E12

Understanding the Accusative

📚 What is the Accusative Case?

German normally uses the accusative case when the noun is the direct object, i.e. the "receiver" of the action in the sentence:

In this sentence, "der Computer" changes to "den Computer" because it's the direct object receiving the action of buying.

🔄 Masculine Forms Change

In the accusative case, the endings for the modifiers (for example, the definite article, e.g. der, or the indefinite article, e.g. ein) change when used for masculine nouns:

⚡ Key Changes (Masculine Only!)

• der changes to den
• ein changes to einen

⚠️ Important!

For nouns in the feminine, the neuter, and the plural, the endings are the same as in the nominative case. Only masculine changes!

Accusative Endings

📊 Endings in the Accusative Case

Here is an overview of accusative endings for some of the most common modifiers:

💡 Remember: The endings for all masculine modifiers are -en.

📝 Examples: Nominative → Accusative

Accusative After Verbs

🎯 The Accusative Case After Most Verbs

You also use the accusative after certain verbs. In fact, the majority of German verbs which can take a (direct) object take the accusative.

Verbs which take the accusative are also called transitive verbs. In the dictionary, there will be an abbreviation 'vt' after the headword to indicate this. If you find a 'vt' after a verb entry in the dictionary, you know that this verb takes the accusative case.

Accusative After Prepositions

🔗 Prepositions That Always Take Accusative

You also use the accusative case after certain prepositions. The following prepositions always take the accusative:

💡 Memory Tip

Remember the acronym: "Bis Durch Für Gegen Ohne Um" or think of it as: "Big Dogs Fight Growling Old Unicorns"

Examples:

⚠️ Important Reminder

Remember that whenever you use one of the prepositions listed above, you must use the accusative case in the noun linked to it.

🔄 Multiple Accusatives in One Sentence

It is possible for there to be more than one accusative form in a sentence:

📋 Summary: The Accusative Case

The accusative case is mainly used for the direct object in a sentence. But it can also be determined by the verb and certain prepositions.

⚠️ Don't Forget!

With feminine, neuter and plural nouns, the endings for the modifier are not changed in the accusative and are exactly the same as the nominative!

← From Previous (e11)

← From Previous (e11)

Building on The Nominative Case — You learned that the nominative is used for the subject of a sentence. Now you understand that when that same noun becomes the direct object (receiving the action), it changes to the accusative case (for masculine nouns: der → den, ein → einen).

→ Coming Next (e13)

Prepare for The Dative Case — While the accusative is for direct objects, the dative case is used for indirect objects (the recipient of the direct object). You'll learn prepositions like "mit" and "zu" that always take the dative!