In German, nouns change their form depending on their role in the sentence. This lesson covers the two most commonly tested cases in the Goethe A2 exam — Accusative (direct object) and Dative (indirect object).
The Accusative case marks the direct object of a sentence — the thing that receives the action of the verb directly. It answers the question "Wen? / Was?" (Who? / What?).
The key change in Accusative happens with masculine nouns. "der" becomes "den". Feminine and neuter articles stay the same.
| Gender | Nominative (Subject) | Accusative (Direct Object) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der Mann | den Mann |
| Feminine | die Frau | die Frau |
| Neuter | das Kind | das Kind |
| Plural | die Männer | die Männer |
The Dative case marks the indirect object — the recipient of the action. It answers "Wem?" (To whom?). Verbs like geben, schreiben, helfen, zeigen take Dative.
In Dative, ALL genders change. The articles shift: der→dem, die→der, das→dem, die(pl)→den(+n).
| Gender | Nominative | Dative (Indirect Object) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der Mann | dem Mann |
| Feminine | die Frau | der Frau |
| Neuter | das Kind | dem Kind |
| Plural | die Männer | den Männern |