German grammar · B1
The Four German Cases
Nominativ · Akkusativ · Dativ · Genitiv
German marks a noun's job in the sentence with a case — and it shows the case on the article and adjective, not usually on the noun itself. Learn to read der/den/dem/des and you can read the grammar of almost any sentence. Three cases (Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ) carry nearly all of spoken German; the Genitiv is mostly written.
Nominativ
Nominative
wer? / was? (who? / what?)
The subject — who or what does the action.
Der Mann schläft. — The man is sleeping.
Akkusativ
Accusative
wen? / was? (whom? / what?)
The direct object — who or what is directly affected.
Ich sehe den Mann. — I see the man.
Dativ
Dative
wem? (to/for whom?)
The indirect object — the receiver; also after many verbs and prepositions.
Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. — I give the man the book.
Genitiv
Genitive
wessen? (whose?)
Possession. Common in writing; in speech people usually say von + Dativ.
Das ist das Auto des Mannes. — That is the man's car.
Read the case off the article
How der/die/das changes
The case shows on the article, not usually the noun. Master the definite article first — the masculine column bends the most.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der | die | das | die |
| Akkusativ | den | die | das | die |
| Dativ | dem | der | dem | den (+ -n) |
| Genitiv | des (+ -s) | der | des (+ -s) | der |
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | ein | eine | ein | — / keine |
| Akkusativ | einen | eine | ein | — / keine |
| Dativ | einem | einer | einem | — / keinen |
| Genitiv | eines | einer | eines | — / keiner |
The noun itself only changes in two places: the dative plural adds -n (den Kindern) and the genitive masculine/neuter adds -s (des Mannes).
Pronouns change too
Personal pronouns in the three everyday cases
ich → mich → mir. The same case system runs through the pronouns you use every sentence.
| Case | ich | du | er | sie | es | wir | ihr | sie/Sie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | ich | du | er | sie | es | wir | ihr | sie / Sie |
| Akkusativ | mich | dich | ihn | sie | es | uns | euch | sie / Sie |
| Dativ | mir | dir | ihm | ihr | ihm | uns | euch | ihnen / Ihnen |
Get these right
Common case mistakes
Ich sehe der Mann.
✓ Ich sehe den Mann.
A direct object is accusative — masculine der → den.
Ich helfe den Mann.
✓ Ich helfe dem Mann.
helfen governs the dative, not the accusative — den → dem.
mit die Frau
✓ mit der Frau
mit always takes the dative — feminine die → der.
in den Kindern spielen (motion)
✓ Ich gehe zu den Kindern.
Dative plural adds -n to the noun: die Kinder → den Kindern.
Quick check
Which case?
Question 1
I see ___ man. (direct object)
Pick the correct form.
Question 2
I help ___ woman.
Pick the correct form.
Question 3
I play with ___ children.
Pick the correct form.
Questions
Frequently asked
How do I know which case to use?
The verb or preposition decides. The subject is nominative; a direct object is accusative; an indirect object — and anything after a dative verb (helfen, danken) or dative preposition (mit, bei, zu) — is dative; possession is genitive.
Which cases matter most in spoken German?
Nominativ, Akkusativ, and Dativ carry almost all of everyday speech. The Genitiv is mostly written — in conversation people replace it with von + Dativ (das Auto von meinem Vater).
Why does the article change so much but the noun barely does?
German shows case on the article and adjective, not the noun. The noun itself only changes in two spots: the dative plural adds -n (den Kindern) and the genitive masculine/neuter adds -s (des Mannes).
What about two-way prepositions like in, auf, an?
They take the accusative for movement (wohin? — Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch) and the dative for location (wo? — Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch).