Accusative case
Say what you see, buy, need and have. German marks the object by changing the article — and only the masculine actually changes.
Examples
- Ich sehe den Mann.I see the man.
- Sie kauft einen Tisch.She is buying a table.
- Ich kenne ihn.I know him.
After this pattern you can
- say what you see, buy, need, have
- replace an object with a pronoun
- use the five accusative (the form for the person or thing the action is done to) prepositions
Start with a conversation
What do you need?
I need a table and a lamp.
And that chair there?
I already have the chair.
I'm buying a present for my father.
ein Tisch turned into einen Tisch, der Stuhl into den Stuhl — but eine Lampe stayed exactly as it was. That is the whole rule in one conversation.
Why it matters
German marks who does what by changing the article, not by word order:
The man sees the dog.
The dog sees the man.
Same order, opposite meaning.
Only the masculine row changes. That single -n does most of the work.
PRONOUNS all change, though:
FIVE PREPOSITIONS always take it:
Phrases you can use today
I need a …
I don't have a …
I'm buying … for …
I see him / her / it.
Typical mistakes
The most common German mistake there is.
für always takes the accusative.
What you'll practise
1. Accusative · masculine -n
Only masculine changes: der → den, ein → einen, kein → keinen. Ich sehe den Mann.
- Ich sehe den Hund.I see the dog.
- Er hat einen Bruder.He has a brother.
2. Accusative · f / n / pl unchanged
Feminine, neuter and plural look exactly like the subject form: Ich sehe die Frau / das Kind / die Kinder.
- Ich lese die Zeitung.I'm reading the newspaper.
- Wir kaufen das Haus.We're buying the house.
3. Accusative pronouns
mich (me), dich (you), ihn (him), sie (her), es (it), uns (us), euch (you pl.), sie (them).
- Ich kenne ihn.I know him.
- Sie besucht uns morgen.She's visiting us tomorrow.
Practise it until it sticks
Short drills built on these 3 skills, with instant feedback on every answer. Free to start.