Rules and usage
The Nominative and Accusative are two of the four German cases. The Nominative marks the subject of a sentence, while the Accusative marks the direct object. These are the most frequently used cases, and controlling them well will make an enormous difference in your German.
The Nominativ: What and When
- The Nominativ is the case of the subject—the person or thing performing the action. To identify the subject, ask "Wer?" (Who?) or "Was?" (What?). The subject always comes with the nominative article or pronoun.
- Der Mann arbeitet. (The man works—der Mann is the subject.)
- Ich bin ein Lehrer. (I am a teacher—ich is the subject.)
- Das Kind spielt im Park. (The child plays in the park—das Kind is the subject.)
- Wer kommt heute? Mein Freund kommt heute. (Who comes today? My friend comes today.)
✅ Positive sentence examples
| German | English |
|---|
| Der Mann sieht die Frau. | The man sees the woman. |
| Das Kind kauft einen Apfel. | The child buys an apple. |
⛔ Negative sentence examples
| German | English |
|---|
| Der Mann sieht die Frau nicht. | The man does not see the woman. |
| Das Kind kauft keinen Apfel. | The child does not buy an apple. |
❓ Question sentence examples
| German | English |
|---|
| Sieht der Mann die Frau? | Does the man see the woman? |
| Kauft das Kind einen Apfel? | Does the child buy an apple? |