Nominative and accusative cases (Edexcel GCSE German): Revision Notes
Nominative and accusative cases
Understanding the German case system is essential for achieving accuracy in your German work. Once you grasp these concepts, your writing and speaking will become much more impressive and grammatically correct.
What are cases in German?
German uses a case system to show the relationships between different parts of a sentence. The nominative and accusative cases are the two most fundamental cases you need to master for GCSE level.
Cases in German work like a GPS system for sentences - they tell you exactly what role each noun plays and how the different parts of the sentence relate to each other.
The nominative case
The nominative case identifies the subject of a sentence. This is the person or thing that performs the action of the verb. Think of it as the "doer" in the sentence.
Key Concept: The nominative case answers the question "Wer?" (Who?) and identifies who or what is performing the action in the sentence.
When to use nominative case
- For the subject of any sentence
- After the verb sein (to be)
- When answering the question "Wer?" (Who?)
Worked Examples: Nominative Case in Action
- Der Lehrer arbeitet fleißig. (The teacher works hard)
- Die Frau wartet auf den Zug. (The woman waits for the train)
- Das Kind spielt im Garten. (The child is playing in the garden)
- Mein Onkel wohnt in der Schweiz. (My uncle lives in Switzerland)
In each example, the highlighted words are the subjects performing the actions.
Key tip for identifying subjects
Subject Identification Strategy: If you're unsure which word is the subject, ask yourself: "Who or what is doing the action of the verb?" The answer will be in the nominative case.
The accusative case
The accusative case identifies the direct object of a sentence. This is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb. Think of it as the "receiver" in the sentence.
Key Concept: The accusative case answers the questions "Wen?" (Whom?) or "Was?" (What?) and identifies what is receiving the action.
When to use accusative case
- For the direct object of most verbs
- After es gibt (there is/there are)
- When answering the question "Wen?" (Whom?) or "Was?" (What?)
Worked Examples: Accusative Case in Action
- Meine Schwester hat eine Freundin. (My sister has a friend)
- Der Junge findet den Fußball. (The boy finds the football)
- Die Kinder essen kein Obst. (The children eat no fruit)
- Mein Bruder sucht seinen Pullover. (My brother is looking for his sweater)
In each example, the highlighted words are receiving the action of the verb.
Key tip for identifying direct objects
Direct Object Identification Strategy: Ask yourself: "What is the action of the verb being done to?" or "What is receiving the action?" The answer will be in the accusative case.
Special rules for 'sein' and 'es gibt'
These two common German expressions follow fixed rules that you must memorise:
Critical Rules to Remember:
Using sein (to be)
- sein is always followed by the nominative case
- Example: Wo ist der Hund? (Where is the dog?)
Using es gibt (there is/there are)
- es gibt is always followed by the accusative case
- Example: Es gibt einen starken Wind. (There's a strong wind)
Article changes between cases
The most noticeable change between nominative and accusative cases occurs with masculine articles and possessives. Feminine, neuter, and plural forms remain the same.
Definite articles (the)
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | den |
| Feminine | die | die |
| Neuter | das | das |
| Plural | die | die |
Indefinite articles and possessives (a/an, my, his, etc.)
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ein | einen |
| Feminine | eine | eine |
| Neuter | ein | ein |
| Plural | keine | keine |
Memory Tip: Only masculine words change their articles in the accusative case. Remember: der becomes den, and ein becomes einen.
Question words change too
The question word for "who" changes depending on whether you're asking about a subject or direct object:
- Wer? (Who?) - for subjects (nominative)
- Wen? (Whom?) - for direct objects (accusative)
Example: Wen hast du gesehen? (Whom did you see?)
Practice exercises
Practice: Choose the Correct Article
Try choosing the correct article to complete these sentences:
- In Manchester gibt es ein/eine/einen Bahnhof.
- Der/Die/Das Haus hat ein/einen/eine Garten.
- Mein/Meine/Meinen Bruder hat den/das/die Auto gekauft.
- Ich kann mein/meine/meinen Bücher nicht finden.
Answers:
- einen (masculine accusative after "es gibt")
- Das, einen (neuter nominative, masculine accusative)
- Mein, das (masculine nominative, neuter accusative)
- meine (plural accusative - "Bücher" is plural)
Key Points to Remember:
- Nominative case is for subjects - the "doers" of actions
- Accusative case is for direct objects - the "receivers" of actions
- Only masculine articles change: der → den, ein → einen
- sein always takes nominative case afterwards
- es gibt always takes accusative case afterwards