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Right click on this screen and choose to view this as a full screen presentation. This presentation is timed so you will only need to click on the left mouse button when it is time to move to the next slide. At the end of the presentation return to the main Grammar page. © Leigh McClelland 2002 (No, not that kind!) In German, cases are a way of showing you the part played by a noun in a sentence. (No, not that kind of part!) A noun could play one of several parts in a sentence, each represented by one of the four cases: Nominative Accusative Dative Genitive In German the spelling of the words for ‘a’ and ‘the’ (and similar ‘initial’ words) changes depending on what part the noun plays in the sentence, i.e. what case it is. Follow the man with the arrow to see the exact changes in spelling for ‘a’ & ‘the’ later! He looks something like this: The nominative is used to indicate the subject of the sentence. The subject is the ‘doer’ of the sentence. That is, the person or thing doing the action described by the verb. Der Mann fährt ski. To find the subject always ask yourself: ‘Who or what’ before the verb? e.g. Who or what is skiing? Subject = der Mann Die Sonne scheint. Who/what is shining? Subject = die Sonne Der Vogel singt. Who/what is singing? Subject = der Vogel Der Bus fährt zur Schule. Who/what is going to school? Subject = der Bus The nominative case is also required before and after these verbs: sein to be werden to become heißen to be called The accusative is used to indicate the direct object of the sentence. The object is the ‘receiver’ of the action or thought described by the verb. Der Junge wirft den Ball. To find the direct object always ask yourself: ‘Whom or what’ after the verb? e.g. Throwing whom/what? Object = den Ball Der Mann trägt eine Tasche. Carries whom/what? Object = die Tasche Der Junge spielt Fußball. Plays whom/what? Object = Fußball Er hat einen Hund. Has whom/what? Object = einen Hund The accusative case is also required after these prepositions: f u d g e b o w = für = um = durch = gegen = entlang = bis = ohne = wider (for) (at/about) (through) (against) (along) (until) (without) (against) The dative is used to indicate the indirect object of the sentence. The dative case is used to express the idea of ‘to’ or ‘for’ someone or something. The indirect object is the person or thing to whom something is offered, given, etc. Der Junge gibt dem Mann ein Geschenk. ‘The boy gives a present to the man.’ or ‘The boy gives the man a present.’ The English equivalent of the indirect object is ‘to…’ but this idea is often hidden (but understood) in English. The dative case is also required after these prepositions: a b g m n s v z = aus = bei = gegenüber = mit = nach = seit = von = zu (from, out of) (at) (opposite) (with) (to, after) (since) (from, of) (to) The dative case is also required after these verbs: erklären (to explain [to]) sagen (to say [to]) erzählen (to tell [to]) schenken (to give [to] as present) geben (to give [to]) helfen (to [give] help [to]) zeigen (to show [to]) The genitive is hardly used in spoken German but is often found in written German. The genitive case translates ‘of’ the/my etc. You use it to talk about who or what things belong to. In German you say ‘the car of my mother’ (not ‘my mother’s car’). Der Regenschirm der Frau. If you are using the genitive with a name, you can simply say ‘Gabis Schwester’, ‘Peters Onkel’, etc. But you do NOT need an apostrophe before the ‘s’. Masculine Neuter Feminine Plural der das die die ein ein eine - Back Masculine Neuter Feminine Plural den das die die einen ein eine - Back Masculine Neuter Feminine Plural dem dem der den einem einem einer - Back Masculine Neuter Feminine Plural des des der der eines eines einer - Back