Guide
The Four German Cases — Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive
Case is the part of German that has no English equivalent to lean on, and the part every level above A1 depends on. The good news is that it is a small, closed system: four cases, three genders, one plural, and a set of endings that fits on a postcard. Nothing about it is irregular — it just has to become automatic.
What each case marks
| Case | Marks | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | The subject — who is doing it | wer? was? | Der Mann liest das Buch. |
| Accusative | The direct object — what it is done to | wen? was? | Der Mann liest das Buch. |
| Dative | The indirect object — who it is done for or to | wem? | Der Mann gibt dem Kind das Buch. |
| Genitive | Possession and relation | wessen? | Das ist das Buch des Mannes. |
Definite article — der, die, das in all four cases
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | den (+ -n) |
| Genitive | des (+ -s) | der | des (+ -s) | der |
Only one form changes between nominative and accusative: masculine der → den. That single change is the highest-value thing to automate at A1.
Indefinite article and the possessives
ein, kein and every possessive (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer) take the same endings.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural (kein/mein) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein | eine | ein | keine |
| Accusative | einen | eine | ein | keine |
| Dative | einem | einer | einem | keinen (+ -n) |
| Genitive | eines (+ -s) | einer | eines (+ -s) | keiner |
Prepositions that fix the case
Always accusative
durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, bis, entlang
Always dative
aus, außer, bei, gegenüber, mit, nach, seit, von, zu
Two-way — accusative or dative
an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen
These nine take accusative for movement into a place and dative for position in one. The test is wohin? (where to — accusative) versus wo? (where — dative):
- Ich gehe in die Schule. — motion, accusative.
- Ich bin in der Schule. — position, dative.
Genitive
während, trotz, wegen, statt, außerhalb, innerhalb — though all of these are heard with the dative in speech.
Verbs that take the dative
A short list that has to be memorised, because nothing about the meaning predicts it:
helfen, danken, gehören, gefallen, folgen, antworten, glauben, passen, schmecken, begegnen, gratulieren, zuhören
Ich helfe dem Mann. — not den Mann.
Adjective endings
The endings depend on what comes before the adjective. There are three patterns, and the useful way to hold them is: whichever word comes first has to show the case. If the article already shows it, the adjective takes a weak ending (-e or -en); if there is no article, the adjective takes the ending the article would have had.
| After | Masc. nom. | Fem. nom. | Neut. nom. | Plural nom. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| der / die / das | der gute | die gute | das gute | die guten |
| ein / eine | ein guter | eine gute | ein gutes | keine guten |
| nothing | guter | gute | gutes | gute |
In every case other than nominative and accusative, and in every plural after an article, the ending is -en. That one fact covers most of the table.
Common questions
What are the four German cases?
Nominative (the subject), accusative (the direct object), dative (the indirect object) and genitive (possession). The case shows a noun's job in the sentence, which is why German word order can move so freely — the endings carry the information English gets from position.
How do I know whether to use accusative or dative?
Three questions in order. Does a preposition govern it? Then the preposition decides. Does the verb take a dative object (helfen, danken, gehören, gefallen, folgen)? Then dative. Otherwise the direct object is accusative and the indirect object is dative.
Is the genitive dying out in German?
In speech it is largely replaced by von + dative, and Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod is a bestseller about exactly that. In writing it is alive and expected — and the genitive prepositions (während, trotz, wegen, statt) are still tested in every exam.
Which German prepositions take which case?
Always accusative: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, bis, entlang. Always dative: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu, gegenüber. Two-way (accusative for motion into, dative for position in): an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen.
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