Questions reveal the role
The four German cases
| Case | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Wer oder was? | Der Student lernt. |
| Accusative | Wen oder was? | Ich sehe den Studenten. |
| Dative | Wem? | Ich helfe dem Studenten. |
| Genitive | Wessen? | Das Buch des Studenten. |
Remember
The verb or preposition often determines which case an object needs.
Determiners change
Declining definite articles
Masculine forms make many case differences particularly visible.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das |
| Accusative | den | die | das |
| Dative | dem | der | dem |
| Genitive | des | der | des |
Watch the endings
Adjective declension
The adjective ending supplies grammatical information that the article does not clearly show.
- der kleine Hund (definite article)
- ein kleiner Hund (indefinite article)
- kleiner Hund (no article)
After der/die/das, weak endings are most common. After ein/eine, the adjective more often carries the missing case or gender marker.
Special masculine nouns
N-declension
Many masculine nouns take -n or -en in every case except nominative singular.
- der Student → Ich sehe den Studenten.
- der Junge → Ich helfe dem Jungen.
- der Herr → Das Buch des Herrn.
Quick check