Cases (Junior Cert German): Revision Notes
Cases
Overview
German cases are a grammar system that shows the role of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives in a sentence. Think of cases as different "jobs" that words can have. German has four cases, and each one tells you whether a word is the subject, direct object, indirect object, or shows possession.
Cases help you understand who is doing what to whom in a sentence. The endings of articles (der, die, das) and adjectives change depending on which case you're using.
The four German cases are:
- Nominativ (nominative) - the subject
- Genitiv (genitive) - possession
- Dativ (dative) - indirect object
- Akkusativ (accusative) - direct object
Rules & formation
Nominativ case
The nominativ case is used for the subject of a sentence - the person or thing doing the action. Every sentence has a subject, and it's always in the nominativ case.
When to use nominativ:
- The subject of the sentence (who or what is doing something)
- After forms of "sein" (to be) - these are called predicate complements
How to identify nominativ: Ask "Wer?" (who?) or "Was?" (what?) - the answer will be in nominativ case.
Examples of Nominativ Case:
- Der Mann geht nach Hause. = The man goes home.
- Eine Frau küsst einen Mann. = A woman kisses a man.
- Er war ein Doktor. = He was a doctor.
Akkusativ case
The akkusativ case is used for the direct object - the person or thing that receives the action directly.
When to use akkusativ:
- Direct objects (what or whom is being acted upon)
- After accusative prepositions: bis, durch, für, gegen, ohne, um
- With two-way prepositions when showing motion: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen
- Time expressions
How to identify akkusativ: Ask "Wen?" (whom?) or "Was?" (what?) - the answer will be in akkusativ case. For two-way prepositions, ask "Wohin?" (where to?) - this indicates motion and akkusativ.
Examples of Akkusativ Case:
- Der Mann küsst die Frau. = The man kisses the woman.
- Ich kaufe ein Geschenk für meinen Vater. = I buy a present for my father.
- Ich gehe in die Kirche. = I'm going to the church (motion).
- Ich gehe jeden Tag in die Schule. = I go to school every day.
Dativ case
The dativ case is used for the indirect object - the person or thing that benefits from or receives something indirectly.
When to use dativ:
- Indirect objects (to whom or for whom something is done)
- After dative prepositions: aus, außer, bei, gegenüber, mit, nach, seit, von, zu
- After dative verbs (verbs that always take dative objects)
- With two-way prepositions when showing location: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen
- With certain adjective expressions
How to identify dativ: Ask "Wem?" (to whom?) - the answer will be in dativ case. For two-way prepositions, ask "Wo?" (where?) - this indicates location and dativ.
Common dative verbs:
- antworten = to answer
- danken = to thank
- gefallen = to like
- gehören = to belong to
- helfen = to help
- vertrauen = to trust
Examples of Dativ Case:
- Der Mann gibt dem Kind das Buch. = The man gives the child the book.
- Ich bleibe bei dir. = I stay with you.
- Ich bin in der Kirche. = I'm in the church (location).
- Das ist mir klar. = That's clear to me.
Genitiv case
The genitiv case shows possession or relationships between nouns - similar to 's or "of" in English.
When to use genitiv:
- To show possession or ownership
- After genitive prepositions: anstatt, außerhalb, innerhalb, trotz, während, wegen
- To show a part of something
How to identify genitiv: Ask "Wessen?" (whose?) - the answer will be in genitiv case.
Examples of Genitiv Case:
- Der Familienname meiner Freundin ist Pacana. = My girlfriend's family name is Pacana.
- Das Kleid der Frau ist schön. = The woman's dress is nice.
- Trotz der Probleme machen wir weiter. = Despite the problems we carry on.
Tables of key forms
These tables show how articles change their endings depending on the case. Memorising these patterns is essential for German grammar.
Definite articles (der, die, das = the)
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Familien |
| Genitiv | des Mannes | der Frau | des Kindes | der Familien |
| Dativ | dem Mann | der Frau | dem Kind | den Familien |
| Akkusativ | den Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Familien |
Indefinite articles (ein, eine = a/an)
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | ein Mann | eine Frau | ein Kind |
| Genitiv | eines Mannes | einer Frau | eines Kindes |
| Dativ | einem Mann | einer Frau | einem Kind |
| Akkusativ | einen Mann | eine Frau | ein Kind |
Personal pronouns
| Case | ich | du | er | sie | es | wir | ihr | sie/Sie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | ich | du | er | sie | es | wir | ihr | sie/Sie |
| Genitiv | meiner | deiner | seiner | ihrer | seiner | unser | euer | ihrer/Ihrer |
| Dativ | mir | dir | ihm | ihr | ihm | uns | euch | ihnen/Ihnen |
| Akkusativ | mich | dich | ihn | sie | es | uns | euch | sie/Sie |
Example sentences
Nominativ examples:
- Der Mann schreibt einen Brief. = The man writes a letter.
- Ich bin ein Student. = I am a student.
Akkusativ examples:
- Ich sehe dich. = I see you.
- Er schickt ihr einen Brief. = He sends her a letter.
- Eine Frau geht über die Straße. = A woman crosses the street.
Dativ examples:
- Ich gebe dir etwas. = I give you something.
- Ich fahre mit dem Auto. = I drive with the car.
- Vertrau mir! = Trust me!
Genitiv examples:
- Mein Vater heißt Gerhard. = My father's name is Gerhard.
- Am Anfang des Sommers sehe ich sie wieder. = At the beginning of summer I will see her again.
Common mistakes & tips
Using question words to identify cases:
- Nominativ: Wer oder Was? (Who or What?) - asks for the subject
- Genitiv: Wessen? (Whose?) - asks for possession
- Dativ: Wem? (To whom? / Where?) - asks for indirect object or location
- Akkusativ: Wen oder Was? (Whom or What? / Where to?) - asks for direct object or destination
Two-way preposition tip: Use the questions "Wohin?" and "Wo?" to decide between akkusativ and dativ:
- "Wohin?" (Where to?) = motion = Akkusativ
- "Wo?" (Where?) = location = Dativ
Common errors to avoid:
- Don't confuse the subject and direct object - the subject does the action, the direct object receives it
- Remember that dative comes before accusative when both appear in the same sentence
- Many students forget that time expressions often use akkusativ
- The genitive case is becoming less common in spoken German, but you still need to know it
Key Points to Remember:
- Cases show the grammatical role of nouns in German sentences - subject, direct object, indirect object, or possession
- Use question words to identify cases: "Wer/Was?" (nominativ), "Wessen?" (genitiv), "Wem?" (dativ), "Wen/Was?" (akkusativ)
- Articles and adjective endings change depending on the case - memorise the key patterns for der/die/das and ein/eine
- Two-way prepositions use akkusativ for motion ("Wohin?") and dativ for location ("Wo?")
- Practice with simple sentences first, then build up to more complex structures with multiple cases