The Accusative Case
In German, nouns change their form depending on the job they do in a sentence. The accusative case marks the direct object — the person or thing that receives the action. In "I see the man," the man is being seen, so in German he goes into the accusative: Ich sehe den Mann.
Here's the good news: at A1 level, the accusative is mostly about one single change — masculine der becomes den and ein becomes einen. Feminine, neuter, and plural forms stay exactly the same as in the nominative. Master that one switch and you've unlocked the case.
What the accusative does
Every sentence has a subject (who does the action) and often a direct object (who or what the action happens to). The subject is in the nominative, the direct object is in the accusative.
- Der Mann kauft den Apfel. — The man (subject, nominative) buys the apple (direct object, accusative).
To find the direct object, ask wen? (whom?) or was? (what?) after the verb: Was kauft der Mann? — Den Apfel.
Articles in the accusative
Only the masculine forms change. Everything else is identical to the nominative.
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | der / ein | den / einen |
| feminine | die / eine | die / eine |
| neuter | das / ein | das / ein |
| plural | die | die |
The same pattern applies to kein: masculine kein → keinen, all other forms unchanged.
Verbs that take the accusative
Most everyday German verbs take a direct object in the accusative. Common A1 examples:
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| haben | to have | Ich habe einen Hund. |
| sehen | to see | Siehst du den Bus? |
| kaufen | to buy | Er kauft einen Tisch. |
| brauchen | to need | Wir brauchen einen Stift. |
| trinken | to drink | Sie trinkt einen Tee. |
| es gibt | there is/are | Es gibt einen Park. |
Note that es gibt (there is / there are) always takes the accusative — a very frequent A1 structure.
Asking questions: wen? and was?
Use wen? to ask about a person in the accusative and was? for a thing:
- Wen besuchst du? — Whom are you visiting? → Ich besuche meinen Opa.
- Was kaufst du? — What are you buying? → Ich kaufe einen Kuchen.
Compare with the nominative question word wer? (who?), which asks about the subject: Wer kommt? — Der Lehrer kommt.
📖 Examples
Ich habe einen Bruder.
I have a brother.
Sie kauft den Apfel.
She buys the apple.
Wir sehen einen Film.
We are watching a movie.
Er trinkt eine Cola.
He is drinking a cola.
Ich brauche ein Auto.
I need a car.
Kennst du den Mann?
Do you know the man?
Es gibt einen Supermarkt in der Nähe.
There is a supermarket nearby.
Sie liest das Buch.
She is reading the book.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Ich habe ein Hund.Ich habe einen Hund.
Hund is masculine, and as the direct object of haben it must be accusative: ein → einen. English speakers often forget the -en ending because English articles never change.
Ich sehe der Mann.Ich sehe den Mann.
Der Mann is the direct object here, so masculine der must become den. Using the dictionary form der works only for subjects.
Sie kauft einen Tasche.Sie kauft eine Tasche.
Overcorrection: only masculine nouns change in the accusative. Tasche is feminine, so eine stays eine.
Wer siehst du?Wen siehst du?
When asking about the direct object (the person being seen), German uses wen, not wer. Wer asks about the subject.
✏️ Exercises
Test your understanding. Click an option or type your answer, then check.
Ich sehe ___ Mann.
Sie hat ___ Katze.
Wir kaufen ___ Computer.
Er liest ___ Buch.
___ besuchst du am Wochenende?
Es gibt ___ Park in der Stadt.
Ich trinke ___ Kaffee. (ein)
Kennst du ___ Lehrer? (der)
Sie sucht ___ Wohnung. (eine)
Wir besuchen ___ Museum. (das)