langula
The accusative
What is wanted or needed?
Ich sehe den Mann.
I see the man.
Take a look
- Ich sehe den Mann.I see the man.
- Sie kauft einen Kuchen.She is buying a cake.
- Wir lesen das Buch.We are reading the book.
- Er hat keine Zeit.He doesn't have time.
The rule
The accusative often marks the person or thing directly affected by an action. Ask whom or what you need: Ich brauche einen Arzt. With masculine nouns, der changes to den and ein to einen. With feminine and neuter nouns, the basic article stays the same here: eine Fahrkarte, ein Ticket. Some verbs do not take this kind of target, so learn what each verb needs.
Goes with lesson 4, 5, 8 of the course.
What differs for you
English object pronouns can differ from subject pronouns, so the idea of a direct object is familiar. Articles such as a do not change for that role. German does change the masculine article: “ein Arzt” becomes “einen Arzt” when directly affected, while “ein Ticket” keeps ein. Look at both the noun’s gender and its place in the action.
The forms
Articles in the accusative
| Grundform | bestimmt | unbestimmt |
|---|---|---|
| der Tisch | den Tisch | einen Tisch |
| die Suppe | die Suppe | eine Suppe |
| das Haus | das Haus | ein Haus |
Common mistakes
*Ich brauche ein Arzt.Ich brauche einen Arzt.*Ich sehe der Zug.Ich sehe den Zug.
Quick check
- Choose the correct article.Ich sehe ___ Hund.
- Insert the correct article.Sie trinkt ___ Tee. (masculine)
- Choose the correct form.Er kauft ___ Tasche. (feminine)
- Correct the mistake.Ich habe ein Bruder.
- Insert the correct article.Das Geschenk ist für ___ Lehrerin.
- Which sentence is correct?Wähle den grammatisch korrekten Satz.
The answers appear after “Check”.
- den — Masculine in the accusative: der → den
- den — Tee is masculine, accusative: den
- eine — Feminine doesn't change in the accusative
- Ich habe einen Bruder. — Bruder is masculine → accusative: einen
- die — Feminine stays the same in the accusative
- Wir brauchen einen Tisch. — Tisch is masculine → accusative: einen
The same exercises come back in the course — there Langula remembers what you know and asks again at the right moment. Learn German free →
Cases
Learn German, don’t just read about it
The sentences on this page are part of the free course — with pronunciation and repetition.