The accusative
The accusative often marks the direct object: who or what is seen, bought, or needed? Masculine der/ein becomes den/einen. Feminine die/eine, neuter das/ein, and plural die stay the same.
Understand the idea
Many German verbs take a direct object in accusative. The object is the person or thing seen, bought, needed or affected. The verb's pattern decides the case; an English word order alone cannot tell you which German ending to use.
Build it step by step
Identify the subject and the object separately. With definite articles, masculine der changes to den; feminine die, neuter das and plural die look unchanged. With ein, masculine becomes einen. Pronouns have their own forms, including mich, dich and ihn. Prepositions can also require accusative regardless of the verb.
See it in a sentence
Ich sehe den Mann.
Sie kauft eine Tasche.
Quick reference
On a small screen, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | den |
| Genitive | des | der | des | der |
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein | eine | ein |
| Accusative | einen | eine | ein |
| Dative | einem | einer | einem |
| Genitive | eines | einer | eines |
A useful memory aid
Practise a masculine noun first when comparing nominative and accusative: der Mann versus den Mann makes the difference visible.
A common trap
Do not conclude that a phrase has no case simply because its form stays the same. Die Frau can be nominative or accusative; the sentence tells you its role.