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The Accusative Case in German

Hayford Amedji-Dela Anyidoho

The object is a person or thing affected by an action.

The accusative is the 4th case (also known as Kasus) in German. Its primary function is to mark the object in a sentence.

Example: The Accusative in Sentences

  • German: Das Mädchen ruft ihre Freundin an.
  • English: The girl calls her friend.
  • German: Der Kunde kauft ein Brot.
  • English: The customer buys a bread.
  • German: Sie spielt ihm einen Streich.
  • English: She plays a trick on him.
  • German: Ich habe ihn getroffen.
  • English: I met him.

The 4 Cases in German: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative

In German, there are four cases: nominative, genitive, dative, and accusative. These cases indicate how the different parts of a sentence are connected.

The nominative is used for the subject of the sentence, which indicates who is performing an action.

In the other cases, objects are typically marked. These cases show who or what is the target of an action or who or what is affected by an action.

Example: The 4 Cases in Sentences

First Example
A sentence with a subject in the nominative (who or what?), a dative object (to whom?), and an accusative object (whom or what?):

  • German: Die Freundin gibt ihr einen Rat.
  • English: The friend gives her advice.

Second Example
A sentence with a subject in the nominative (who or what?) and a genitive object (whose?):

  • German: Die Lehrerin wollte sich der Sache annehmen.
  • English: The teacher wanted to take care of the matter.

The accusative object is the most common object in German sentences.

While the accusative primarily marks the object, it also serves other functions (see the chapter “The Six Functions of the Accusative”).

How to Ask for the Accusative

To identify the accusative object, you ask the question “whom or what?” (wen oder was?).

Example: Asking for the Accusative

  • German Sentence: Sebastian macht einen Spaziergang.
  • English Translation: Sebastian takes a walk.
  • Question in German: Wen oder was macht Sebastian?
  • Answer in German: Einen Spaziergang
  • Result: “Einen Spaziergang” is in the accusative.
  • German Sentence: Sie mag ihn.
  • English Translation: She likes him.
  • Question in German: Wen oder was mag sie?
  • Answer in German: Ihn
  • Result: “Ihn” is in the accusative.

The Position of the Accusative in a Sentence

German doesn’t have a fixed word order. The cases indicate which part of the sentence is the subject and which parts are the objects, so word order can vary.

However, there is a typical sentence structure. Normally, the subject comes first, and the accusative object follows the verb.

Example: Position of the Accusative Object

  • German: Sabrina kauft ein Geschenk.
  • English: Sabrina buys a gift.

When there is both a dative and an accusative object, the dative object usually precedes the accusative object.

Example: Position of the Accusative and Dative Objects

  • German: Sabrina kauft ihrem Freund ein Geschenk.
  • English: Sabrina buys her friend a gift.

If the accusative object is a personal pronoun, it typically comes before the dative object.

Example: Position of a Personal Pronoun Accusative Object and Dative Object

  • German: Sabrina kauft es ihrem Freund.
  • English: Sabrina buys it for her friend.

When both objects are personal pronouns, the accusative object also comes before the dative object.

Example: Position of Personal Pronoun Accusative and Dative Objects

  • German: Sabrina kauft es ihm.
  • English: Sabrina buys it for him.

The 6 Functions of the Accusative

The most common use of the accusative is the accusative object, but the accusative has six functions overall:

  1. Accusative Object
  2. Adverbial Accusative
  3. Prepositional Phrase in the Accusative
  4. Predicate Accusative
  5. Apposition in the Accusative
  6. Absolute Accusative

1. Accusative Object

The accusative often appears as an accusative object, which is the most common object in German sentences.

You can ask for the accusative object with “whom or what?” (wen oder was?).

Accusative objects consist of:

  • A noun with accompanying words (articles, pronouns, adjectives) or
  • A nominalization with accompanying words (articles, pronouns, adjectives) or
  • A personal pronoun.

Example: Accusative Object

  • German: Peter liest sein spannendes Buch.
  • English: Peter reads his exciting book.
  • German: Melanie trifft einen Unbekannten.
  • English: Melanie meets a stranger.
  • German: Susanne ruft ihn an.
  • English: Susanne calls him.

If only one object is in the sentence, it is usually an accusative object. If there are two objects, one is typically accusative and the other dative.

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