What is the accusative?
The accusative is the fourth case. We use it to mark the direct object, but also after certain accusative prepositions and with time expressions.
It marks the direct object of a sentence. The direct object is the person or thing that the action directly affects.
The question word for the accusative is: Wen? (for people) or Was? (for things).
In the accusative, only the masculine article changes: der → den, ein → einen. Everything else stays the same.
The forms
In the accusative, only the masculine article changes. All other forms remain as in the nominative.
| Case | masculine | feminine | neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der / ein | die / eine | das / ein | die / – |
| Accusative | den / einen | die / eine | das / ein | die / – |
Only masculine changes: der → den, ein → einen. Feminine, neuter and plural stay the same.
Accusative prepositions
These prepositions always take the accusative:
Two-way prepositions: Where to?
Some prepositions can take either the accusative or the dative. It depends on the question you ask.
The two-way prepositions are: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen.
Examples with accusative (Where to?)
You will learn the dative with two-way prepositions on the dative page. Example: Where is the book? Auf dem Tisch (dative).
Time expressions without a preposition
Not all time expressions need a preposition. Some stand directly in the accusative. This happens especially when the time expression contains an adjective, for example nächst-, letzt- or folgend-.
Exercises
Test your knowledge of the accusative with three exercise parts.
Accusative or nominative?
Choose the correct form: is the noun in the accusative or the nominative?
Which article in the accusative?
Insert the correct article. Note: definite (den/die/das) and indefinite articles (einen/eine/ein) are mixed.
Definite article after prepositions
Which definite article (den/die/das) follows the preposition in the accusative?