Accusative Case Articles

Level 1

In German, the Accusative Case (Akkusativ) is used for the person or thing receiving an action. The most important rule to remember is: Only masculine articles change (der → den, ein → einen). Feminine, neuter, and plural articles stay exactly the same as in the nominative.

How It Works

The accusative case is the second most common case in German. Its primary job is to identify the direct object.

1. The Masculine Change
While noun gender is always important, it is critical here. Only masculine singular determiners change their ending to -en:

  • Definite: der becomes den
  • Indefinite: ein becomes einen
  • Negative: kein becomes keinen
  • Possessive: mein becomes meinen

2. Feminine, Neuter, and Plural
These forms are identical to the nominative case. If you know the basic articles, you already know these:

  • Feminine: die / eine remains die / eine
  • Neuter: das / ein remains das / ein
  • Plural: die / keine remains die / keine

3. When to use it?

  • Direct Objects: Used with verbs like haben (to have), sehen (to see), essen (to eat), and es gibt (there is/are).
  • Prepositions: Certain accusative prepositions always require this case.
  • Time: Expressions of time without a preposition (e.g., jeden Tag).

Examples (5)

  1. Ich habe einen Hund.

    I have a dog.

    Word by Word: I have a dog.

    'Hund' is masculine. Since it is the object of 'haben', 'ein' changes to 'einen'.

  2. Sie sieht den Apfel.

    She sees the apple.

    Word by Word: She sees the apple.

    'Apfel' is masculine. The definite article 'der' changes to 'den' in the accusative.

  3. Wir essen eine Pizza und das Brot.

    We are eating a pizza and the bread.

    Word by Word: We eat a pizza and the bread.

    'Pizza' (feminine) and 'Brot' (neuter) do not change their articles in the accusative case.

  4. Er geht durch den Park.

    He walks through the park.

    Word by Word: He goes through the park.

    The preposition 'durch' always triggers the accusative case for the following noun.

  5. Ich besuche meine Mutter.

    I am visiting my mother.

    Word by Word: I visit my mother.

    Possessive articles like 'mein/meine' also follow the accusative rules, but feminine remains 'meine'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative 'der' for masculine objects.

    Ich sehe der Baum.
    Ich sehe den Baum.

    Because feminine and neuter articles don't change, learners often forget to change the masculine 'der' to 'den'.

  • Using the nominative after 'es gibt'.

    Es gibt ein Fehler.
    Es gibt einen Fehler.

    The phrase 'es gibt' always requires the accusative case. Since 'Fehler' is masculine, you must use 'einen'.

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Accusative Case ArticlesLevel 1

Learn This First

To understand accusative articles, you first need to understand that German nouns have genders and that the language uses a case system to show the role of a noun in a sentence. You should also be familiar with the basic nominative articles (der, die, das) before learning how the masculine form changes to 'den'.

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