Opening Lilerno
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German grammar guide
German uses four cases to mark a noun phrase's role. Nominative usually marks the subject, accusative often marks the direct object, dative often marks the indirect object, and genitive expresses possession or close relationship. Articles change to show these roles.
Nominative: der · die · das · die
Accusative: den · die · das · die
Dative: dem · der · dem · den
Genitive: des · der · des · der
Start with the verb and ask who performs the action, what receives it, and who benefits or receives something. Prepositions also govern cases: mit normally takes dative, while für takes accusative.
Der Mann sieht den Hund.
Die Frau gibt dem Kind das Buch.
Content reviewed and updated 2026-07-25.