German cases explained simply

The four German cases at a glance: nominative, accusative, dative and genitive

In German, the form of the article, adjective and pronoun shows which role a noun plays in the sentence. These forms are called cases (Fälle or Kasus). In English you usually recognise the role from word order: The manager sends the client the offer. In German the order can vary, because the endings carry the information: Der Manager schickt dem Kunden das Angebot. or Dem Kunden schickt der Manager das Angebot. The meaning stays the same.

Why is the effort worth it? Case errors are the most common grammar mistakes at levels A2 to B2. At the same time, many employers require exactly this level: according to IAB short report 7/2026 (in German), 57 per cent of businesses require at least B2 German when hiring. At B2 you are expected to use the cases confidently in everyday situations. That is why, in our online German courses, we practise them not in isolation but in emails, phone calls and meetings.

How to identify the case in three steps

1. Find the verb. It determines which objects follow (helfen + dative, fragen + accusative).
2. Check whether there is a preposition before the noun. Prepositions decide the case themselves.
3. Ask the question: Wer? Wen? Wem? Wessen?

Declension of articles: a table for der, die, das, ein and kein

Articles change according to case, gender and number. In the accusative only the masculine changes: der becomes den, ein becomes einen. In the dative the forms are dem, der, dem, and in the plural den with -n on the noun; in the genitive des, der, des, der. Possessives such as mein or Ihr take the same endings as kein.

These tables are the heart of the chapter. Print them out or copy them by hand until you know them by heart.

Definite article

Indefinite article and kein

Possessive articles such as mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, Ihr take the same endings as kein: Ich habe meinen Ausweis vergessen. (I’ve forgotten my ID.) Ich spreche mit meiner Chefin. (I’m talking to my boss.)

Personal pronouns

Three observations that make learning easier

• In the accusative only the masculine changes: der → den, ein → einen. Feminine, neuter and plural stay as in the nominative.
• The dative plural always has -n on the article and the noun: mit den Kunden, in den Büros (exception: plurals ending in -s).
• Masculine and neuter are identical in the dative and genitive: dem / des.

Of course, you need to know the article itself first. Rules and memory aids are in our article der, die or das?

Accusative: when do I use it?

Use the accusative for the direct object after verbs such as haben, brauchen or fragen, after the prepositions durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, in time expressions without a preposition such as jeden Montag (every Monday), and after two-way prepositions answering Wohin? (where to?). You can see it almost only in the masculine: den, einen, keinen.

The accusative is the case of the direct object. Most verbs with an object require it: haben, brauchen, kaufen, schreiben, sehen, suchen, besuchen, fragen, anrufen, bestellen.

• Wir brauchen einen neuen Drucker. (We need a new printer.)
• Ich frage den Kollegen. (I’ll ask the colleague.) Note: fragen takes the accusative, unlike in many other languages.
• Können Sie mich morgen anrufen? (Could you call me tomorrow?)

Prepositions with the accusative

durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, plus bis and entlang (placed after the noun). Memory aid: “DOGFU” (durch, ohne, gegen, für, um).

• Das Paket ist für den Chef. (The parcel is for the boss.)
• Wir fahren durch die Stadt. (We drive through the town.)
• Ich trinke Kaffee ohne Zucker. (I drink coffee without sugar.)
• Das Meeting beginnt um zehn Uhr. (The meeting starts at ten.)

Time expressions in the accusative

Time expressions without a preposition take the accusative: Jeden Montag haben wir ein Teammeeting. Nächsten Monat beginnt das Projekt. Ich war den ganzen Tag im Büro. (Every Monday we have a team meeting. The project starts next month. I was in the office all day.)

Greetings as a memory aid

Many fixed expressions are in the accusative because an unspoken verb such as wünschen (to wish) belongs to them: Guten Morgen, guten Tag, einen schönen Abend, herzlichen Glückwunsch, vielen Dank. If you say these phrases consciously, you will hear the accusative ending -en every day.

Dative: verbs and prepositions that take the dative

The dative usually marks the person who receives something or is affected by something. With verbs that take two objects, the person is in the dative and the thing in the accusative: Ich schicke dem Kunden (dative) das Angebot (accusative). (I’m sending the client the offer.) A small group of common verbs and seven prepositions always take the dative.

Important verbs with the dative

Prepositions with the dative

aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu, plus gegenüber and ab. A rhyme that German schoolchildren know well: “Aus, bei, mit, nach, von, seit, zu – fährst immer mit dem Dativ du.”

• Ich komme gerade aus dem Meeting. (I’ve just come out of the meeting.)
• Sie arbeitet bei einer Bank in München. (She works at a bank in Munich.)
• Wir fahren mit dem Zug. (We’re going by train.)
• Ich arbeite seit einem Jahr in Erlangen. (I have been working in Erlangen for a year.)
• Ich gehe zum Arzt (zu + dem). (I’m going to the doctor.)

Contractions

Prepositions and articles often merge: zu dem = zum, zu der = zur, bei dem = beim, von dem = vom, in dem = im, an dem = am. In emails and conversation the short form is the norm: Ich bin heute im Homeoffice und morgen beim Kunden. (I’m working from home today and at the client’s tomorrow.)

Two-way prepositions: accusative or dative? The wo/wohin rule

After two-way prepositions, use the accusative when a direction or movement towards a goal is meant (question Wohin?, where to?) and the dative when it is about a position (question Wo?, where?). For example: Ich lege die Akte auf den Tisch (I put the file on the table), but Die Akte liegt auf dem Tisch (the file is on the table). In time expressions, an, in, vor almost always take the dative.

Nine prepositions can take either the accusative or the dative: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen. The rule is simpler than it sounds:

• Wohin? (direction, movement towards a goal) → accusative
• Wo? (position, location) → dative

Verb pairs as a memory aid

The verb pairs legen / liegen, stellen / stehen, setzen / sitzen, hängen (hängte) / hängen (hing) help a lot. The first verb describes an action with a direction (accusative), the second a state (dative), much like English lay / lie and set / sit. The irregular forms of these verbs are in our list of German irregular verbs.

Two-way prepositions in time expressions

In time expressions, an, in, vor almost always take the dative: am Montag, im Juli, vor einer Woche, in zwei Tagen. English-speaking learners often confuse vor and for here: vor einem Jahr means a year ago, not “for a year”.

Genitive: when do you still need the genitive?

The genitive expresses belonging. In spoken German it is often replaced by von + dative: das Auto von meinem Bruder instead of das Auto meines Bruders (my brother’s car). In written texts, in administration and at work, however, it is very much alive: die Kosten des Projekts, die Leitung der Abteilung, im Namen des Unternehmens (the project’s costs, the head of department, on behalf of the company).

Genitive endings

• Masculine and neuter nouns take -s or -es: des Vertrags / des Vertrages, des Projekts, des Hauses.
• Feminine nouns and plurals have no ending: der Firma, der Mitarbeitenden.
• Names take an -s without an apostrophe, unlike English: Annas Präsentation, Münchens Innenstadt.

Prepositions with the genitive

In formal texts you will often meet wegen, trotz, während, statt, innerhalb, außerhalb, aufgrund (because of, despite, during, instead of, within, outside, due to):

• Wegen des Streiks kommt die Lieferung später. (Because of the strike, the delivery will be late.)
• Während der Probezeit gilt eine kürzere Kündigungsfrist. (During the probation period, a shorter notice period applies.)
• Bitte zahlen Sie innerhalb eines Monats. (Please pay within one month.)

In everyday speech you will often hear wegen dem Streik with the dative. This is widespread in colloquial German, but in letters and exams you should use the genitive. The genitive is everywhere in dealings with the authorities, as our article on understanding official German shows.

Common mistakes with the cases and the n-declension

The most common case errors are a missing -en in the masculine accusative (ein Termin instead of einen Termin), the accusative after dative verbs such as helfen, the wrong case after mit or in, and forgotten endings of the n-declension, for instance with Kunde or Herr. The table shows typical examples with the matching rule.

The n-declension

A group of masculine nouns takes the ending -n or -en in every case except the nominative singular. This includes above all male persons and animals ending in -e (der Kollege, der Kunde, der Junge), many loanwords ending in -ant, -ent, -ist (der Praktikant, der Student, der Spezialist), and der Herr, der Mensch, der Nachbar.

• Ich rufe den Kunden an. (accusative)
• Wir schicken dem Praktikanten den Plan. (dative)
• Das ist die Idee des Kollegen. (genitive)

This mistake is particularly noticeable in business letters, for example in an Herrn Schmidt. How the cases interact with word order is explained in our article on German word order.

Exercises on the accusative, dative and genitive with answers

The best way to check your understanding is to apply the rules to short sentences from working life. Work through both exercises without looking at the tables, then compare your answers with the solutions below. For every mistake, go back to the matching rule and write one new example sentence of your own.

Exercise 1: fill in the article

1. Ich schreibe ___ Kundin (f) eine E-Mail.
2. Wir suchen ___ neuen Mitarbeiter (m).
3. Das Büro ___ Geschäftsführers (m) ist im dritten Stock.
4. Nach ___ Meeting (n) gehen wir essen.
5. Ich danke ___ Team (n) für die Arbeit.
6. Er legt den Vertrag in ___ Schublade (f).

Exercise 2: wo or wohin?

1. Der Drucker steht in ___ Ecke.
2. Stell die Kartons bitte in ___ Lager.
3. Die Präsentation hängt an ___ Wand.

Answers

Exercise 1: 1. der (dative), 2. einen (accusative), 3. des (genitive), 4. dem (dative), 5. dem (dative), 6. die (wohin? accusative).
Exercise 2: 1. der (wo? dative), 2. das / ins (wohin? accusative), 3. der (wo? dative).

What next?

You will not master the cases in a weekend. You need lots of examples and feedback in real situations. In an online German course with choices®, your teacher corrects your typical case errors in a targeted way. Companies that want to support employees systematically will find information under language courses for companies, and if you need a certificate, see our exam preparation page. What is expected of you at each level is explained in our article on CEFR levels A1 to C2.

Sources

1. doku.iab.de: kb2026 07

Frequently asked questions