The German Accusative Case for Beginners
After this lesson you can use den and einen for the object of a sentence.
Do this first: der, die, das
Übungen
Eight exercises on what you just watched. Get 80% and the lesson is marked done and added to your A1 progress.
1 / 8 · Type the missing word
2 / 8 · Type the missing word
3 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
I see the man.
4 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
I see the woman. (unchanged)
5 / 8 · Choose
Which gender changes in the accusative?
6 / 8 · Choose
der becomes…
7 / 8 · Choose
ein becomes…
8 / 8 · Choose
er becomes…
In short
The accusative marks the object of a sentence — the thing being acted on. Only masculine words change: der becomes den and ein becomes einen. Die, das and the plural look exactly the same as before.
How it works
German marks the job a noun does in the sentence by changing its article. The subject — the one doing the action — is the nominative. The direct object — the thing being acted on — is the accusative. Ich kaufe den Wagen: I am the subject, the car is the object.
Here is the part nobody tells beginners early enough: three quarters of the accusative is no work at all. Feminine, neuter and plural articles are identical to the nominative — die Frau stays die Frau, das Buch stays das Buch. **Only the masculine changes**: der → den, ein → einen, kein → keinen, mein → meinen.
To find the object, ask wen or was — "whom" or "what" — after the verb. Ich sehe den Mann: whom do I see? The man. That is the accusative. A handful of prepositions also always take it, and the four worth learning now are für, ohne, durch and gegen: für den Mann, ohne den Wagen.
| Gender | Nominative (subject) | Accusative (object) |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | der / ein Mann | **den / einen** Mann |
| feminine | die / eine Frau | die / eine Frau — unchanged |
| neuter | das / ein Kind | das / ein Kind — unchanged |
| plural | die Kinder | die Kinder — unchanged |
| Nominative | Accusative |
|---|---|
| der | den |
| ein | einen |
| kein | keinen |
| mein | meinen |
| dein | deinen |
| er | ihn |
| German | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| für | for | für den Mann |
| ohne | without | ohne den Wagen |
| durch | through | durch den Park |
| gegen | against, around | gegen den Tisch |
| um | around | um den See |
Examples
- Ich sehe den Mann.I see the man.
- Ich sehe die Frau.I see the woman. (unchanged)
- Ich sehe das Kind.I see the child. (unchanged)
- Ich habe einen Bruder.I have a brother.
- Sie kauft einen Wagen.She is buying a car.
- Wir brauchen keinen Kaffee.We don't need any coffee.
- Das Geschenk ist für den Lehrer.The present is for the teacher.
- Ich gehe ohne meinen Bruder.I'm going without my brother.
- Wir laufen durch den Park.We are walking through the park.
- Kennst du ihn?Do you know him?
Mistakes to avoid
✗ Ich habe ein Bruder.
✓ Ich habe einen Bruder.
Bruder is masculine and it is the object of haben, so ein becomes einen. This is the accusative you meet earliest and most often.
✗ Changing die and das too
✓ Leaving them alone
Feminine, neuter and plural are identical in the accusative. Over-applying the rule is as wrong as ignoring it.
✗ Ich sehe der Mann.
✓ Ich sehe den Mann.
The man is being seen, so he is the object: den. Der would make him the one doing the seeing.
✗ für der Mann
✓ für den Mann
für always takes the accusative, whatever the sentence around it is doing. Same for ohne, durch and gegen.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| der Akkusativ | the accusative case | |
| wen? | whom? (accusative) | |
| für | for | |
| ohne | without | |
| durch | through | |
| gegen | against, around | |
| ihn | him, it (masculine object) | |
| der Wagen | car | |
| das Geschenk | present, gift | |
| kennen | to know (a person or place) |
Kulturnotiz
The accusative is why the article on a German shop sign can look "wrong" to a learner: Für den Kunden, Ohne den Ausweis kein Zutritt. If you start noticing den on notices and adverts you are seeing the case in the wild — and it is a good sign your eye is tuning to German rather than translating it.
Common questions
+What actually changes in the accusative?
Only the masculine: der → den, ein → einen, kein → keinen, mein → meinen, er → ihn. Feminine, neuter and plural are identical to the nominative.
+How do I find the object of a sentence?
Ask wen or was after the verb. Ich sehe den Mann — whom do I see? The man. That noun is in the accusative.
+Which prepositions always take the accusative?
At A1: für, ohne, durch, gegen and um. They take it regardless of what the rest of the sentence is doing — für den Mann, never für der Mann.
+Why does the library video teach all four cases at once?
Because it was made for A2. Four cases in one go is too much at A1 — the accusative on its own covers most of what a beginner needs, and the dative follows in the next lesson.