German Cases Made Easy: Nominative vs. Accusative (A2)
German cases sound scary, but they don’t have to be! Today we’ll make the nominative (the subject case) and accusative (the direct object case) feel natural. You’ll learn the most common patterns, see everyday phrases, and practice right away. Let’s get you ordering coffee and talking about pets confidently — mit dem richtigen Fall!
What are cases?
In German, nouns and articles change depending on their role in the sentence.
- Nominative = the subject (who/what does the action)
- Accusative = the direct object (who/what receives the action)
Think of it like this: Subject acts, object receives.
Examples:
Articles change in the accusative (especially masculine)
German articles change with case. The most important change at A2 is masculine:
- Masculine: der → den; ein → einen
- Feminine: die → die; eine → eine
- Neuter: das → das; ein → ein
- Plural: die → die
So:
- Nominative: Der Apfel ist rot.
- Accusative: Ich esse den Apfel.
More examples:
Ich esse Apfel.
Ich kaufe der Apfel. → Ich kaufe den Apfel. Masculine direct objects switch to den in the accusative.Indefinite articles (ein/eine):
- Nominative: ein Mann, eine Frau, ein Kind
- Accusative: einen Mann, eine Frau, ein Kind
Example:
Pronouns in the accusative
Personal pronouns also change in the accusative:
- ich → mich
- du → dich
- er → ihn
- sie → sie
- es → es
- wir → uns
- ihr → euch
- Sie → Sie
Examples:
Peter? Ich kenne .
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ich | sehe |
| du | sehst |
| er/sie/es | seht |
| wir | sehen |
| ihr | seht |
| sie/Sie | sehen |
Accusative prepositions you’ll hear every day
These prepositions always take the accusative:
- für (for)
- ohne (without)
- gegen (against)
- um (around/at)
- durch (through)
- bis (until)
Examples:
Wir fahren die Stadt.
Das ist dich.
Word order: keep it simple and clear
In main clauses, German often uses Subject–Verb–Object (SVO):
- Ich kaufe den Kaffee.
If you start with a time word, the verb still comes second:
- Heute kaufe ich den Kaffee.
Practice:
Verb in second position.
Handy vocabulary for this topic
Cultural note: ordering politely
In cafés and shops, a very polite, common phrase is:
- “Ich hätte gern …” + accusative object.
Examples:
Quick practice: articles in action
Ich hätte gern Kaffee.
Er liest Buch.
Wir besuchen Freunde.
Wrap-up
You’ve seen how the nominative marks the subject and the accusative marks the direct object. Remember the big A2 win: masculine nouns switch to den/einen in the accusative, and prepositions like für/ohne/durch always take the accusative. Keep listening for the verb, ask “wen/was?”, and the right form will click.
Keep practicing in real life: order something at a café, describe what you see in a park, or talk about what you’re buying. Du schaffst das!