Accusative Case in German – Complete Guide with Rules, Tables, and Examples

Key takeaways

• The accusative case marks the direct object of a sentence — the person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb.
• Only masculine nouns change their article in the accusative: der → den, ein → einen. Feminine, neuter, and plural forms stay the same as nominative.
• Five prepositions always require the accusative: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um.
• Dozens of common verbs — sehen, haben, kaufen, brauchen, kennen — take accusative objects.
• Adjective endings in the accusative follow the same weak/mixed/strong declension patterns as in other cases, with masculine forms showing the clearest change.

The accusative case is one of the first major grammar topics German learners encounter — and one of the most important. It appears in almost every sentence that contains a transitive verb, which means you cannot get far in German without it. The good news: the accusative is also one of the most straightforward cases. Only masculine nouns change their article form; everything else stays the same as in the nominative.

This guide covers the full accusative system: article tables, adjective endings, the most important accusative verbs, all accusative prepositions, two-way prepositions, and plenty of real sentence examples. If you want to practice everything in context, you can explore German lessons on Promova and build confidence through guided practice.

What is the accusative case in German?

German has four grammatical cases — nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive — each signaling a different grammatical role. The accusative case marks the direct object: the noun that directly receives the action of the verb.

To identify the accusative, ask wen? (whom?) or was? (what?) after the verb:

• Ich sehe den Hund. — I see the dog. → wen sehe ich? → den Hund (accusative)
• Sie kauft das Buch. — She buys the book. → was kauft sie? → das Buch (accusative)

Compare this with the nominative (subject), which answers wer? (who?) — the noun performing the action. In Ich sehe den Hund, Ich is nominative (subject), den Hund is accusative (direct object).

When to use the accusative case

Use the accusative in three main situations:

• Direct objects of transitive verbs — the most common use: Ich habe einen Bruder. (I have a brother.)
• After accusative prepositions — durch, für, gegen, ohne, um always require accusative.
• After two-way prepositions when expressing movement/direction — prepositions like in, an, auf, über take accusative when the verb indicates movement toward a place.

Accusative articles in German

The most important thing to memorize: only masculine nouns change their article in the accusative. Feminine, neuter, and plural articles are identical to the nominative.

Definite articles (der/die/das)

• Masculine: nominative der → accusative den
• Feminine: nominative die → accusative die (no change)
• Neuter: nominative das → accusative das (no change)
• Plural: nominative die → accusative die (no change)

Indefinite articles (ein/eine)

• Masculine: nominative ein → accusative einen
• Feminine: nominative eine → accusative eine (no change)
• Neuter: nominative ein → accusative ein (no change)

Negative article and possessives (kein, mein, dein…)

These follow the same pattern as ein:

• Masculine: kein → keinen, mein → meinen, dein → deinen
• Feminine and neuter: no change

Examples in sentences:

• Ich sehe den Mann. — I see the man. (def. masc.)
• Er hat einen Bruder. — He has a brother. (indef. masc.)
• Wir kaufen die Blumen. — We buy the flowers. (def. plural)
• Sie nimmt das Buch. — She takes the book. (def. neuter)
• Ich habe keinen Hunger. — I'm not hungry. (neg. masc.)

Accusative adjective endings

Adjective endings in the accusative follow the same weak/mixed/strong system as other cases. The key difference from nominative appears only in the masculine singular:

• After definite article: den alten Mann (weak, -en)
• After indefinite article: einen alten Mann (mixed, -en)
• Without article: alten Mann (strong, -en)
• Feminine, neuter, plural: same endings as nominative

Verbs that take the accusative

Transitive verbs — those that pass their action onto a direct object — require the accusative. Here are the most common ones grouped by theme:

Perception and cognition

• sehen — to see: Ich sehe den Vogel.
• hören — to hear: Sie hört die Musik.
• kennen — to know (a person/place): Ich kenne den Mann.
• verstehen — to understand: Er versteht die Frage.
• wissen — to know (a fact): Sie weiß die Antwort.

Possession and need

• haben — to have: Er hat einen Hund.
• brauchen — to need: Ich brauche einen Stift.
• mögen — to like: Sie mag den Kaffee.
• wollen — to want: Er will das Auto.
• suchen — to look for: Wir suchen einen Arzt.

Actions and transactions

• kaufen — to buy: Sie kauft einen Mantel.
• nehmen — to take: Er nimmt den Bus.
• finden — to find: Ich finde den Schlüssel nicht.
• lesen — to read: Sie liest einen Roman.
• schreiben — to write: Er schreibt einen Brief.
• besuchen — to visit: Wir besuchen einen Freund.
• fragen — to ask: Sie fragt den Lehrer.
• rufen — to call: Ich rufe einen Arzt.

Accusative prepositions

Five prepositions always require the accusative case — no exceptions. A useful mnemonic: durch für gegen ohne um (you can remember them as a phrase).

• durch — through: Wir gehen durch den Park. — We walk through the park.
• für — for: Das Geschenk ist für meinen Vater. — The gift is for my father.
• gegen — against, around (time): Er ist gegen die Wand gelaufen. — He walked into the wall. / Ich komme gegen acht Uhr. — I'll come around eight.
• ohne — without: Sie geht ohne einen Mantel raus. — She goes out without a coat.
• um — around, at (time): Sie laufen um den See. — They run around the lake. / Das Meeting beginnt um drei Uhr. — The meeting starts at three.

Two-way prepositions: accusative for movement

Nine prepositions — in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen — take either accusative or dative depending on meaning. The rule: accusative for movement/direction (wohin?), dative for location/position (wo?).

• Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. — I put the book on the table. (accusative — movement)
• Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. — The book is on the table. (dative — location)
• Sie hängt das Bild an die Wand. — She hangs the picture on the wall. (accusative — movement)
• Das Bild hängt an der Wand. — The picture hangs on the wall. (dative — location)

Accusative case in German — more sentence examples

Here are varied examples covering different verb types, genders, and prepositions:

• Ich sehe den Vogel. — I see the bird. (def. masc.)
• Er hat einen Hund. — He has a dog. (indef. masc.)
• Wir kaufen die Blumen. — We buy the flowers. (def. plural)
• Sie nimmt das Buch. — She takes the book. (def. neuter)
• Ich brauche einen neuen Laptop. — I need a new laptop. (indef. masc. + adj.)
• Er fährt durch den Tunnel. — He drives through the tunnel. (prep. durch)
• Das ist für dich. — That's for you. (prep. für + pronoun)
• Wir gehen um den See. — We walk around the lake. (prep. um)
• Sie geht ohne ihren Schlüssel raus. — She goes out without her key. (prep. ohne)
• Er schreibt seiner Mutter einen Brief. — He writes his mother a letter. (double object: dative + accusative)

Tips for mastering the accusative case

• Focus on masculine first. The only article that visibly changes is masculine der → den and ein → einen. Train your eye to spot these — they are your clearest signal that something is accusative.
• Memorize the five accusative prepositions as a set. Durch, für, gegen, ohne, um — learn them together and they'll never require case decisions again.
• Ask wen? or was? after the verb. If a noun answers this question, it's the direct object and needs accusative.
• Contrast with dative. Many beginners confuse accusative and dative. The quickest check: accusative answers wen/was, dative answers wem (to/for whom).
• Practice with double objects. Sentences like Ich gebe dir das Buch (I give you the book) contain both dative (dir) and accusative (das Buch). These are common in real speech and excellent for building intuition.

Learn the accusative case in German with support on Promova

Promova offers structured lessons that take you through the accusative case step by step — from basic article changes to two-way prepositions and double objects. Interactive exercises give you immediate feedback, and speaking practice helps you internalize accusative forms so they become automatic in real conversations.

Final thoughts on accusative case in German

The accusative case is the essential foundation for building German sentences that go beyond simple subject-verb constructions. Once you have the masculine article change locked in, memorize the five accusative prepositions, and understand the movement vs. location distinction for two-way prepositions, you'll be able to construct and interpret a huge range of German sentences. It takes time to make it automatic, but the system is logical and consistent — and that makes it learnable.