Buy THE EVERYTHING GERMAN PHRASE BOOK

German Phrases

Declensions by Edward Swick, M.A.

When nouns are used as the subject of a sentence, they are said to be in the nominative case. The nominative definite and indefinite articles are those illustrated in the previous section. However, the articles sometimes change depending upon how a noun is used in a sentence. For example, if a masculine noun is used as a direct object in a sentence, it is in the accusative case and requires a change of the article: Ich kenne den Mann. (I know the man.) As direct objects, feminine, neuter, and plural articles require no changes.

Certain prepositions and other functions cause other changes. These changes are described as the dative case and the genitive case. These changes of the articles are called declensions. Let's look at the declension of the definite articles.

Masculine	Feminine
nominative	der Garte	die Lampe
accusative	den Garten	die Lampe
dative	dem Garten	der Lampe
genitive	des Gartens	der Lampe
Neuter	Plural
nominative	das Haus	die Lampen
accusative	das Haus	die Lampen
dative	dem Haus	den Lampen
genitive	des Hauses	der Lampen

The indefinite articles follow a similar pattern.

Masculine	Feminine
nominative	ein Garten	eine Lampe
accusative	einen Garten	eine Lampe
dative	einem Garten	einer Lampe
genitive	eines Gartens	einer Lampe
Neuter	Plural
nominative	ein Haus	Lampen
accusative	ein Haus	Lampen
dative	einem Haus	Lampen
genitive	eines Hauses	Lampen

<B>Accusative Case</B></h2> <p>Articles change to their accusative case form when the noun is a direct object. Ask “whom” or “what” of the verb in a sentence to identify the direct object. For example: “They kiss the girl.” Ask, “Whom do they kiss?” The answer is “the girl” — the direct object. In German, the noun that is the direct object must appear in the accusative case:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><B>Masculine:</B> <B>Sie küssen den Mann</B>. (They kiss the man.)</p> <p><B>Feminine:</B><B>Sie küssen die Frau.</B> (They kiss the woman.)</p> <p><B>Neuter:</B> <B>Sie küssen das Mädchen</B>. (They kiss the girl.)</p> <p><B>Plural:</B> <B>Sie küssen die Frauen</B>. (They kiss the women.)</p> </div> <p>Some prepositions signal that the noun following them must be in the accusative case. These include <B>durch</B> (through) <B>für</B> (for), <B>gegen</B> (against), <B>ohne</B> (without), and <B>um</B> (around).</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><B>Masculine:</B> <B>Er arbeitet für den Mann</B>. (He works for the man.)</p> <p><B>Feminine:</B> <B>Er arbeitet für die Lehrerin</B>. (He works for the teacher.)</p> <p><B>Neuter:</B> <B>Er arbeitet für das Mädchen</B>. (He works for the girl.)</p> <p><B>Plural:</B> <B>Er arbeitet für die Schwestern</B>. (He works for the sisters.)</p> </div> <h2><B>Dative Case</B></h2> <p>The dative case is used to identify the indirect object in a sentence. The indirect object is identified by asking “to whom” or “for whom” of the verb in the sentence. For example: “I give the girl red roses.” Ask, “To whom do I give red roses?” The answer is “the girl” — the indirect object. In German, the indirect object must be in the dative case:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><B>Masculine:</B> <B>Ich gebe dem Mann rote Rosen.</B> (I give the man red roses.)</p> <p><B>Feminine:</B> <B>Ich gebe der Lehrerin rote Rosen.</B> (I give the teacher red roses.)</p> <p><B>Neuter:</B> <B>Ich gebe dem Mädchen rote Rosen.</B> (I give the girl red roses.)</p> <p><B>Plural:</B> <B>Ich gebe den Mädchen rote Rosen.</B> (I give the girls red roses.)</p> </div> <p>Some prepositions are signals that the noun that follows them must be in the dative case. Some of these are <B>aus</B> (out [of]), <B>bei</B> (by, at), <B>mit</B> (with), <B>nach</B> (after), <B>seit</B> (since), <B>von</B> (from, of), and <B>zu</B> (to).</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><B>Masculine:</B> <B>Ich spreche mit dem Lehrer.</B> (I speak with the teacher.)</p> <p><B>Feminine:</B> <B>Ich spreche mit der Mutter.</B> (I speak with the mother.)</p> <p><B>Neuter:</B> <B>Ich spreche mit dem Kind.</B> (I speak with the child.)</p> <p><B>Plural:</B> <B>Ich spreche mit den Lehrerinnen.</B> (I speak with the teachers.)</p> </div> <h2><B>Genitive Case</B></h2> <p>The genitive case is used to show possession. In English, this is achieved by an apostrophe plus the letter “s” or with the preposition “of” (the man's book/the roar of the lion). In German, the genitive case replaces both forms of English possession.</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><B>Masculine:</B> <B>Wo ist das Buch des Mannes?</B> (Where is the man's book?)</p> <p><B>Feminine:</B> <B>Wo ist das Buch der Lehrerin?</B> (Where is the teacher's book?)</p> <p><B>Neuter:</B> <B>Wo ist das Buch des Kindes?</B> (Where is the child's book?)</p> <p><B>Plural:</B> <B>Wo ist das Buch der Kinder?</B> (Where is the children's book?)</p> </div> <p>Some prepositions are signals that the nouns that follow them must be in the genitive case. Two of these are <B>während</B> (during) and <B>wegen</B> (because of). In a sentence, they are used like this:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><B>Masculine:</B> <B>Wo warst du während des Winters?</B> (Where were you during the winter?)</p> <p><B>Feminine:</B> <B>Wo warst du während der Woche?</B> (Where were you during the week?)</p> <p><B>Neuter:</B> <B>Wegen des Gewitters bleibe ich zu Hause.</B> (Because of the storm I stay home.)</p> <p><B>Plural:</B> <B>Wegen der Probleme bleibe ich zu Hause.</B> (Because of the problems I stay home.)</p> </div> <p>The indefinite articles function in the four cases in the same way as the definite articles. For example:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><B>Sie küssen einen Mann.</B> (They kiss a man.)</p> <p><B>Wir arbeiten für eine Lehrerin.</B> (We work for a teacher.)</p> <p><B>Sie sprechen mit einem Kind.</B> (They speak with a child.)</p> <p><B>Das ist das Auto eines Lehrers.</B> (That's a teacher's car.)</p> </div> <p>Although the use of German articles is quite different from English, you will discover with time and practice that these declensions will fall into place for you. Be patient. There is no need to absorb all these endings immediately, don't be afraid to experiment with them. And if you use the wrong case, German speakers will still understand you.</p>  <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/the-art-of-articles.htm" title="The Art of Articles">The Art of Articles</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/verbs-perform-the-action-for-you.htm" title="Verbs Perform the Action for You">Verbs Perform the Action for You</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/declensions.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Declensions - German Phrases </a></li> <li><a href="http://german.about.com/library/blcase_dat.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> The Four Cases: The Dative </a></li> <li><a href="http://german.about.com/library/blcase_acc2.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> German Accusative Prepositions </a></li> <li><a href="http://german.about.com/library/blcase_acc.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> The Four German Cases: Accusative - Akkusativ </a></li> <li><a href="http://german.about.com/library/blcase_sum2.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> The Four German Cases: Summary Part 2 </a></li> </ul></div> <div id="sec"><div class="n5">Read More German Grammar Basics</div><ul><ul class="col1"><li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/names-and-nouns.htm">Names and Nouns</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/the-art-of-articles.htm">The Art of Articles</a></li> <li class="btO">Declensions</li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/verbs-perform-the-action-for-you.htm">Verbs Perform the Action for You</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/endings-make-the-difference.htm">Endings Make the Difference</a></li> </ul><ul class="col2"><li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/adjectives.htm">Adjectives</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/adverbs.htm">Adverbs</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/know-your-pronouns.htm">Know Your Pronouns</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/being-negative.htm">Being Negative</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/asking-questions.htm">Asking Questions</a></li> </ul></ul></div> </div> <script>if(zSbL<1)zSbL=3;zSB(2);zSbL=0</script> </div> <div id="widgets"><script type="text/javascript">if(z336>0){w('<div id="adB">'+ap[0]+at[4]+as[0]);adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,280,'1','bb',3);w('</div>')}if(z155>0){w('<div id="adP">'+ap[0]+at[4]+as[0]);adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,155,'1','ps',4);w('</div>')}</script> <div id="pg" class="pane"><div class="n3">Shopping</div><div class="cntnr"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-german-phrase-book/"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/np/german-phrases/Cover.jpg"></a><h4><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-german-phrase-book/">THE EVERYTHING GERMAN PHRASE BOOK</a></h4><p><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-german-phrase-book/">By Edward Swick, M.A.</a></p><div id="fp"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-german-phrase-book/">Buy This Book</a></div></div></div> <div id="toc" class="pane"><div class="n3">German Phrases Sections</div><ul><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/the-top-ten-german-phrases-you-should-know/">The Top 10 German Phrases You Should Know</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/introduction-to-german/">Introduction to German</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/">German Grammar Basics</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/essential-german/">Essential German</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/meeting-people/">Meeting People</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/airports-and-hotels/">Airports and Hotels</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/taking-in-the-town/">Taking in the Town</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/time-for-dinner/">Time for Dinner</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/shopping-and-services/">Shopping and Services</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/activities-and-entertainment/">Activities and Entertainment</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-for-business/">German for Business</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-medical-phrases/">German Medical Phrases</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/in-your-community/">In Your Community</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/miscellaneous-german/">Miscellaneous German</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/common-german-expressions/">Common German Expressions</a></li> </ul></div></div> <script type="text/javascript">zCi();validateForms();</script> <div id="abf" style="padding-right:0"><ol class="crumbtrail"><li class="home"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/">Home</a></li><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/">German Phrases</a></li><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/">German Grammar Basics</a></li><li>Declensions</li></ol></div> <div id="aboutinfo" class="hlist"><div id="morefrom"><h6>Visit other About.com sites:</h6><ul><li><a href="http://caloriecount.about.com/" rel="nofollow">Calorie Count</a></li><li><a href="http://www.consumersearch.com/" rel="nofollow">ConsumerSearch</a></li><li class="last"><a href="http://www.allexperts.com/" rel="nofollow">Allexperts.com</a></li></ul></div> <ul id="siteinfo"><li><a href="http://spiderbites.about.com/sitemap.htm">SiteMap</a></li><li><a href="http://www.about.com/gi/pages/hc.htm" rel="nofollow">Help</a></li><li><a href="http://www.about.com/gi/pages/mprivacy.htm" rel="nofollow">Privacy Policy</a></li><li><a href="http://www.about.com/gi/pages/mprivacy.htm#adchoices" rel="nofollow">Your Ad Choices</a></li><li class="last"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/pform.htm" rel="nofollow">Contact Us</a></li></ul> <ul id="companyinfo"><li class="last"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/ " rel="nofollow">Buy Books</a></li></ul><div id="disclaimer"><p>Netplaces.com, a part of <a href="http://www.nytco.com/">The New York Times Company</a>.</p><p>All rights reserved.</p></div></div></div> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript">(function(){var po=document.createElement('script');po.type='text/javascript';po.async=true;po.src='https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js';var s=document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(po,s)})();</script> </body></html>