Nominative – Dative – Genitive – Accusative

Understanding the grammatical cases nominative, dative, genitive, and accusative is essential for learning languages that use case systems. These cases indicate how nouns, pronouns, and adjectives function in a sentence.

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Nominative

The nominative case shows the subject of a sentence. The subject is the person or thing performing the action.

Example:

• “She runs every morning.”

“She” is in the nominative case because it is the subject performing the action.

How to Identify the Nominative Case

To find the nominative case, ask “who?” or “what?” is performing the verb.

Example:

• “They read books.”

Ask “who reads?” The answer is “they”, which is in the nominative case.

Examples in German

The nominative case marks the subject of the sentence.

Example 1:

• Der Hund schläft.

Translation: “The dog sleeps.”

Explanation: Der Hund (the dog) is the subject performing the action.

Example 2:

• Die Frau liest.

Translation: “The woman reads.”

Explanation: Die Frau (the woman) is the subject.

Read more about the Nominative Case here.

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Accusative

The accusative case indicates the direct object of a sentence. The direct object receives the action of the verb.

Example:

• “He sees the dog.”

“The dog” is in the accusative case because it is receiving the action of seeing.

How to Identify the Accusative Case

To find the accusative case, ask “whom?” or “what?” is being acted upon.

Example:

• “She eats an apple.”

Ask “what does she eat?” The answer is “an apple”, which is in the accusative case.

Examples in German

The accusative case shows the direct object of the sentence.

Example 1:

• Ich sehe den Hund.

Translation: “I see the dog.”

Explanation: Den Hund (the dog) is the direct object receiving the action.

Example 2:

• Er kauft einen Apfel.

Translation: “He buys an apple.”

Explanation: Einen Apfel (an apple) is the direct object.

Read more about the Accusative Case here.

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Dative

The dative case marks the indirect object of a sentence. The indirect object is the person or thing that benefits from or is affected by the action.

Example:

• “He gives his friend a gift.”

“His friend” is in the dative case because the friend receives the gift indirectly.

How to Identify the Dative Case

To find the dative case, ask “to whom?” or “for whom?” the action is done.

Example:

• “They sent her a letter.”

Ask “to whom did they send a letter?” The answer is “her”, which is in the dative case.

Examples in German

The dative case marks the indirect object of the sentence.

Example 1:

• Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.

Translation: “I give the man the book.”

Explanation: Dem Mann (the man) is the indirect object receiving the book.

Example 2:

• Sie schenkt der Freundin Blumen.

Translation: “She gives the friend flowers.”

Explanation: Der Freundin (the friend) is the indirect object.

Read more about the Dative Case here.

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Genitive

The genitive case shows possession or close relationships. It answers the question “whose?”

Example:

• “This is Sarah’s book.”

“Sarah’s” is in the genitive case because it shows ownership of the book.

How to Identify the Genitive Case

To find the genitive case, ask “whose?”

Example:

• “The cat’s tail is fluffy.”

Ask “whose tail is fluffy?” The answer is “the cat’s”, which is in the genitive case.

Examples in German

The genitive case shows possession or close relationships.

Example 1:

• Das ist das Auto des Lehrers.

Translation: “That is the teacher’s car.”

Explanation: Des Lehrers (of the teacher) shows possession.

Example 2:

• Die Farbe der Wand ist schön.

Translation: “The color of the wall is beautiful.”

Explanation: Der Wand (of the wall) shows possession.

Read more about the Genitive Case here.

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Overview over the Differences

Case	Function	Question to Ask	Example Sentence	Example Word in Case
Nominative	Subject	Who? What?	“John plays soccer.”	John
Accusative	Direct Object	Whom? What?	“She reads a book.”	A book
Dative	Indirect Object	To whom? For whom?	“He gives her a pen.”	Her
Genitive	Possession/Relationship	Whose?	“Tom’s car is red.”	Tom’s

Understanding the differences helps you construct and understand sentences more accurately in German and other languages that use this system.

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Summary Table of Examples

Case	German Example	English Translation	Role in Sentence
Nominative	Der Hund schläft.	“The dog sleeps.”	Subject
Accusative	Ich sehe den Hund.	“I see the dog.”	Direct Object
Dative	Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.	“I give the man the book.”	Indirect Object
Genitive	Das ist das Auto des Lehrers.	“That is the teacher’s car.”	Possession

These examples show how the cases work in German sentences and how the articles and endings change depending on the case.