German grammar
German changes the word for "the" depending on what the noun is doing in the sentence. That is all a case is. There are four, they are learnable in an afternoon, and the table below is the whole system.
This is the part worth knowing by heart. Everything else follows from it.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ Wer? | der | die | das | die |
| Akkusativ Wen? | den | die | das | die |
| Dativ Wem? | dem | der | dem | den |
| Genitiv Wessen? | des | der | des | der |
Two things the table cannot show: in the Dativ plural the noun itself usually takes an extra -n (den Kindern), and in the Genitiv a masculine or neuter noun takes -s or -es (des Mannes).
Notice that every column starts from the noun's gender. That is why guessing der / die / das is not a small problem: get the gender wrong and every case form built on it is wrong too. The rules for noun gender are here →
The subject — who does it.
Der Mann ist groß.
The man is tall.
Wer ist groß? Der Mann → he's the subject → nominative.
Die Frau arbeitet hier.
The woman works here.
She's doing the working → subject → nominative die.
Das Kind spielt.
The child is playing.
The child is the subject → nominative das.
The direct object — what's acted on.
Ich sehe den Mann.
I see the man.
Wen sehe ich? Den Mann → accusative. Only der changes: der → den.
Ich kaufe den Apfel.
I buy the apple.
kaufen acts on the apple → accusative → den.
Ich trinke den Kaffee.
I drink the coffee.
Wen oder was trinke ich? Den Kaffee → accusative.
Er liest den Brief.
He reads the letter.
The letter is what's read → accusative → den.
The indirect object — who receives.
Ich helfe dem Mann.
I help the man.
helfen ALWAYS takes the dative. Wem helfe ich? Dem Mann.
Ich helfe der Frau.
I help the woman.
helfen → dative. Feminine dative is der (not die!).
Ich danke dem Kind.
I thank the child.
danken takes the dative. Neuter dative → dem.
Das Buch gehört der Frau.
The book belongs to the woman.
gehören takes the dative → feminine der.
Possession — whose.
Das ist das Auto des Mannes.
That's the man's car.
Wessen Auto? Des Mannes → genitive. Masculine/neuter → des + -(e)s.
Das ist das Buch der Frau.
That's the woman's book.
Feminine genitive is der, and the noun takes no ending.
Wegen des Wetters bleibe ich zu Hause.
Because of the weather I'm staying home.
wegen takes the genitive → neuter des (+ -s on the noun).
Trotz des Regens gehen wir.
Despite the rain we're going.
trotz takes the genitive → des Regens.
Not by reading the table again. The four cases become automatic when you meet them in real sentences and are told why the article changed — which is what the drill does: a sentence with a gap, three articles, and the reason on every answer, right or wrong.