The accusative case in German is used to indicate the direct object of a sentence - the person or thing that directly receives the verb's action.
Example:
- Ich sehe den Hund. (I see the dog.)
Here, den Hund is in the accusative case because it is the direct object receiving the action of seeing.
A simple way to identify which noun is in the accusative case is by trying to answer the questions "whom?" or "what?" (which will correspond to the direct object)
Example:
- Er kauft einen Apfel. (He buys an apple.)
Einen Apfel answers "What does he buy?" - it's in the accusative case.
Accusative Case Endings
Definite article, indefinite article, and other determiners change form depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun they accompany. Here are the forms in the accusative case:
ㅤ | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
Definite Article | den
den Mann | die
die Frau | das
das Kind | die
die Kinder |
Indefinite Article | einen
einen Mann | eine
eine Frau | ein
ein Kind | - |
Demonstrative
Determiner | diesen
diesen Mann | diese
diese Frau | dieses
dieses Kind | diese
diese Kinder |
Possessive
Determiner | meinen
meinen Mann | meine
meine Frau | mein
mein Kind | meine
meine Kinder |
Only masculine nouns have different forms for the accusative (der → den; ein → einen and so on). Feminine, neuter, and plural forms remain the same as the nominative case.
Pronouns in the Accusative Case
Personal pronouns also change in the accusative case when replacing direct objects:
Person | Nominative | Accusative |
1st Person Sing. | ich | mich |
2nd Person Sing. informal | du | dich |
3rd Person Sing. masculine | er | ihn |
3rd Person Sing. feminine | sie | sie |
3rd Person Sing. neuter | es | es |
1st Person Plural | wir | uns |
2nd Person Plural informal | ihr | euch |
3rd Person Plural | sie | sie |
Formal (singular & plural) | Sie | Sie |
Examples:
- Der Lehrer sieht mich. (The teacher sees me.)
- Die Mutter ruft ihn. (The mother calls him.)
- Das Kind versteht uns. (The child understands us.)
Accusative Case with Prepositions
Certain prepositions always take the accusative case. These include:
- durch (through)
- für (for)
- gegen (against)
- ohne (without)
- um (around, at [time])
Example:
- Er läuft durch den Park. (He runs through the park.)
Here, den Park is in the accusative case because of the preposition durch.
Word Order in Accusative Sentences
ㅤ | Structure | Example |
Standard
Statement | Subject (Nominative) + Verb + Direct Object (Accusative) + rest | Der Mann liest das Buch.
(The man reads the book.) |
Yes/No
Questions | Verb + Subject + Direct Object (Accusative) + rest | Kauft der Mann das Auto?
(Do you see the dog?) |