nom. DerSchüler kauft einen Computer.
acc. Die Lehrerin lobt denSchüler.Different pronoun forms
Pronouns also have different forms. The personal pronoun erin the nomin-
ative changes to ihnin the accusative: Erkauft einen Computer‘He buys
a computer’; Die Lehrerin lobt ihn‘The teacher praises him’.
Pronouns and cases will be explained in more detail in Unit 5.Other factors that determine the use of cases
Note that apart from the function a noun performs in a sentence or clause,
cases can also be ‘triggered’ by two other main factors:- certain verbs which are linked to one of the cases;
- prepositions which in German require either the accusative, dative or
the genitive.
This is explained for each of the four cases in the sections below.The four cases in more detail
The nominative case
Indicating the subject
As mentioned before, the most important role of the nominative case is
to indicate the subject in a sentence. The subject directs the action and
can be a person, thing or idea, either in the singular or in the plural:Der Jungespielt heute allein.
The boy is playing alone today.Die Zeitensind hart.
These are hard times.A good way of identifying the subject is to ask:Who or what is doing the action?- Who is playing alone?
→The boy.
24 Unit 4: Cases