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In the last lesson, we learned how to conjugate verbs, helping us to build simple sentences with a subject and an action.
Now, let's take our sentence-building skills further by adding something new: an object.
You may have noticed an unfamiliar article in the sentence above: den. This is simply the article der, but declined. To use objects correctly, we need to learn about the German cases and declension.
In the German language, there are four cases:
| Case | Role | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | subject | performs action |
| accusative | direct object | receives action |
| dative | indirect object | to/for whom action is taken |
| genetive | possessive | indicates possession of someone / something |
For now, we'll focus on two cases: the nominative and accusative cases, which we can use to create sentences with a subject and a direct object. Take a look at this sentence:
What is the subject (the action performer)? It’s der Mann.
What is the object (the action receiver)? It’s den Ball.
How do we know which case is being used? In this example, German declension shows us. Den Ball is the declined form of der Ball, and the article den is in the accusative case, telling us that den Ball is the direct object.
| Case | Role | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | subject | der | Ball |
| accusative | direct object | den | Ball |
On the other hand, der Mann is not declined, and the article der is in the nominative case, telling us that der Mann is the subject.
| Case | Role | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | subject | der | Mann |
| accusative | direct object | den | Mann |
Now that we've learned about the nominative and accusative cases, let’s dive into article declension.
Take a look at this grammar table to see how definite and plural articles change in the nominative and accusative cases:
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | der | die | das | die |
| accusative | den | die | das | die |
Most articles stay the same in both cases. The only exception is the masculine article der, which changes to den in the accusative case. Using this table, pick the correct articles for each sentence:
Now, let’s look at indefinite article declension for the accusative and nominative cases:
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | ein | eine | ein |
| accusative | einen | eine | ein |
Definite articles describe specific nouns:
Indefinite articles describe non-specific nouns:
As with definite articles, most indefinite articles stay the same, except for the masculine ein, which changes to einen in the accusative case. Using the table, choose the correct article for each sentence:
Well done! 🎉
You may have noticed that the first sentence uses einen Löwen and the second uses ein Löwe. The extra -n is added because the noun is declined. Let's take a closer look at noun declension, in the next part of this lesson.
In German, certain masculine nouns decline in the accusative case as well as in the plural form, along with their articles. This is done by adding -(e)n to the noun.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | der | ein | Löwe |
| accusative | den | einen | Löwen |
As a general rule, the masculine nouns that decline this way usually end with -e, -ant, -at, -ist, or -ent. Here’s a grammar table showing N-declension rules for the nominative and accusative cases:
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Löwe | die Löwen |
| accusative | den Löwen | die Löwen |
For these nouns, you must add -(e)n in every case except the nominative singular. Using this table, pick the correct forms for each sentence:
Well done 🎉!
You’ve now learned how to decline definite and indefinite articles, and nouns with N-declension, in both the nominative and accusative cases! Your sentences now include a subject, action, and object.
In the next lesson, we’ll dive into German pronouns. Head over when you're ready!
