Nomi - Akku - Dativ
- Kasus in German helps identify the role of a noun or pronoun in the sentence.
- There are 4 cases: Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ, Genitiv, but at A1 level we focus on Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ.
👉 Understanding Kasus helps you use grammar correctly and speak more naturally! 🚀
1. Kasus in German
🔹 1.1. Nominativ (Subject)
The person or thing doing the action.
Answers the question: Wer? (Who?) / Was? (What?)
Examples:
-
Der Hund spielt.
(Who plays? → The dog plays.) -
Das Kind liest ein Buch.
(Who reads? → The child reads a book.)
📌 Quick tip:
- Every subject in the sentence is in Nominativ!
🔹 1.2. Akkusativ (Direct object)
The person or thing that directly receives the action.
Answers the question: Wen? (Whom?) / Was? (What?)
Examples:
-
Ich sehe den Mann.
(I see the man.) -
Sie kauft das Buch.
(She buys the book.)
📌 Quick tip:
- The thing directly affected by the verb → Akkusativ!
🔹 1.3. Dativ (Indirect object)
The person or thing receiving the benefit of the action.
Answers the question: Wem? (To whom?)
Examples:
-
Er gibt dem Mann ein Buch.
(He gives the man a book.) -
Kannst du mir helfen?
(Can you help me?)
📌 Quick tip:
- The noun benefiting from the action → Dativ!
2. Comparison table of 3 important cases
| Case | Role | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Subject (does the action) | Wer? Was? | Der Hund spielt. (The dog plays.) |
| Akkusativ | Direct object (receives the action) | Wen? Was? | Ich sehe den Hund. (I see the dog.) |
| Dativ | Indirect object (benefits from the action) | Wem? | Ich gebe dem Hund das Futter. (I give the dog the food.) |
📌 Quick tip:
- "Wer/Was?" → Nominativ (Who does the action?)
- "Wen/Was?" → Akkusativ (Who/what receives the action?)
- "Wem?" → Dativ (Who benefits from the action?)
3. Article changes by case
| Case | Masculine (Maskulin) | Feminine (Feminin) | Neuter (Neutrum) | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Kinder |
| Akkusativ | den Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Kinder |
| Dativ | dem Mann | der Frau | dem Kind | den Kindern (+n) |
📌 Quick tip:
- Akkusativ: Only masculine changes → "der" → "den"!
- Dativ: All genders change!
- Dativ plural: Noun always adds "-n"!
🎯 Summary
- Nominativ = Subject (Who does the action?)
- Akkusativ = Direct object (Who/what is affected?)
- Dativ = Indirect object (Who benefits from the action?)
📌 Quick learning tip:
- Wer/Was? → Nominativ
- Wen/Was? → Akkusativ
- Wem? → Dativ