What is declension?
German has four grammatical cases, also called Kasus. The case shows how a noun relates to the other parts of the sentence. Each case has a specific function, explained in the overview below.
The noun and its companions (article, pronoun, adjective) are declined depending on their role in the sentence — as subject, direct or indirect object, or to indicate origin and belonging.
In German, a sentence usually starts with the subject. But another element can move to first position if it carries more weight. Without correct declension, a sentence can therefore become completely meaningless.
The case shows who is being hunted, in this case the accusative (direct object). The subject's position can change, but the meaning stays the same.
Some prepositions govern specific cases. After mit, for example, you always use the dative; after für always the accusative.
Place expressions with prepositions also require a specific case: depending on whether movement is involved or a static object is described.
All four cases in a sentence
Time expressions also follow the cases. Without a preposition they take the accusative (jeden Samstag). With a preposition, the preposition decides: an, in, vor, nach, seit take the dative, um, bis, für the accusative. Example: Jeden Samstag gehe ich einkaufen. (acc.) — Am Samstag gehe ich einkaufen. (am = an + dem, dative)
The four cases
Here is an overview of all four cases: usage, question word and examples.
| Case | Usage | Question word | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Base form of the noun Subject |
Who? / What? | der Tisch Der Mann isst gerne. |
| Accusative | direct object* time expressions without preposition two-way prepositions (Wohin?) accusative prepositions (für, bis, um …) |
Whom? / What? | Er isst den Apfel. Nächste Woche gehe ich schwimmen. Ich lege den Stift auf den Tisch. Die Blumen sind für meinen Opa. |
| Dative | indirect object* time expressions with preposition two-way prepositions (Wo?) dative prepositions verbs that take the dative |
To whom? | Ich schreibe meiner Mutter einen Brief. In der nächsten Woche gehe ich schwimmen. Der Stift liegt auf dem Tisch. Ich spiele mit meinem Freund Fußball. Sie folgt dem Auto. |
| Genitive | origin, possession, belonging genitive prepositions |
Whose? | Das ist das Auto meines Bruders. Während der Ferien waren wir oft im Schwimmbad. |
| * The indirect object (dative) often appears together with a direct object (accusative): Ich gebe dem Kind einen Apfel. Some verbs, however, take only the dative. See list of dative verbs. | |||
All article forms
Definite article (der / die / das)
| masculine | feminine | neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | den |
| Genitive | des | der | des | der |
Indefinite article (ein / eine)
| masculine | feminine | neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein | eine | ein | – |
| Accusative | einen | eine | ein | – |
| Dative | einem | einer | einem | – |
| Genitive | eines | einer | eines | – |
The genitive is rare in spoken language, but important in formal writing.
Prepositions by case
Each preposition requires a specific case. Here is the overview:
| Case | Prepositions |
|---|---|
| Accusative | durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, bis, entlang |
| Dative | ab, aus, außer, bei, gegenüber, mit, nach, seit, von, zu |
| Genitive | wegen, trotz, während, statt / anstatt |
| Two-way prepositions (acc./dat.) | an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen |
Two-way prepositions: Wohin? → accusative (movement/direction). Wo? → dative (location/state).
Exercises
Test your knowledge of declension with three exercise parts.
Which case?
Which case does the bold noun have?
Correct form
Insert the correct article.
Preposition + case
Dative or accusative after the preposition?