Lesson 3 of your German course
The Four Cases: What They Are and How to Spot Them
B1.2 · Grammar · ~25 minutes
Cases in German tell you what role a noun is playing in the sentence. Once you can identify the role, you know which article ending to use — and those endings stop feeling random. There are four cases.
Nominativ
Who or what is doing the action?
The subject of the sentence. Every sentence has one.
Der Arzt ruft mich an. → The doctor calls me.
Die Schule ist morgen zu. → The school is closed tomorrow.
Das Kind schläft. → The child is sleeping.
Akkusativ
Who or what is directly affected by the action?
The direct object — what the verb is acting on.
Ich rufe den Arzt an. → I call the doctor.
Wir brauchen einen Termin. → We need an appointment.
Er hat das Formular ausgefüllt. → He filled in the form.
Dativ
To whom or for whom?
The indirect object — the recipient or beneficiary. Also required after certain prepositions (mit, bei, nach, von, zu, aus, seit, gegenüber).
Ich gebe dem Arzt die Überweisung. → I give the doctor the referral.
Wir wohnen bei dem (beim) Bäcker. → We live near the bakery.
Sie fährt mit dem Auto. → She's driving the car.
Genitiv
Whose? Of what?
Shows possession or belonging. Common in writing; in spoken German von + Dativ is often used instead.
Das ist das Auto des Kollegen. → That's the colleague's car.
Die Adresse der Schule. → The school's address.
(spoken alternative: die Adresse von der Schule)
How the articles change
Only the article changes — the noun itself almost never changes. Here are the definite articles (der/die/das) across all four cases:
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
plural |
| Nominativ |
der |
die |
das |
die |
| Akkusativ |
den |
die |
das |
die |
| Dativ |
dem |
der |
dem |
den |
| Genitiv |
des |
der |
des |
der |
The one thing worth memorising first: only masculine changes in Akkusativ: der → den. Feminine, neuter, and plural stay the same. This is why den Arzt, einen Termin, den Ölwechsel — all masculine accusative.
The indefinite articles (ein/eine) follow the same pattern:
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
| Nominativ |
ein |
eine |
ein |
| Akkusativ |
einen |
eine |
ein |
| Dativ |
einem |
einer |
einem |
How to identify the case in a real sentence
Ask these questions in order:
- Who is doing the action? → Nominativ
- What is the verb directly acting on? → Akkusativ
- To/for whom? → Dativ
- Is there a preposition? → look up whether it takes Akkusativ or Dativ (or both)
Der Mechaniker
Nominativ (subject)
zeigt
mir
Dativ (to me)
den Kostenvoranschlag.
Akkusativ (direct object)
The mechanic shows me the cost estimate. — Three roles at once.
Prepositions that fix the case
Some prepositions always take the same case. These are worth knowing cold:
| Always Akkusativ |
Always Dativ |
Two-way (location/direction) |
durch, für, gegen, ohne, um |
aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu, gegenüber |
an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen |
|
Er wartet ohne den Arzt.
|
Ich fahre mit dem Auto.
|
in dem Zimmer (where?) vs in das Zimmer (going where?)
|
Two-way prepositions: location (staying in a place) → Dativ. Direction (moving toward a place) → Akkusativ. Ich bin im (in dem) Wartezimmer vs. Ich gehe in das Wartezimmer.
Drill — which case is needed?
For each sentence, choose the correct form.
—
Primary source
Two sources, both worth reading:
Ask your teacher: If a sentence confuses you — from class, from a sign, from a work email — bring it here and ask which case is at work and why. Seeing it in real sentences is what builds the reflex.