Nominative in German

The nominative case in German identifies the subject of a sentence. The subject is the person or thing performing the action of the verb. It is also used after forms of the verb “to be” when identifying or describing someone or something.

When to Use the Nominative Case

The nominative case is used in two main situations:

1. When the noun or pronoun is the subject of the sentence.
2. After the verbs sein (to be), werden (to become), and bleiben (to remain).

Nominative Case with Subjects

The subject of a sentence is always in the nominative case.

Example 1:
Der Mann schläft.
Translation: “The man sleeps.”
Explanation: Der Mann is the subject performing the action of sleeping.

Example 2:
Die Kinder spielen.
Translation: “The children play.”
Explanation: Die Kinder is the subject performing the action of playing.

Nominative Case After “To Be” Verbs

In German, the nominative case is used after verbs like sein (to be), werden (to become), and bleiben (to remain).

Example 1:
Das ist ein Hund.
Translation: “That is a dog.”
Explanation: Ein Hund is in the nominative case because it follows the verb ist (is).

Example 2:
Sie wird Lehrerin.
Translation: “She becomes a teacher.”
Explanation: Lehrerin is in the nominative case because it follows the verb wird (becomes).

Example 3:
Er bleibt der Chef.
Translation: “He remains the boss.”
Explanation: Der Chef is in the nominative case because it follows the verb bleibt (remains).

Nominative Case Articles

The articles change based on the gender and number of the noun.

Gender	Definite Article	Indefinite Article
Masculine	der	ein
Feminine	die	eine
Neuter	das	ein
Plural	die	– (no indefinite)

Nominative Pronouns

Personal pronouns in the nominative case represent the subject.

English	German
I	ich
You	du
He	er
She	sie
It	es
We	wir
You (plural)	ihr
They	sie
You (formal)	Sie

Example:
Ich gehe nach Hause.
Translation: “I am going home.”
Explanation: Ich is the subject.

Nominative Case Examples with Different Genders

Masculine Nouns

Example:
Der Lehrer kommt.
Translation: “The teacher comes.”
Explanation: Der Lehrer is masculine and the subject.

Feminine Nouns

Example:
Die Frau lacht.
Translation: “The woman laughs.”
Explanation: Die Frau is feminine and the subject.

Neuter Nouns

Example:
Das Kind schläft.
Translation: “The child sleeps.”
Explanation: Das Kind is neuter and the subject.

Plural Nouns

Example:
Die Hunde rennen.
Translation: “The dogs run.”
Explanation: Die Hunde is plural and the subject.

Practice Sentences

1. Der Apfel ist rot. – “The apple is red.”
2. Eine Katze sitzt auf dem Tisch. – “A cat sits on the table.”
3. Wir sind müde. – “We are tired.”
4. Sie ist Ärztin. – “She is a doctor.”
5. Das Haus ist groß. – “The house is big.”

These examples show how the nominative case functions in various sentence structures.

Exercises

Below are exercises to practice using the nominative case in German. The solutions are provided in a separate section after the exercises.

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Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank with the Correct Article

Fill in the blanks with the correct nominative article: der, die, das, or ein, eine.

1. ___ Hund bellt. (The dog barks.)
2. ___ Frau liest ein Buch. (The woman reads a book.)
3. ___ Kind spielt im Garten. (The child plays in the garden.)
4. ___ Lehrer erklärt die Aufgabe. (The teacher explains the task.)
5. ___ Blumen sind schön. (The flowers are beautiful.)

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Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Pronoun

Choose the correct nominative pronoun to complete each sentence.

1. ___ gehe zur Schule. (I go to school.)
2. ___ isst einen Apfel. (He eats an apple.)
3. ___ seid müde. (You (plural) are tired.)
4. ___ spielt Fußball. (She plays soccer.)
5. ___ sind meine Freunde. (They are my friends.)

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Exercise 3: Identify the Subject

Identify the subject of each sentence. Write the subject word.

1. Der Mann kocht das Abendessen. (The man cooks dinner.)
2. Die Kinder singen ein Lied. (The children sing a song.)
3. Das Auto fährt schnell. (The car drives fast.)
4. Eine Katze schläft auf dem Sofa. (A cat sleeps on the sofa.)
5. Wir laufen im Park. (We run in the park.)

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Exercise 4: Translate into German (Using the Nominative Case)

Translate the following sentences into German.

1. The boy runs.
2. A woman sings.
3. The child is happy.
4. A dog sleeps.
5. The teachers are here.

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Solutions