Gender, articles & two cases: Every German noun has a gender — masculine (der), feminine (die) or neuter (das) — and you learn the noun with its article: der Tisch, die Lampe, das Buch. The article also shows the noun's case, the job it does in the sentence. This micro covers the first two cases: the Nominativ (the subject — who/what does the action) and the Akkusativ (the direct object — who/what the action falls on).
- das Genus / das Geschlecht
- grammatical gender — masculine, feminine or neuter
- der bestimmte Artikel
- the definite article — der / die / das ('the')
- der unbestimmte Artikel
- the indefinite article — ein / eine ('a/an')
- der Nominativ (Nom.)
- nominative case — the SUBJECT (who/what does the action)
- der Akkusativ (Akk.)
- accusative case — the DIRECT OBJECT (who/what receives the action)
- das Subjekt
- subject — the doer of the verb (stands in the Nominative)
- das Objekt
- object — the noun the action falls on (here, the direct object → Accusative)
Why it matters: Getting der/die/das and the Nom./Akk. right is the single biggest accuracy win in German. Examiners reward it under Criterion A (Language). The good news: only one form actually changes between the two cases — the masculine der → den (and ein → einen).
Three genders, two cases — only one form changes: Learn the article table below. The key insight: between Nominativ and Akkusativ, feminine, neuter and plural do NOT change — only the masculine changes: der → den and ein → einen. So if you master that one shift, you have the whole table.
| Genus | Nominativ (Subjekt) | Akkusativ (Objekt) |
|---|---|---|
| maskulin (der Mann) | der / ein | den / einen |
| feminin (die Frau) | die / eine | die / eine |
| neutrum (das Kind) | das / ein | das / ein |
| Plural (die Leute) | die / — | die / — |
Die Endung beim Verb (the verb between subject and object)
- Subject in the Nominative — «Der Hund schläft.» (The dog is sleeping.)
- Direct object in the Accusative — «Ich sehe den Hund.» (I see the dog — der → den.)
- Feminine stays the same — «Die Katze schläft.» → «Ich sehe die Katze.»
- Neuter stays the same — «Das Buch liegt da.» → «Ich lese das Buch.»
- Indefinite article — «Ein Mann wartet.» → «Ich sehe einen Mann.» (ein → einen).
- Negation 'kein' follows ein — «Ich habe keinen Hund.» (masc. Akk. → keinen).
Masculine is the only one that moves: Repeat the rule until it's automatic: der → den, ein → einen, kein → keinen — but die, das and the plural die look the same in the Nominative and the Accusative. Spotting which noun is masculine is the whole game.
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Find the subject, find the object: To pick the right case, ask two questions. Who/what does the verb? → that noun is the subject → Nominative. Who/what does the action fall on? → that noun is the direct object → Accusative. Most simple sentences are Subject + Verb + Object, e.g. «Der Junge isst den Apfel».
Wann Nominativ, wann Akkusativ
- Subject of the verb → Nominativ — «Die Lehrerin erklärt die Grammatik.» (The teacher explains the grammar.)
- Direct object of the verb → Akkusativ — «Ich kaufe einen Computer.» (I'm buying a computer.)
- After the verb 'sein' (to be) it STAYS Nominativ — «Das ist ein guter Freund.» (That's a good friend.)
- Many everyday verbs take an Accusative object — haben, sehen, kaufen, essen, trinken, lesen, brauchen.
- Time phrases use the Accusative too — «Ich bleibe einen Monat in Wien.» (I'm staying a month in Vienna.)
'sein' keeps the Nominative: A common trap: after sein (to be) and werden (to become) the noun stays Nominativ, not Accusative — «Er ist ein Lehrer», never «einen Lehrer». These verbs link two things that are the same, so both are subjects.
A dialogue, line by line: Here's a short conversation built one exchange at a time. Watch the article: the subject stays in the Nominative, and a masculine direct object switches der → den / ein → einen while feminine and neuter stay put. Read it for meaning, then tap Übersetzung anzeigen for the English or 🔊 to hear it.
Nominativ und Akkusativ in Aktion
Ein Dialog, Zeile für Zeile
- —Wer kauft das Brot? —Der Vater kauft das Brot.
- —Und was kauft er noch? —Er kauft auch einen Apfel und eine Tomate.
- —Sieht der Junge den Hund? —Ja, der Junge sieht den Hund im Park.
- —Liest die Lehrerin das Buch? —Ja, sie liest das Buch laut vor.
- —Trägt der Mann die Tasche? —Ja, der Mann trägt die Tasche und einen Koffer.
Steal this for your writing: Notice the pattern: the doer takes der/die/das, and a masculine thing being acted on becomes den/einen. When you write, name the subject first, then check: is my object masculine? If yes, switch to den/einen — that one habit fixes most case errors.
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The slips to watch for: Almost every case error here is one of three things: leaving the masculine object as 'der' instead of «den», changing a feminine/neuter article that should stay the same, or forgetting that 'sein' keeps the Nominative. Compare the right version with the typical mistake and the fix becomes obvious.
Richtig
- Ich sehe den Film heute Abend.
- Sie liest das Buch.
- Er ist ein guter Schüler.
Häufiger Fehler
- Ich sehe der Film heute Abend.
- Sie liest den Buch.
- Er ist einen guten Schüler.
Gender / object / sein: Run a quick three-point check: What gender is the noun? Is it the subject or the object? And is the verb 'sein/werden'? Only a masculine object of an action verb changes (der→den, ein→einen); everything else keeps its Nominative article.