Accusative Case

01

Identifying the Direct Object

To find the direct object, ask "Who or what is being [verbed]?" In the sentence "The man eats the apple," the man is the doer (Nominative), and the apple is being eaten (Accusative).

• Der Mann isst den Apfel.

  The man eats the apple.

• Ich sehe die Frau.

  I see the woman.

• Wir kaufen ein Auto.

  We are buying a car.

02

Changes in Articles (The Masculine Rule)

The most distinct feature of the Accusative case in German is that it changes the masculine singular articles. Feminine, neuter, and plural articles remain exactly the same as they are in the Nominative case.

• Masculine: der becomes den, and ein becomes einen.
• Feminine: die and eine remain unchanged.
• Neuter: das and ein remain unchanged.
• Plural: die remains unchanged.

Because only the masculine form changes, the Accusative is often called the "masculine case."

• Ich habe einen Bruder.

  I have a brother.

• Sie sucht den Schlüssel.

  She is looking for the key.

• Er trinkt den Saft.

  He is drinking the juice.

03

Personal Pronouns in Accusative

Just as English changes "I" to "me" or "he" to "him," German personal pronouns change when they are the direct object.

• ich (I) becomes mich (me).
• du (you) becomes dich (you).
• er (he) becomes ihn (him).
• sie (she) remains sie (her).
• es (it) remains es (it).
• wir (we) becomes uns (us).
• ihr (you plural) becomes euch (you).
• Sie (formal you) remains Sie (you).

• Hörst du mich?

  Do you hear me?

• Ich rufe dich an.

  I will call you.

• Wir kennen ihn nicht.

  We don't know him.

04

Accusative Prepositions

Certain prepositions always require the noun following them to be in the Accusative case, regardless of the verb used. The most common ones are bis (until), durch (through), für (for), gegen (against), ohne (without), and um (around/at).

• Das Geschenk ist für meinen Vater.

  The gift is for my father.

• Wir gehen durch den Park.

  We are walking through the park.

• Ich trinke Kaffee ohne Zucker.

  I drink coffee without sugar.

05

Movement vs. Location (Two-Way Prepositions)

There is a group of "two-way prepositions" (such as in, an, auf, unter) that can take either the Accusative or the Dative case.

• Use Accusative when describing movement or direction towards a destination (A to B).
• Use Dative when describing a fixed location or position (staying at A).

Think of the Accusative here as answering the question "Where to?" (wohin?).

• Ich gehe in die Küche.

  I am going into the kitchen. (Movement)

• Er legt das Buch auf den Tisch.

  He puts the book on the table. (Action/Movement)

• Die Katze läuft unter das Auto.

  The cat runs under the car. (Direction)

06

Time Expressions

When a time expression is used in a sentence without a preposition (like "at" or "on"), it is put into the Accusative case. This indicates a definite time or duration.

• Ich arbeite jeden Tag.

  I work every day.

• Nächsten Monat reisen wir ab.

  Next month we are departing.

• Es regnete den ganzen Tag.

  It rained the whole day.

07

N-Declension (Weak Nouns)

A specific group of masculine nouns requires an extra ending, usually -n or -en, when used in the Accusative (and other oblique cases). These are often nouns ending in -e (like Junge, Kollege) or nouns describing people/animals (like Student, Bär).

• Kennst du den Jungen?

  Do you know the boy?

• Wir fragen einen Experten.

  We are asking an expert.

• Siehst du den Bären?

  Do you see the bear?