German Cases Explained – Nominative, Accusative, Dative and Genitive

Master the 4 German cases (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive) with easy English explanations, examples and tables. On germantoenglish.de/grammar/german-cases, you’ll learn how cases change articles, pronouns and adjectives — and how to recognize them in real sentences.

What Are “Cases” in German?

In German grammar, cases (Kasus) show the function of a noun or pronoun in a sentence — whether it’s the subject, object or something else. There are four grammatical cases in German:

Nominative (Nominativ) – for the subject
Accusative (Akkusativ) – for the direct object
Dative (Dativ) – for the indirect object
Genitive (Genitiv) – for possession

? Overview Table – German Cases at a Glance

Case	German Name	Function	Example
Nominative	Nominativ	Subject (who/what performs the action)	Der Hund läuft. – The dog runs.
Accusative	Akkusativ	Direct object (who/what is affected)	Ich sehe den Hund. – I see the dog.
Dative	Dativ	Indirect object (to/for whom)	Ich gebe dem Hund Futter. – I give food to the dog.
Genitive	Genitiv	Possession (whose)	Das Spielzeug des Hundes ist neu. – The dog’s toy is new.

? 1️⃣ Nominative Case – The Subject

Used for the doer of the action (the subject).

Gender	Definite (the)	Indefinite (a/an)
Masculine	der	ein
Feminine	die	eine
Neuter	das	ein
Plural	die	—

Examples:

Der Mann liest ein Buch. – The man reads a book.
Die Frau kocht. – The woman cooks.

? 2️⃣ Accusative Case – The Direct Object

Used for the object directly receiving the action. Only masculine articles change in the accusative.

Gender	Definite	Indefinite
Masculine	den	einen
Feminine	die	eine
Neuter	das	ein
Plural	die	—

Ich sehe den Mann. – I see the man.
Wir kaufen einen Apfel. – We buy an apple.

? 3️⃣ Dative Case – The Indirect Object

Used for the receiver or beneficiary of an action.

Gender	Definite	Indefinite
Masculine	dem	einem
Feminine	der	einer
Neuter	dem	einem
Plural	den	—

Ich gebe dem Kind das Buch. – I give the child the book.
Er hilft der Frau. – He helps the woman.

?️ 4️⃣ Genitive Case – Showing Possession

Used to show ownership or relationship.

Gender	Definite	Indefinite
Masculine	des	eines
Feminine	der	einer
Neuter	des	eines
Plural	der	—

Das Auto des Mannes ist neu. – The man’s car is new.
Das Haus der Frau ist groß. – The woman’s house is big.

? Quick Comparison of All Cases

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	der	die	das	die
Accusative	den	die	das	die
Dative	dem	der	dem	den
Genitive	des	der	des	der

? How to Learn German Cases Easily

✅ Always learn nouns with their articles and endings.
✅ Practice with short, simple sentences.
✅ Focus first on nominative & accusative, then move to dative & genitive.
✅ Remember: certain prepositions decide the case (e.g., für → accusative, mit → dative).

? Learn, Translate & Move with Confidence

At germantoenglish.de, you can:

Learn German grammar step by step
Translate words and examples instantly
Understand real-life sentence patterns
Prepare for A1–B2 exams with confidence

? Summary

The 4 German Cases form the foundation of German grammar. Once you understand how cases affect nouns and articles, your sentence-building and comprehension will improve dramatically.

Explore More Grammar Topics

Noun Articles Verb Separable Verb Preposition Numbers Adjective Adverb Verb with Fixed Preposition Pronoun Conjunctions German word order Double Infinitive Verbs Inseparable Verbs Numbers - Cardinal and Ordinal Interjektionen German Modal Verbs German Imperative Modal Verbs

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