The Basics - Nominativ, Akkusativ oder Dativ? (Oder Genitiv?)
To be able to follow this step-by-step guide you should have gone through all of the following topics already:
This guide is a summary of all the rules in a way that is easy to put into practice.
There are no exceptions!
Step 1 - Where is the subject?
The subject always takes the nominative case!
The subject is the most important part of a sentence and is the easiest to find. If you know who or what is performing the action, you know the subject. It’s in the nominative case.
Step 2 - Is there a preposition in front of the noun?
Prepositions always determine the case. Most prepositions work with just a single case. A few use both the dative case and the accusative case (so-called two-case prepositions).
- Yes ⇒ Jackpot! The preposition says which case must be used! ALWAYS!
- No ⇒ Onward to Step 3
Step 3: Does the verb require a certain case?
Some verbs always require a certain case (Verbs with Complements):
Examples:
- "sein" always requires the nominative case
- "helfen" always requires the dative case
Does the verb require a certain case?
- Yes ⇒ Then use the case the verb wants!
- No ⇒ Onward to step 4
Step 4: Direct or indirect object?
You learned in the accusative and dative lessons that the direct object is in the accusative case and the indirect object in in the dative case. That’s quite often the only rule that German students think about. However, it only applies if there is no preposition and the verb doesn’t require a certain case.
- The direct object takes the accusative case
(⇒ it is the thing acted upon) - The indirect object takes the dative case
(⇒ it is the thing that receives the direct object)
Does it work for the Genitive Case as well?
The step-by-step guide works for the genitive case as well, but you have to keep in mind that noun-noun constructions as well as some certain constructions with adjectives can trigger the genitive as well.
For levels B2 and higher: Remember that some adjectives require a certain case as well.
You can find more information about the adjectives that require a certain case in the lessons:
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