich sehe den Hund
Dative To whom? Where? / For whom? Ich gebe dem Kind ein Buch
Genitive Whose? / Of whom? / Of what? Das Ende des Films