A Case is a specific function that a set of words can occupy in a sentence. Function means these words can either (1.) 'do' the action in the sentence, be (2.) directly or (3.) indirectly affected by it, or (4.) express possession.
In German, each noun, pronoun, and article has four cases. We know already every noun has a gender, but that gender also has four different variations, depending on its case. Depending on the case—the spelling and the pronunciation of that noun or pronoun changes, as does the preceding article.
There are four cases in german language. They are:
1.) Nominative Case(Nominativ); 'do' the action in the sentence
Der Mann ist groß.
The man is tall.
2.) Accusative Case(Akkusativ); directly affected by action
Die Frau trifft den Mann.
The woman meets the man.
3.) Dative Case(Dativ); indirectly affected by action
Der Kollege gibt dem Mann ein Buch.
The colleague gives the man a book.
4.) Genitive case(Genitiv); express possession
Das Auto des Mannes ist rot.
The man's car is red.
In this chapter we will cover the first case the Nominative case.
Nominative Case (Der Nominativ or Der Werfall)
The nominative case is the subject of a sentence. The term nominative comes from Latin and means to name (think of "nominate"). Amusingly, der Werfall translates literally as "the who case". This case is used for the person, animal or thing that 'does/is doing' the action within a sentence. It is the basic form of a word, just as it is found in a dictionary.
Der Hund beißt den Mann.
The dog bites the man.
Der Mann hat einen Bart.
The man had a beard.
Dieser Gedanke ist blöd.
This thought is stupid.
Meine Mutter ist Architektin.
My mother is an architect.
Er hat zwei Kinder.
He has two children.
Sie studiert Kunst.
She studies art.
Kommt Sarah aus England?
Does Sarah come from England?
A subject usually consists of two or more words, but can also be a pronoun or the name of a person.
That's it for today. Keep practicing. Stay safe.
Bis später. Tschüss.
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