German Grammar
German Cases
German has four cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possessive). They make each noun's role clear by changing it's article endings and sometimes the noun ending, which allows for a flexible word order.
Indefinite Article Declension
The indefinite articles (ein, eine) and negative article (kein) follow this pattern. Depending on the case, gender and number, the ending changes:
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural (kein only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | (k)ein | (k)eine | (k)ein | keine |
| Accusative | (k)einen | (k)eine | (k)ein | keine |
| Dative | (k)einem | (k)einer | (k)einem | keinen |
| Genitive | (k)eines | (k)einer | (k)eines | keiner |
Definite Article Declension
The definite articles (der, die, das) also change form according to case. The male accusative as well as all the dative and genitive declensions have the same endings as the indefinite articles.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | den |
| Genitive | des | der | des | der |
Noun Endings in Different Cases
While articles show most case changes, nouns only change their endings in a few cases:
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Kinder |
| Accusative | den Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Kinder |
| Dative | dem Mann | der Frau | dem Kind | den Kindern |
| Genitive | des Mannes | der Frau | des Kindes | der Kinder |
There is a small group of masculine nouns called weak nouns which add -n or -en to all forms except nominative. You can learn more about them here.
Examples by Gender and Number
Here are examples showing how declension works for each gender and number:
Masculine with Definite Articles
| Case | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Der Mann liest. | The man reads. |
| Accusative | Ich sehe den Mann. | I see the man. |
| Dative | Ich helfe dem Mann. | I help the man. |
| Genitive | Das Auto des Mannes. | The man's car. |
Masculine with Indefinite Articles
| Case | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ein Mann liest. | A man reads. |
| Accusative | Ich sehe einen Mann. | I see a man. |
| Dative | Ich helfe einem Mann. | I help a man. |
| Genitive | Das Auto eines Mannes. | A man's car. |
Feminine with Definite Articles
| Case | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Die Frau liest. | The woman reads. |
| Accusative | Ich sehe die Frau. | I see the woman. |
| Dative | Ich helfe der Frau. | I help the woman. |
| Genitive | Die Tasche der Frau. | The woman's bag. |
Feminine with Indefinite Articles
| Case | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Eine Frau liest. | A woman reads. |
| Accusative | Ich sehe eine Frau. | I see a woman. |
| Dative | Ich helfe einer Frau. | I help a woman. |
| Genitive | Die Tasche einer Frau. | A woman's bag. |
Neuter with Definite Articles
| Case | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Das Kind spielt. | The child plays. |
| Accusative | Ich sehe das Kind. | I see the child. |
| Dative | Ich helfe dem Kind. | I help the child. |
| Genitive | Das Spielzeug des Kindes. | The child's toy. |
Neuter with Indefinite Articles
| Case | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ein Kind spielt. | A child plays. |
| Accusative | Ich sehe ein Kind. | I see a child. |
| Dative | Ich helfe einem Kind. | I help a child. |
| Genitive | Das Spielzeug eines Kindes. | A child's toy. |
Plural with Definite Articles
| Case | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Die Kinder spielen. | The children play. |
| Accusative | Ich sehe die Kinder. | I see the children. |
| Dative | Ich helfe den Kindern. | I help the children. |
| Genitive | Die Spielzeuge der Kinder. | The children's toys. |
Plural with Indefinite Articles (kein)
| Case | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Keine Kinder spielen. | No children play. |
| Accusative | Ich sehe keine Kinder. | I see no children. |
| Dative | Ich helfe keinen Kindern. | I help no children. |
| Genitive | Die Spielzeuge keiner Kinder. | No children's toys. |
Possessive Articles
Possessive articles (mein, dein, sein, ihr, etc.) follow the same declension pattern as ein/kein:
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | mein | meine | mein | meine |
| Accusative | meinen | meine | mein | meine |
| Dative | meinem | meiner | meinem | meinen |
| Genitive | meines | meiner | meines | meiner |