Accusative Case
The German accusative case is used when the noun/pronoun is the direct object of the sentence, that is, the person or thing affected by the action or the verb.
Endings in the Accusative case
Except for the masculine gender, endings in the accusative case are exactly similar to those in the nominative case.
| Article | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definite | den | die | das | die |
| Indefinite | einen | eine | ein | – |
| Negative | keinen | keine | kein | keine |
| Possessive | meinen | meine | mein | meine |
Personal Pronouns
Most of the personal pronouns make a change from the nominative case to the accusative case, as shown in the next table:
| Singular Pronoun | Definition | Plural Pronoun | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| mich | me | uns | us |
| dich | you – informal | euch | you – informal |
| ihn/sie/es | him/her/it | sie | they |
| Sie | you – formal | Sie | you – formal |
Accusative case after certain verbs
Nearly all of the German verbs that can take a direct object take the accusative, which is expected, as the accusative is the direct object of the sentence. Such verbs are called ‘transitive verbs‘.
Accusative case after certain prepositions
Certain prepositions always take the accusative case, no matter what position or role the noun plays in the sentence, and even if there will be more than one accusative noun within the sentence.
| Preposition | Definition |
|---|---|
| bis | until |
| durch | through |
| für | for |
| gegen | against |
| ohne | without |
| um | around, at |
Interrogatives in the Accusative Case
In the accusative, the interrogative pronoun ‘wer’ becomes ‘wen’, and the interrogative ‘welcher’ is declined according to the noun it’s attached to.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accusative | welchen | welche | welches | welche |
Examples
Here are a few example sentences in which the accusative nouns/pronouns are pointed out:
- Ich kaufe einen Gürtel für meinen Vater – I’m buying a belt for my father
- Er trinkt ein Bier – He’s drinking a beer
- Ich habe keinen Hunger – I’m not hungry
- Wir sind gegen die Idee – We are against the idea