Mastering the Accusative Case in German

Der, die, das, den, dem, des, ein, eine, einen, einem, eines—the start of learning German declensions can make your head spin. Whether you're beginning an introduction to German or you're deep in the midst of distinguishing between the accusative and dative cases, we understand your struggle. The German case system is difficult and one of new language learners' least favorite parts, but it is essential for fluency. In fact, German cases are the key to unlocking your full potential! To help you get some clarification, we've put together a comprehensive guide to mastering the accusative case in German.

A Brief Review of German Cases

The German case system is one of the most challenging parts of fluency for native English speakers, but it's also the most rewarding! Once you understand when to use the German nominative and accusative case or when to choose accusative or dative, things get much easier.

In everyday German grammar, four different cases are used, each corresponding to a different part of a sentence.

• The nominative case
• The accusative case
• The dative case
• The genitive case

If this is your first time seeing these parts of the German language, take a minute to briefly review our overview of the four cases in German. Then, you'll be better equipped to dive into how to identify the direct object in the accusative case.

Identifying Different Parts of a Sentence

Learning German requires tapping into your English skills and remembering how to identify different parts of a sentence. This can make the process of speaking German much easier, aside from the change in word order and overall use of gendered nouns! Some of the most important aspects to remember include:

• Subject — who or what is doing the action 
• Verb — the action being done
• Direct Object — the person or thing that's being affected by or receiving the action 
• Indirect Object — the recipient of the direct object; to/for whom something is being done

Remember, in German:

• The subject of the sentence will be in the nominative case
• The direct object of a sentence will use the accusative case
• The indirect object of a sentence takes the dative case

How to Use the German Accusative Case

The accusative case in German is used to identify the direct object of a sentence—when a German noun is what's being affected by the verb in a sentence. So, to differentiate between the subject and the direct object, the indefinite article or definite article is changed. You'll notice when a noun takes the accusative form, German declensions differ, but only slightly. You can see how the articles change in the accusative case below:

This is one of the easier cases to learn, as only the masculine form of "der" is different from the nominative case. See if you can identify the direct object of the sentence in the following examples.

• Ich sehe die Katze — I see the cat
• Er hat den Ball — He has the ball
• Sie mag die Blumen — She likes the flowers
• Wir hören die Musik — We hear the music
• Ich trage den Hut — I wear the hat

How'd you do? The direct object is bolded below.

• Ich sehe die Katze — I see the cat
• Er hat den Ball — He has the ball
• Sie mag die Blumen — She likes the flowers
• Wir hören die Musik — We hear the music
• Ich trage den Hut — I wear the hat

Does Word Order in the Accusative Case Matter?

Word order isn't as important in German as in English, which can make things a bit confusing for native English speakers. As much as it may sound unnatural, word order in German can be moved around—as long as the cases are used correctly and the verbs are in the right place. To help you practice getting your word order correct, download Tandem and match with a native German speaker today.

In the meantime, let's check out an example. Both of these sentences technically mean the same thing, even though they don't really seem like they should.

• Der Hund liebt das Mädchen — The dog loves the girl
• Das Mädchen liebt der hund — The dog loves the girl

In English, we would think that the first sentence means "the dog loves the girl," but the word order of the second sentence would make you think it changed to "the girl loves the dog." However, the German sentence uses "der Hund" as the subject in either. The masculine articles change based on meaning, so if you wanted to switch the meaning, you'd need to put "der Hund" into the accusative case!

• Das Mädchen liebt den Hund — The girl loves the dog
• Den Hund liebt das Mädchen — The girl loves the dog

Declensions for Female or Neuter Accusative Nouns

The masculine accusative form changes, but the declensions stay the same for female, neutral, or plural nouns. This makes differentiating between the subject and the direct object a bit more difficult. For example:

• Das Mädchen liebt die Blumen — The girl loves the flowers
• Die Blumen liebt das Mädchen — The girl loves the flowers

You can tell that "die Blumen" is still considered the direct object (and in the accusative case) because the verb "liebt" is still in the singular sie/er/es/mann form. If you wanted to change the sentence to say "the flowers love the girl," the verb would also need to be amended.

• Die Blumen lieben das Mädchen — The flowers love the girl

This can get a bit tricky, but usually, sentences will be complex enough for you to differentiate between what's what with ease. For example, adding prepositions, personal pronouns, and adjectives all further help clarify these pesky German cases.

Using the German Accusative Case with Certain Prepositions

Prepositions work to connect a sentence, and several specific ones will always be followed with a noun in the German accusative case. 

• bis — until
• durch — through
• für — for
• gegen — against
• wieder — contrary to
• ohne — without
• entlang — along
• um — around 

Whenever you see one of these prepositions, you'll change the noun after the word into the accusative case. Let's look at some examples below.

• Wir arbeiten bis den Abend — We work until the evening
• Sie geht durch den Park — She walks through the park
• Ich kaufe Blumen für meine Mutter — I buy flowers for my mother
• Der Fußball prallt gegen die Wand — The soccer ball bounces against the wall
• Er liest das Buch wieder — He reads the book again
• Ich gehe ohne eine Jacke aus — I go out without a jacket
• Wir spazieren den Fluss entlang — We walk along the river
• Die Katze läuft um den Tisch — The cat runs around the table

Using the German Accusative Case with Two-Way Prepositions: Direction or Movement

Two-way prepositions in German are versatile words that can take either the accusative or dative case, depending on the context. Understanding when to use the accusative case with these prepositions is crucial for constructing grammatically correct sentences.

These prepositions include: an, auf, in, hinter, vor, neben, zwischen, über, and unter. You'll need to use them with the accusative case when answering the question "where to." Essentially, you use them to indicate a direction or movement, such as when you are placing a book on the table. Some examples include:

• Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch — I put the book on the table
• Wir fahren über die Brücke — We drive over the bridge
• Ich klettere auf den Berg — I am climbing up the mountain
• Der Ball fliegt über das Tor — The ball flies over the goal
• Wir gehen in den Park — We are going into the park
• Sie springt über die Mauer — She jumps over the wall
• Der Zug fährt unter den Tunnel — The train goes under the tunnel

Using the German Accusative Case with Greetings

Many German greetings and well-wishes are also put into the accusative case, as the subject of the sentence is implied. Although these aren't as easy to notice, it's always good to know. Some examples include: 

• Guten Morgen — good morning
• Guten Tag — good day
• Guten Abend — good evening
• Gute Nacht — good night
• Frohe Weihnachten — Merry Christmas
• Vielen Dank — many thanks

Using the German Accusative Case with Certain Idioms

Many German idioms also use the accusative case and are a fun way to boost your fluency! Some great idioms to familiarize yourself with include:

• Die Würfel fallen lassen — To let the dice fall
• Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen — To hit the nail on the head
• Die Flinte ins Korn werfen — To throw the shotgun into the grain (to give up)
• Jemanden auf die Palme bringen — To bring someone onto the palm tree (to irritate someone)
• Den Stein ins Rollen bringen — To set the stone in motion (to initiate something)
• Das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten — To pour out the baby with the bathwater (to throw out the good with the bad)
• Jemanden um den Finger wickeln — To wrap someone around the finger (to manipulate someone)
• Das Herz auf der Zunge tragen — To wear one's heart on the tongue (to speak openly about feelings)
• Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen — To let the cat out of the bag
• Auf die Nerven gehen — To get on someone's nerves

A lot of people struggle with German cases at first, especially choosing between the accusative case and the dative case. However, with regular practice and real-life conversations, you'll get the hang of it in no time. To help, download Tandem!

Tandem offers a unique language learning experience that will help you deepen your understanding and improve your German pronunciation while learning to apply grammar rules in real conversations. All you need to do is download the app, sign up, and find a native speaker of your target language. Once you match, you’ll begin communicating through language exchange and one-on-one teaching. To join our worldwide community, sign up for Tandem today!