German
German cases: Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ
In German the article in front of a noun changes with the noun’s job in the sentence. der can turn into den or dem, and that shift is the case system. There are four cases, but three do most of the everyday work.
The article carries the job
German marks what a noun does in a sentence with a case, and the article shifts to show it. Same noun, different article.
Der Mann sieht den Hund.The man (subject) sees the dog.
Der Mann sieht den Hund.The man sees the dog (direct object).
Three cases do the work
| Case | Role | der (m.) |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | subject | der |
| Akkusativ | direct object | den |
| Dativ | indirect object | dem |
A fourth, the Genitiv (possession, des), is rarer in speech and can wait.
Dativ: to or for whom
The Dativ marks the indirect object, who receives or benefits. Some prepositions (mit, aus, bei, nach, zu) always take it.
Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.I give the man the book. (dem = to the man)
Ich fahre mit dem Bus.I go by bus. (mit always takes the Dativ)
Mostly the masculine der moves
Most of the visible change sits in the masculine: der → den → dem. Feminine die and neuter das hold steady in the Nominativ and Akkusativ, and only shift in the Dativ (der, dem).
Cases click from seeing the article change in real sentences, not from a grid. Verboteca’s German vocabulary teaches each noun with its article, so the gender and the case shifts have something to attach to.