What the accusative does
German marks the role of a noun by changing the article in front of it. The accusative marks the direct object: the person or thing the action lands on. In Ich sehe den Mann, the man is being seen, so Mann stands in the accusative and der becomes den.
To find the direct object, ask wen oder was, whom or what, about the verb. I see whom? The man. That noun takes the accusative.
| Ich sehe den Mann. | I see the man. der Mann becomes den Mann as the direct object. |
The articles in the accusative
Compare the two cases side by side. One single change carries the whole system.
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der / ein | den / einen |
| Feminine | die / eine | die / eine |
| Neuter | das / ein | das / ein |
| Plural | die | die |
| Sie hat einen Bruder. | She has a brother. ein becomes einen before a masculine direct object. |
| Wir kaufen die Lampe. | We are buying the lamp. Feminine accusative is identical to the nominative. |
Only masculine changes. Feminine, neuter, and plural look exactly like the nominative, so put all your energy into den and einen.
Accusative pronouns
| Nominative | Accusative | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mich | me |
| du | dich | you |
| er | ihn | him / it |
| sie | sie | her / it |
| es | es | it |
| wir | uns | us |
| ihr | euch | you (plural) |
| sie / Sie | sie / Sie | them / you (formal) |
| Kennst du ihn? | Do you know him? er becomes ihn in the accusative. |
| Sie besucht uns am Wochenende. | She is visiting us at the weekend. |
Five prepositions that always take the accusative
After these five, the accusative is automatic, whatever the sentence means: durch (through), für (for), gegen (against), ohne (without), um (around, at).
| Das Geschenk ist für dich. | The present is for you. für always takes the accusative. |
| Wir gehen durch den Park. | We walk through the park. |
| Er kommt ohne seinen Bruder. | He is coming without his brother. sein takes the same -en ending as ein: seinen. |
Time expressions in the accusative
Definite time expressions without a preposition stand in the accusative: jeden Tag (every day), letzten Sommer (last summer), nächsten Monat (next month). The ending follows the gender of the time word, so it is nächsten Monat for masculine Monat and nächstes Jahr for neuter Jahr.
| Ich lerne jeden Tag zwanzig Minuten. | I study twenty minutes every day. jeden Tag: accusative time phrase. |
| Nächsten Monat fahre ich nach Hamburg. | Next month I am going to Hamburg. The time phrase takes first position, verb stays second. |
Es gibt takes the accusative
The everyday phrase es gibt, there is or there are, always takes the accusative, even though the English translation feels like a subject.
| Es gibt einen Supermarkt um die Ecke. | There is a supermarket around the corner. einen: accusative after es gibt. |
| Gibt es hier ein Café? | Is there a café here? |
Pronunciation corner
The accusative lives in small, frequent words. Make them crisp.
| den | /deːn/ | dane, with a long clear e |
| einen | /ˈaɪnən/ | EYE-nen. Keep both syllables, even at speed. |
| für | /fyːɐ̯/ | fuur: say 'fee' while rounding your lips as if whistling |
| durch | /dʊʁç/ | doorsh, ending in the soft hissing ch of ich |
| ohne | /ˈoːnə/ | OH-nuh, with a long pure o |
Practice drill
Fill each blank with the accusative form of the word in brackets.
Ich sehe ___ Hund. (der)Show answer
den
Sie kauft ___ Lampe. (die)Show answer
dieFeminine accusative looks like the nominative.
Wir haben ___ Problem. (ein; das Problem)Show answer
einNeuter accusative looks like the nominative.
Das Geschenk ist für ___ Bruder. (mein)Show answer
meinen
Er geht ohne ___ Jacke. (sein; die Jacke)Show answer
seineFeminine after ohne: seine, no -n.
Kennst du ___ Lehrer? (der)Show answer
den
Es gibt ___ Park in der Nähe. (ein; der Park)Show answer
einenes gibt always takes the accusative.
Ich besuche dich ___ Monat. (nächst-)Show answer
nächstenAccusative time phrase with masculine Monat.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the direct object in a sentence?
Ask wen oder was, whom or what, about the verb. I am buying what? The table. That noun is the direct object and takes the accusative: Ich kaufe den Tisch.
Why does only the masculine article change?
The German article system only distinguishes nominative from accusative in the masculine singular. Feminine, neuter, and plural use one form for both cases, so den and einen carry the whole workload of this case.
Sie looks the same in both cases. How do I know who does what?
Context and word order decide. In Sie sieht sie, the first sie is the subject because it agrees with the verb and comes first. German tolerates this ambiguity in pronouns just as English tolerates it in words like you.
Which case comes after es gibt?
Always the accusative: Es gibt einen Garten. This is fixed, whatever the sentence means.
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