The German four cases show the role a noun or pronoun has in a sentence. This cheat sheet helps students identify subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, possession, and objects of common prepositions. It is useful because German articles, pronouns, and adjective endings change depending on case, gender, and number.
A clear reference makes reading, writing, and translation more accurate.
Key Facts
- Nominativ marks the subject of the sentence, as in Der Hund schläft, where der Hund is doing the action.
- Akkusativ often marks the direct object, as in Ich sehe den Hund, where den Hund receives the action directly.
- Dativ often marks the indirect object, as in Ich gebe dem Kind ein Buch, where dem Kind receives the book.
- Genitiv shows possession or close relationship, as in das Auto des Lehrers, meaning the teacher's car.
- Definite articles are Nominativ: der, die, das, die; Akkusativ: den, die, das, die; Dativ: dem, der, dem, den; Genitiv: des, der, des, der.
- Personal pronouns change by case, such as ich, mich, mir, meiner and er, ihn, ihm, seiner.
- Some prepositions always take Akkusativ, including durch, für, gegen, ohne, and um.
- Some prepositions always take Dativ, including aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, and zu.
Vocabulary
- Nominativ
- The case used for the subject of a sentence or for a noun after forms of sein, werden, or bleiben.
- Akkusativ
- The case often used for the direct object, which receives the action of the verb directly.
- Dativ
- The case often used for the indirect object, which receives or benefits from something.
- Genitiv
- The case used to show possession, ownership, origin, or a close relationship between nouns.
- Definite article
- A word meaning the, such as der, die, das, den, dem, or des, that changes by case, gender, and number.
- Two-way preposition
- A preposition that takes Akkusativ for motion toward a destination and Dativ for location.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using der for every masculine noun is wrong because masculine articles change by case, such as der Mann in Nominativ, den Mann in Akkusativ, dem Mann in Dativ, and des Mannes in Genitiv.
- Confusing direct and indirect objects is wrong because Akkusativ answers whom or what directly, while Dativ often answers to whom or for whom.
- Forgetting the plural Dativ -n is wrong because many plural nouns add -n in Dativ, as in mit den Kindern.
- Using Akkusativ after every preposition is wrong because many German prepositions require a fixed case, such as mit plus Dativ and für plus Akkusativ.
- Treating two-way prepositions as random is wrong because motion toward a destination uses Akkusativ, while location uses Dativ.
Practice Questions
- 1 1. Identify the case of der Lehrer, den Ball, and dem Schüler in this sentence: Der Lehrer gibt dem Schüler den Ball.
- 2 2. Fill in the correct definite article: Ich sehe ___ Hund. The noun Hund is masculine and singular.
- 3 3. Fill in the correct definite article: Wir fahren mit ___ Zug. The noun Zug is masculine and singular.
- 4 Explain why in means Akkusativ in Ich gehe in die Schule but Dativ in Ich bin in der Schule.