German Grammar - Cases/Kasus - South Africans in Germany

Cases

In language, cases are grammatical categories that show the relationship between words in a sentence, usually between nouns or pronouns and the other words around them. Cases help us understand who is doing what, who is receiving the action, and what belongs to whom, even if the word order changes.
In languages like German, cases affect articles and sometimes the endings of nouns. They tell you who the subject is, the direct object, the indirect object, or who possesses something. This is helpful in languages with flexible word order, where cases help clarify meaning.

The cases are an important part of German grammar as they are responsible for the endings of adjectives, indefinite articles and when to use which personal pronoun.

German has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. Each case shows the role of a noun or pronoun in a sentence. Here’s a simple breakdown:

Nominative Case (Der Nominativ)

The nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence, the “doer” of the action.
Example: Der Hund bellt. (The dog barks.)
Here, der Hund is in the nominative case because it’s the subject.
Who (wer) or What (was) is doing something?

Accusative Case (Der Akkusativ)

The accusative case is used for the direct object, the receiver of the action.
Example: Ich sehe den Hund. (I see the dog.)
Den Hund is in the accusative case because it’s receiving the action (seeing).
The question for the accusative is “whom” (“wen”) or “what” (“was”) is something being done to. The person, animal or object which is directly affected by the action of the verb.
The accusative is also used after certain prepositions ( bis, für, gegen, ohne, um, durch), see the list below
It is used after specific verbs and when we have 2 people/objects in a sentence

Dative Case (Der Dativ)

The dative case is used for the indirect object, which is often the beneficiary or recipient of the action.
Person or object indirectly impacted by the action. In English, this is often indicated by the words “to” or “for.”
Example: Ich gebe dem Hund einen Ball. (I give the dog a ball.)
Here, dem Hund is in the dative case, receiving the benefit of the ball.
In most situations, you can also ask to whom (“wem”) or for whom.
The dative case is also used after certain prepositions, see the list below
Not all sentences have a Dative part.

Genitive Case (Der Genitiv)

The genitive case indicates possession, similar to using “of” or “’s” in English.
Example: Das ist das Haus des Mannes. (That is the man’s house.)
Des Mannes is in the genitive case, showing possession of the house.
In English, we use “of” or ” ‘s”.
You’re able to ask: Whose…?
The genitive case is also used after certain prepositions

More about Präpositionen

Präpositionen

Präpositionen / Prepositions These are words like in, on, at, for, to, by, into, towards, through, under.It is important to understand the concept of movement

German Grammar – Cases/Kasus