Articles: Nominative & Accusative
Complete guide to definite and indefinite articles in nominative and accusative cases.
Overview
German has three grammatical genders — masculine, feminine, and neuter — plus plural forms. Articles change depending on the case (grammatical role) of the noun in a sentence.
This guide covers the two most common cases:
- Nominative — the subject of a sentence
- Accusative — the direct object of a sentence
Nominative Case
The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence — the person or thing performing the action.
Der Hund schläft. — The dog is sleeping.
Definite Articles (the)
| Gender | Article | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | der Mann (the man) |
| Feminine | die | die Frau (the woman) |
| Neuter | das | das Kind (the child) |
| Plural | die | die Kinder (the children) |
Indefinite Articles (a/an)
| Gender | Article | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ein | ein Mann (a man) |
| Feminine | eine | eine Frau (a woman) |
| Neuter | ein | ein Kind (a child) |
| Plural | – | Kinder (children) |
Accusative Case
The accusative case is used for the direct object — the person or thing receiving the action.
Ich sehe den Mann. — I see the man.
Key Change
Only masculine articles change in the accusative. All other genders stay the same as nominative.
Definite Articles (the)
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | den |
| Feminine | die | die |
| Neuter | das | das |
| Plural | die | die |
Indefinite Articles (a/an)
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ein | einen |
| Feminine | eine | eine |
| Neuter | ein | ein |
| Plural | – | – |
Common Patterns
Accusative Verbs
These common verbs always take an accusative object:
- haben (to have): Ich habe einen Hund.
- sehen (to see): Er sieht den Film.
- kaufen (to buy): Sie kauft ein Buch.
- lesen (to read): Wir lesen die Zeitung.
- essen (to eat): Du isst den Apfel.
Accusative Prepositions
These prepositions always require the accusative case:
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| durch | through | durch den Park |
| für | for | für eine Freundin |
| gegen | against | gegen den Wind |
| ohne | without | ohne einen Mantel |
| um | around | um das Haus |
Tips
- Only masculine changes in accusative — if you know the gender isn't masculine, nominative and accusative are the same.
- der → den, ein → einen — just add an -en ending for masculine accusative.
- When in doubt about the case, ask: "Who/what is doing the action?" (nominative) vs. "Who/what is receiving the action?" (accusative).