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Cases in grammar refer to the way nouns, pronouns, and adjectives change form to indicate their role in a sentence. In German, there are four main cases. Each case has specific functions and affects the articles and adjective endings used with nouns, helping to clarify relationships between words in a sentence. Understanding these cases is essential for proper grammar and sentence structure in German. Today we are exploring Accusative case!!
LIST OF CONTENTS
Accusative Case
The accusative case, akkusativ, is the one that is used to convey the direct object of a sentence; the person or thing being affected by the action carried out by the subject. This is achieved in different ways in different languages.
Step 1: Word order
Word order is not as important in German as it is in English.
In English, "The dog loves the cat" has a different meaning than "The cat loves the dog." In German, the structure can be a bit different, and we can emphasize the subject and object more clearly.
For example:
"The dog loves the cat" translates to Der Hund liebt die Katze.
Here, "der Hund" (the dog) is the subject, the one loving.
If we want to say "The cat loves the dog," we say Die Katze liebt den Hund.
In this case, "die Katze" (the cat) is now the subject, and "den Hund" (the dog) becomes the object.
Notice how 🇩🇪 "der Hund" changes to 🇩🇪 "den Hund."
This change is called declension, which means the noun changes form based on its role in the sentence. Specifically, this is known as accusative declension because it shows that "den Hund" is the direct object of the action.
Step 2: Understanding functions
A sentence is like a factory, where every worker (every part of the sentence) has a role to play, a job to do.
The function of "dog" can change. If we say der Hund, we mean the dog is the agent or subject, if we say den Hund we know it is the direct object. Someone else is loving it.
So the job of "dog" is either to be the subject or the object of the sentence. To mark what kind of job the dog is doing, we use declensions.
And in English we express the functions by means of word order, while in German by means of declensions.
Step 3: Understanding "cases"
Many people get frustrated with declensions and cases and accusative and nominative, but it is actually not essential to be fluent. In fact, it is more important you spend time learning words and practicing verbs, than mastering declensions!
Mann as a subject → Nominative
Der Mann spricht Französisch.
Mann as a direct object → Accusative
Ich sehe den Mann.
All the other articles remain the same in accusative!
der,ein -> den, einen
die,eine -> die,eine
das,ein -> das,ein
(plural)die,- -> die,-
Accusative: 'ihn'
Remember how articles change depending on the function?
Well, masculine changes from der → den, when we have a direct object.
But do we also change er (English "he")??
Der Tisch ist blau. | Ich sehe den Tisch. |
Er ist blau. | Ich sehe ihn. |
Sie and es remain the same in accusative. Just like die and das.
Accusative: indefinite article
Remember: We use accusative for direct objects.
Nominative = Subject
Der Mann ist groß.
Who is big? → the man
Accusative = Direct Object
Ich sehe den Mann.
Who do I see? → the man
The reason why declensions play a big role in German grammar is because not only definite articles change depending on the case, we 'decline' many types of words:
Definite articles: der, die, das
Indefinite articles: ein, eine, ein
The negation article: kein, keine, kein
Possessives: mein, meine, mein
If you observe the definite article declension, we see that the r in der gets replaced by an n. The others don't change!
Nominative | Accusative |
der | den |
die | die |
das | das |
This pattern is the same for all other accusative masculine declensions. For example, ein/eine and kein/keine:
Nominative | Accusative |
(k)ein | (k)einen |
(k)eine | (k)eine |
(k)ein | (k)ein |
Add an m and you get the possessive (my):
Nominative | Accusative |
mein | meinen |
meine | meine |
mein | mein |
Also: deinen, seinen, ihren, ... (English: your, his, her, ...)
Examples:
Ich esse den Fisch.
I eat the fish.
Ich nehme einen Rotwein.
I'll take a (glass of) red wine.
Ich sehe meinen Mann.
I see my husband.
Ich sehe keinen Mann.
I see no man.
Just remember that in the accusative case, masculine nouns change from "der" to "den" and that masculine indefinite articles change from "ein" to "einen." This -n ending for accusative masculine is key! We can build on that as you get more comfortable with the other cases.
Accusative pronouns
Just a quick reminder: we use the accusative case for direct objects and the nominative case (the "normal case") for subjects.
Subject → Der Mann spielt Fußball. (The man plays football.) → NominativeDirect Object → Ich sehe den Mann. (I see the man.) → Accusative
Personal pronouns also change depending on the case. To illustrate personal pronouns, let's look at an example:
"My brother lives in Berlin. My brother is married and has three children. His children go to school..."
This can be rewritten as:
"My brother lives in Berlin. He is married and has three children. His children go to school..."
In German, the pronouns er, sie, and es represent personal pronouns. These pronouns adjust based on the case.
Here are the singular accusative pronouns (Akkusativpronomen):
Nominative | Accusative |
ich | mich |
du | dich |
er | ihn |
sie | sie |
es | es |
For example:
Du siehst mich. (You see me.)
Ich sehe dich. (I see you.)
Ich sehe ihn. (I see him.)
Ich sehe sie. (I see her.)
Ich sehe es. (I see it.)
Remember that in German, objects have gender, so we need to use the correct pronouns. Not all objects are referred to as es!
Let’s look at some examples:
A: Wie findest du den Pullover? (What do you think of the sweater?)
B: Ich finde ihn schön. (I think it’s nice.)
A: Wie findest du die Hose? (What do you think of the pants?)
B: Ich finde sie altmodisch. (I think they’re old-fashioned.)
A: Wie findest du das Auto? (What do you think of the car?)
B: Ich finde es zu teuer. (I think it’s too expensive.)
Now, let’s not forget about the plural forms!
Here are the accusative personal pronouns in the plural:
Nominative | Accusative |
wir | uns |
ihr | euch |
Sie (formal) | Sie |
sie (plural) | sie |
The accusative pronouns in the plural work just like in the singular:
Kommt uns besuchen! (Come visit us!)
Ich habe euch schon lange nicht mehr gesehen. (I haven't seen you all for a long time.)
Da sind unsere Freunde. Siehst du sie? (There are our friends. Do you see them?)
Understanding German cases and personal pronouns is essential for mastering the language. By grasping the differences between nominative and accusative forms, you’ll be able to construct clearer sentences and communicate more effectively. Remember, learning a language is a gradual process, and every step you take builds a solid foundation for your fluency. Stay tuned for our next guide!
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