The Cases (Introduction)
In German, there are four cases. Every case has specific uses. You need to know which cases to use in each situation.
Thre are also verbs and prepositions that always follow a determined case. Therefore, you have to learn the rules.
Uses of the nominative
The nominative is also known as Werfall because it answers the questions wer oder was? (Who? / What?)
| Herr Fischer ist Direktor der Zentralbank. |
| Mr Fischer is the director of the central bank. |
| - |
| Question: Wer ist Direktor der Zentralbank? |
| Who is the director of the central bank? |
| - |
| Answer: Herr Fischer |
| Mr Fischer. |
Another example:
| Ein rotes Auto steht vor meinem Haus. |
| A red car is parked in front of my house. |
| - |
| Question: Was steht vor meinem Haus? |
| What is in front of my house? |
| - |
| Answer: Ein rotes Auto. |
| A red car. |
a) Subject
The subject of a sentence always goes in the nominative.
| Der Pilot machte eine Notlandung. |
| The pilot made an emergency landing. |
b) Apposition
The apposition of a noun always goes in the same case as the noun. Therefore an apposition that describes a noun which is in the nominative case also goes in the nominative case.
| Herr Schmitt, unser Postbote, ist krank. |
| Mr Schmitt, our postman, is ill. |
| - |
| Das Theaterstück, ein bekannter Klassiker, hat mir gut gefallen. |
| I really liked the theatrical play, a known classic. |
c) Predicative after sein, werden, bleiben
| Ich werde Journalistin. |
| I'm going to be a journalist. |
| - |
| Er ist der Bürgermeister einer bayrischen Kleinstadt. |
| He is the mayor of a small Bavarian city. |
| - |
| Du bleibst Chef dieser Firma. |
| You are going to continue being the boss of this company. |
d) To direct what you are saying to someone, you use the nominative.
| Guten Abend, Herr Doktor! |
| Good night, Mr Doctor! |
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Exercises
Translate the following sentences
(Click in the box to see the answers; double click to return to the original position)
