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Dictionary http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/ Vocabulary http://www.csulb.edu/~ger manol/neu/vocabularyind ex/vocabularyindexG-E.ht m |
The subject of a sentence is the person or thing who performs the action. The subject of a sentence is always in
the nominative case.
She works some times.
To find out what the subject of a sentence is, look at the verb first and then ask 'who (or what)?' In our sample
sentence, the verb is 'works'. Add 'who (or what)' and you get: 'Who (or What)' works a lot? The answer is: She.
'She' is thus the subject of the sentence.
What is the subject (in the nominative case) in these sentences?
My sister eats a Schnitzel.
Meine Schwester isst ein Schnitzel.
The verb is 'eats'. 'Who (or what)' eats a Schnitzel? - 'My sister'.
'My sister' is the subject of the sentence, in the nominative case..
My brother plays (a game).
'Who or what' plays? My brother.
This computer is very expensive.
'Who or what' is very expensive? This computer.
Und jetzt auf Deutsch!
Meine Schwester isst ein Schnitzel.
'Wer oder was' isst ein Schnitzel? Meine Schwester.
Meine Schwester nicht spielt.
'Wer oder was' nicht spielt? Meine Schwester.
Der Computer ist sehr teuer.
'Wer oder was' ist sehr teuer? Der Computer.
The nominative case is also used for so-called predicate complements. Take a look at this sentence: John is a
nice guy. You know now that John is the subject (in the nominative case) of this sentence: 'Who (or what') is a
nice guy? John. Whenever you have a sentence in which the subject = something else (John = nice guy), the
predicate complement (nice guy) is also in the nominative case because it is 'equal to' the subject. This
commonly is the case when you have linking verbs like to be (sein) or to become (werden).
English German
Are these sentences complete?
Claudia has ...
She loves money
She buys
No, they are missing a direct object.
Sind diese Sätze komplett?
Claudia hat ...
Sie liebt das geld
Sie kauft
Nein, hier fehlt das direkte Objekt.
Claudia has a cat.
She loves the cat.
She buys a bird.
Claudia hat eine Katze.
Sie liebt die Katze.
Sie kauft einen Vogel.
In English as in German, there are different cases. In English, the definite ("the") and indefinite ("a") articles are
the same in the nominative and the accusative case. There is a change, however, when you use personal
pronouns. Say, the subject of a sentence (i.e. the nominative) is "she". When used in the accusative, it
becomes "her".
The woman (=subject) is here. She (=subject) is here.
I (=subject) see the woman (=direct object)? I (=subject) see her (=direct object).
Is the man here? Is he here?
Can you see the man? Can you see him?
The difference of subject (nominative) and direct object (accusative) in English becomes clear when you look at
personal pronouns (i.e. she/her; he/him)
Nominative I you he she it we you they WHO?
Accusative me you him her it us you them WHOM?
In German, the definite ("der") and indefinite ("ein") articles used with masculine nouns in the accusative also
indicate case. They change from "der" in the nominative to "den" in the accusative.
Der Mann (=subject) ist groß. The man is tall.
Sie (=subject) liebt den Mann (=object). She loves the man / She loves him.
Articles for feminine nouns, neuter nouns, and for plural forms are exactly the same in the nominative and in the
accusative case.
Only the article for masculine nouns changes in the accusative case.
Masculine Neuter Feminine Plural
Nom. der/ein Hund das/ein Tier die/eine Katze die/keine Tiere
Acc. den/einen Hund das/ein Tier die/eine Katze die/keine Tiere
the nominative case.
She works some times.
To find out what the subject of a sentence is, look at the verb first and then ask 'who (or what)?' In our sample
sentence, the verb is 'works'. Add 'who (or what)' and you get: 'Who (or What)' works a lot? The answer is: She.
'She' is thus the subject of the sentence.
What is the subject (in the nominative case) in these sentences?
My sister eats a Schnitzel.
Meine Schwester isst ein Schnitzel.
The verb is 'eats'. 'Who (or what)' eats a Schnitzel? - 'My sister'.
'My sister' is the subject of the sentence, in the nominative case..
My brother plays (a game).
'Who or what' plays? My brother.
This computer is very expensive.
'Who or what' is very expensive? This computer.
Und jetzt auf Deutsch!
Meine Schwester isst ein Schnitzel.
'Wer oder was' isst ein Schnitzel? Meine Schwester.
Meine Schwester nicht spielt.
'Wer oder was' nicht spielt? Meine Schwester.
Der Computer ist sehr teuer.
'Wer oder was' ist sehr teuer? Der Computer.
The nominative case is also used for so-called predicate complements. Take a look at this sentence: John is a
nice guy. You know now that John is the subject (in the nominative case) of this sentence: 'Who (or what') is a
nice guy? John. Whenever you have a sentence in which the subject = something else (John = nice guy), the
predicate complement (nice guy) is also in the nominative case because it is 'equal to' the subject. This
commonly is the case when you have linking verbs like to be (sein) or to become (werden).
English German
Are these sentences complete?
Claudia has ...
She loves money
She buys
No, they are missing a direct object.
Sind diese Sätze komplett?
Claudia hat ...
Sie liebt das geld
Sie kauft
Nein, hier fehlt das direkte Objekt.
Claudia has a cat.
She loves the cat.
She buys a bird.
Claudia hat eine Katze.
Sie liebt die Katze.
Sie kauft einen Vogel.
In English as in German, there are different cases. In English, the definite ("the") and indefinite ("a") articles are
the same in the nominative and the accusative case. There is a change, however, when you use personal
pronouns. Say, the subject of a sentence (i.e. the nominative) is "she". When used in the accusative, it
becomes "her".
The woman (=subject) is here. She (=subject) is here.
I (=subject) see the woman (=direct object)? I (=subject) see her (=direct object).
Is the man here? Is he here?
Can you see the man? Can you see him?
The difference of subject (nominative) and direct object (accusative) in English becomes clear when you look at
personal pronouns (i.e. she/her; he/him)
Nominative I you he she it we you they WHO?
Accusative me you him her it us you them WHOM?
In German, the definite ("der") and indefinite ("ein") articles used with masculine nouns in the accusative also
indicate case. They change from "der" in the nominative to "den" in the accusative.
Der Mann (=subject) ist groß. The man is tall.
Sie (=subject) liebt den Mann (=object). She loves the man / She loves him.
Articles for feminine nouns, neuter nouns, and for plural forms are exactly the same in the nominative and in the
accusative case.
Only the article for masculine nouns changes in the accusative case.
Masculine Neuter Feminine Plural
Nom. der/ein Hund das/ein Tier die/eine Katze die/keine Tiere
Acc. den/einen Hund das/ein Tier die/eine Katze die/keine Tiere
The Dative Case
The dative case is the case of the indirect object. The indirect object is the person or thing "to whom?" or "for
whom?" an action is done. Thus, to figure out which part of a sentence is the indirect object, ask the question:
"To whom or for whom". (If you're having problems with such 'questions', review the nominative).
In English, you oftentimes (but not always) use the prepositions 'to' or 'for' to indicate such an indirect object.
Example:
I'm buying my girl-friend a bottle of ketchup.
OR
I'm buying a bottle of ketchup for my girl-friend.
Both sentences mean the same.
In German, the indirect object is always expressed by the dative case, never with 'to' or 'for'.
Look at the sentence elements to help you figure out their cases:
I'm buying my girl-friend a bottle of ketchup. = Ich kaufe meiner Freundin eine Flasche Ketchup.
Ich is the subject. (Who or what is buying the ketchup?)
Meiner Freundin is the indirect object. (I am buying the ketchup for whom?)
Ich gebe meinem Partner Blumen.
I'm giving my partner flowers. OR: I'm giving flowers to my partner.
Mein Partner gibt mir auch Blumen.
My partner is also giving me flowers. OR: My partner is also giving flowers to me.
Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive:
Lists of articles, pronouns, possessive adjectives, der-, and ein-words
The dative case is the case of the indirect object. The indirect object is the person or thing "to whom?" or "for
whom?" an action is done. Thus, to figure out which part of a sentence is the indirect object, ask the question:
"To whom or for whom". (If you're having problems with such 'questions', review the nominative).
In English, you oftentimes (but not always) use the prepositions 'to' or 'for' to indicate such an indirect object.
Example:
I'm buying my girl-friend a bottle of ketchup.
OR
I'm buying a bottle of ketchup for my girl-friend.
Both sentences mean the same.
In German, the indirect object is always expressed by the dative case, never with 'to' or 'for'.
Look at the sentence elements to help you figure out their cases:
I'm buying my girl-friend a bottle of ketchup. = Ich kaufe meiner Freundin eine Flasche Ketchup.
Ich is the subject. (Who or what is buying the ketchup?)
Meiner Freundin is the indirect object. (I am buying the ketchup for whom?)
Ich gebe meinem Partner Blumen.
I'm giving my partner flowers. OR: I'm giving flowers to my partner.
Mein Partner gibt mir auch Blumen.
My partner is also giving me flowers. OR: My partner is also giving flowers to me.
Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive:
Lists of articles, pronouns, possessive adjectives, der-, and ein-words
The Genitive Case
The genitive case indicates possession. For proper names, German adds an 's', just like in English. The only
difference is that in German you do not add an apostrophy: Peter's car = Peters Auto; Mary's lamb = Marys
Lamm.
Masculine and neuter nouns add an 's' if the noun has more than one syllable, an 'es' if it has only one
syllable. Note that in the genitive the article has to change, too.
One syllable:
das Kind -> des Kindes
More than one syllable:
der Großvater -> des Großvaters
seems they couldn't decide on the proper genitive ending...
The only exception to this rule are masculine 'N-nouns' as they also add 'n' or 'en' in the genitive. They do not
add an additional 's'.
Feminine and plural nouns do not change in the genitive.
Jakobs Hemd = Jacob's shirt
Petras Kleid = Petra's dress
die Hose des Mannes = the man's pants (Mannes because it is masculine and has one syllable)
die Schuhe des Professors = the professor's shoes (Professors because it has more than one syllable)
der Hut der Frau = the woman's hat (Frau is feminine, so there is no change)
die Socken der Kinder = the children's socks (Kinder does not change because it is plural)
masculine neuter feminine plural
definite article des des der der
indefinite article eines eines einer keiner
Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive
The genitive case indicates possession. For proper names, German adds an 's', just like in English. The only
difference is that in German you do not add an apostrophy: Peter's car = Peters Auto; Mary's lamb = Marys
Lamm.
Masculine and neuter nouns add an 's' if the noun has more than one syllable, an 'es' if it has only one
syllable. Note that in the genitive the article has to change, too.
One syllable:
das Kind -> des Kindes
More than one syllable:
der Großvater -> des Großvaters
seems they couldn't decide on the proper genitive ending...
The only exception to this rule are masculine 'N-nouns' as they also add 'n' or 'en' in the genitive. They do not
add an additional 's'.
Feminine and plural nouns do not change in the genitive.
Jakobs Hemd = Jacob's shirt
Petras Kleid = Petra's dress
die Hose des Mannes = the man's pants (Mannes because it is masculine and has one syllable)
die Schuhe des Professors = the professor's shoes (Professors because it has more than one syllable)
der Hut der Frau = the woman's hat (Frau is feminine, so there is no change)
die Socken der Kinder = the children's socks (Kinder does not change because it is plural)
masculine neuter feminine plural
definite article des des der der
indefinite article eines eines einer keiner
Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive
The Present Tense
In English, the infinitive (the basic form of the verb) is signalled by "to"; i.e. to learn, to play, to do.
In German, the infinitive consists of the verb stem plus en or, less often, n; i.e. lernen, spielen, tun.
In English, verbs only have an ending in the third person singular; i.e. he/it/she learns, plays, does.
Singular: Plural:
I learn we learn
you learn you learn
he/it/she learns they learn
In German, all forms of the present tense have an ending. The verb stem is not changed, but the infinitive
ending en or n is changed to:
Singular: Plural:
ich lerne wir lernen
du lernst ihr lernt
er/es/sie lernt sie lernen
Sie lernen
Note than in the 1st and 3rd person plural the ending is identical to the infinitive ending; i.e. wir lernen, sie
lernen. Therefore verbs with an n as their infinite ending also also end in n in the 1st and 3rd personal plural
and in the Sie-form; i.e. wir tun, sie tun, Sie tun.
If the stem ends in d (like "finden") or t (like "arbeiten"), or in combinations like gn (like "regnen"), an e is
inserted before the personal endings st and t.
Singular: Plural:
ich finde wir finden
du findest ihr findet
er/es/sie findet sie finden
Sie finden
Singular: Plural:
ich arbeite wir arbeiten
du arbeitest ihr arbeitet
er/es/sie arbeitet sie arbeiten
Sie arbeiten
If the stem ends in s, z, or ß, the personal ending in the 2nd person singular is t and not st:
Singular: Plural:
ich heiße wir heißen
du heißt ihr heißt
er/es/sie heißt sie heißen
Sie heißen
In English, the infinitive (the basic form of the verb) is signalled by "to"; i.e. to learn, to play, to do.
In German, the infinitive consists of the verb stem plus en or, less often, n; i.e. lernen, spielen, tun.
In English, verbs only have an ending in the third person singular; i.e. he/it/she learns, plays, does.
Singular: Plural:
I learn we learn
you learn you learn
he/it/she learns they learn
In German, all forms of the present tense have an ending. The verb stem is not changed, but the infinitive
ending en or n is changed to:
Singular: Plural:
ich lerne wir lernen
du lernst ihr lernt
er/es/sie lernt sie lernen
Sie lernen
Note than in the 1st and 3rd person plural the ending is identical to the infinitive ending; i.e. wir lernen, sie
lernen. Therefore verbs with an n as their infinite ending also also end in n in the 1st and 3rd personal plural
and in the Sie-form; i.e. wir tun, sie tun, Sie tun.
If the stem ends in d (like "finden") or t (like "arbeiten"), or in combinations like gn (like "regnen"), an e is
inserted before the personal endings st and t.
Singular: Plural:
ich finde wir finden
du findest ihr findet
er/es/sie findet sie finden
Sie finden
Singular: Plural:
ich arbeite wir arbeiten
du arbeitest ihr arbeitet
er/es/sie arbeitet sie arbeiten
Sie arbeiten
If the stem ends in s, z, or ß, the personal ending in the 2nd person singular is t and not st:
Singular: Plural:
ich heiße wir heißen
du heißt ihr heißt
er/es/sie heißt sie heißen
Sie heißen
| Let's start from beginning. Here you can find many simple subject that can help you. Many of us did these things many years ago. So it can be helpful to have them close. When ever we are not sure about some thing, we can check them. |
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