The accusative case

1) Direct object

EXAMPLES:

Wir sehen einen Film.  We’re watching a film.	“A film” is the direct object. It is what the subject “we” is watching.
Martha trinkt viel Kaffee.  Martha drinks a lot of coffee.	“Coffee” is the direct object. It is what the subject “Martha” drinks.
Mein Chef hat eine Schwester.  My boss has a sister.	A sister” is the direct object. It is what the subject “my boss” has.

2) Object of an accusative preposition

bis	until	pro	per
durch	through	ohne	without
für	for	um	around; at (with time)
gegen	against	wider	against

EXAMPLES:

Er fuhr gegen einen Baum.  He drove into a tree.	“A tree” is the object of the accusative preposition gegen.
Ohne dich kann ich nicht leben.  I can’t live without you.	“You” is the object of the accusative preposition ohne.
Sie arbeitet schwer für das Geld.  She works hard for the money.	“The money” is the object of the accusative preposition für.

3) Object of a two-way preposition

an	to, toward, onto (a vertical surface)	über	across; about
auf	to, toward, onto (a horizontal surface)	unter	(to a place) under
hinter	(to a place) behind	vor	(to a place) in front of
in	in, into	zwischen	(to a place) between
neben	(to a place) beside

EXAMPLES of 2-WAY PREPOSITIONS + ACCUSATIVE to indicate DESTINATIONS:

Sie geht gerade in die Bank.  She is going into the bank.	“Into the bank” is a destination of movement, hence in takes the acc.
Ich setzte mich neben ihn.  I sat down next to him.	“Next to him” is a destination of movement, hence neben uses acc.
Grete wartet auf ihren Vater. Grete is waiting for her father.	“Her father” is the acc.object of auf because the idiom warten auf requires the use of the acc.case.

4) Expressions of definite time

EXAMPLES:

Wir gehen jeden Freitag einkaufen.  We go shopping every Friday.	“Every Friday” is an expression of definite time that does not use a prep.
Dieses Wochenende kommt Jens.  Jens is coming this weekend.	“This weekend” is an expression of definite time that does not use a prep.

Nouns and pronouns in the ACCUSATIVE CASE

Nouns				Personal Pronouns
masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
den Onkel diesen Onkel einen Onkel keinen Onkel unserenOnkel	die Tante diese Tante eine Tante keine Tante unsere Tante	das Buch dieses Buch ein Buch kein Buch unser Buch	die Kinder diese Kinder Kinder keine Kinder unsere Kinder	mich dich ihn, sie, es uns euch Sie, sie

The dative case

The dative case has four functions.

1) Indirect object

The indirect object of a sentence is the being (usually a person, but sometimes a pet or an inanimate object) for whose benefit the subject is acting upon the direct object.. It answers the question: To or for whom does the subject <insert meaning of verb here><insert direct object here>?

EXAMPLES:

Wir backen euch einen Kuchen.  We’re baking you a cake. We’re baking a cake for you.	“You” (pl). answers for whom the subject “we” is baking a cake.
Erik erzählt seinen Brüdern Witze.  Erik is telling his brothers jokes. Erik is telling jokes to his brothers.	“His brothers” answers to whom the subject “Erik” is telling jokes.
Den Touristen zeigt er die Kirche.  He shows the tourists the church. He shows the church to the tourists.	“The tourists” answers to whom the subject “he” is showing the church.

Note that the dative case, when it denotes an indirect object in the sentence, can be and often is rendered into English using the preposition to or for. Because the dative case in German includes the meanings of these prepositions, those prepositions are not needed in German to designate the indirect object. Note also that a sentence cannot have an indirect object unless it first has a direct object. The indirect object is by definition to or for whom the subject does something to a direct object.

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2) Object of a dative verb or dative construction

A number of verbs, adjectives, and idiomatic expressions require a dative object in German. The following verbs require a dative object and will never have an accusative object.

antworten	to answer	imponieren	to impress
begegnen	to encounter	Leid tun	to be sorry
danken	to thank	nutzen	to be useful to
dienen	to serve	passen	to suit
drohen	to threaten	passieren	to happen to
ein•fallen	to occur to	reichen	to be enough
fehlen	to be missing	schaden	to damage
folgen	to follow	schmecken	to taste
gefallen	to be pleasing to	schwer•fallen	to be difficult for
gehören	to belong to	vertrauen	to trust
gelingen	to succeed	verzeihen	to forgive
glauben	to believe	weh•tun	to hurt
gratulieren	to congratulate	widersprechen	to contradict
helfen	to help	zu•hören	to listen to

EXAMPLES:

Hilfst du mir mit der Hausaufgabe?  Will you help me with the homework?	“Me” is the object of the dative verb helfen.
Der Hund folgte dem Kind nach Hause.  The dog followed the child home.	“The child” is the object of the dative verb folgen.
Das Geld reicht uns nicht.  The money is not enough for us.	“Us” is the object of the dative verb reichen.

Like dative indirect objects, the objects of dative verbs normally refer to persons. In the few instances where the verb objects are impersonal, they take the accusative case.

Ich glaube dir (dat.). I believe you.	Ich glaube die Geschichte (acc.). I believe the story.
Er verzeiht mir nie (dat.).  He’ll never forgive me.	Er verzeiht den Fehler nie (acc.). He’ll never forgive the mistake.

In addition to the dative verbs, a number of adjectives and other idiomatic phrases are commonly used with dative objects. Here are some of them:

ähnlich	similar	gleich	same
angenehm	pleasant	leicht	easy
begreiflich	understandable	nützlich	useful
behilflich	helpful	peinlich	embarrassing
bekannt	known	schädlich	damaging
bequem	comfortable	teuer	expensive
dankbar	thankful	verwandt	related
fremd	foreign	willkommen	welcome

Notice in the examples below that the dative objects that accompany these adjectives are often rendered in English with an accompanying “to” or “for”. There is no need to add an additional preposition to the German sentence, since these meanings are included when the noun or pronoun is declined in the dative case.

EXAMPLES:

Sie ist ihrem Vater sehr ähnlich.  She is very similar to her father.	“(To) her father” is the dative object of the adjective “similar”.
Dieses Bett ist mir zu teuer.  This bed is too expensive for me.	“(For) me” is the dative object of the adjective “expensive”.
Der Name war ihm sehr bekannt.  The name was well-known to him.	“(To) him” is the dative object of the adjective “known”

3) Object of a dative preposition The object of an dative preposition must be in the dative case. These are the prepositions in German whose noun objects are always in the dative case:

aus	out of, from	nach	to, after, according to
außer	except for	seit	since, for (+ time period)
bei	at, with	von	from, by
gegenüber	opposite, in relation to	zu	to
mit	with; by means of

EXAMPLES:

Wir fahren mit der Bahn.  We’re traveling by train.	“The train” is the object of the dative preposition mit.
Außer dir waren alle dabei.  Besides you, everyone was there.	“You” is the object of the dative preposition außer.
Sie wohnt bei ihren Großeltern.  She’s living with her grandparents.	“Her grandparents” is the object of the dative preposition bei.

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4) Object of a two-way preposition

Two-way prepositions are named as such because their objects are sometimes in the dative case and sometimes in the accusative case. Here are the two-way prepositions:

an	at, on (a vertical surface)	über	above, over
auf	at, on (a horizontal surface)	unter	under
hinter	behind	vor	in front of; before
in	in	zwischen	between
neben	beside

When two-way prepositions are used with the dative case, they (1) designate a location, or (2) are in idiomatic expressions requiring the use of the dative.

EXAMPLES of 2-WAY PREPOSITIONS + DATIVE to indicate LOCATIONS:

Sie sitzt gerade in der Bank.  She’s sitting in the bank.	“In the bank” is a location describing where “she” is, hence intakes the dat.
Ich sitze neben ihm.  I am sitting next to him.	“Next to him” is the location where the subject “I” is sitting, hence neben uses dat.
Grete hat Angst vor ihrem Vater. Grete is afraid of her father.	“Her father” is the dat.object of vor because the idiom Angst haben vor requires the use of the acc.case.

In addition to the meanings listed , the two-way prepositions + dative have a range of idiomatic meanings, as the last example above shows: Angst haben vor (+ dat.) = to be afraid of. 

Nouns and pronouns in the DATIVE CASE

Finally, here are some examples of nouns and pronouns in the dative case. Words and endings in red indicate a change in form from the accusative.

Nouns				Personal Pronouns
masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
dem Onkel diesem Onkel einem Onkel keinem Onkel unserem Onkel	der Tante dieser Tante einer Tante keiner Tante unserer Tante	dem Buch diesem Buch einem Buch keinem Buch unserem Buch	den Kindern diesen Kindern Kindern keinen Kindern unseren Kindern	mir dir ihm, ihr,ihm uns euch Ihnen,ihnen

The German dative case is generally used for the indirect object. The indirect object is often the receiver of the direct object. Take this sentence for example:

• Der Bäcker gibt den Armen kein Brot – The Baker gives no bread to the poor

In that sentence there are two objects, a direct one, ‘bread‘, and the indirect one ‘the poor‘. To identify which of both is the indirect object, you could simply ask yourself ‘To whom or for whom is the action being done?’. In most cases the indirect object is a person, but sometimes it could be an inanimate object as well.

Endings in the Dative case

Unlike the accusativ case discussed in the last lesson, the dative case not only affects the ending of the words linked to the noun, but it affects the noun itself as well.

Article	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Definite	dem Mann	der Frau	dem Kind	den Tieren
Indefinite	einem Mann	einer Frau	einem Kind	– Tieren
Negative	keinem Mann	keiner Frau	keinem Kind	keinen Tieren
Possessive	meinem Mann	meiner Frau	meinem Kind	meinen Tieren

Note that in the German dative case, an ‘-en‘ or a ‘-n‘ is added to the plural of the noun unless if that plural already ends with a ‘-s‘ or a ‘-n‘.

Personal Pronouns

All of the personal pronouns change from the nominative case to the dative case as shown in the next table:

Singular Pronoun	Definition	Plural Pronoun	Definition
mir	me	uns	us
dir	you – informal	euch	you – informal
ihm/ihr/ihm	him/her/it	ihnen	they
Ihnen	you – formal	Ihnen	you – formal

Dative case after certain verbs

The Dative case comes after certain verbs no matter what role the noun/pronoun plays, and even if there is no direct object in the sentence.

Verb	Definition	Verb	Definition
antworten	to answer	gratulieren	to congratulate
danken	to thank	helfen	to help
drohen	to threaten	nutzen	to be useful
fehlen	to be missing	passen	to suit
folgen	to follow	schmecken	to taste
gehören	to belong to	verzeihen	to forgive
glauben	to believe	zuhören	to listen to

Dative case after certain prepositions

Certain prepositions always take the dative case no matter their position in the sentence, and even if there will be more than one dative noun within the sentence.

Preposition	Definition
aus	from, out of
außer	apart from
bei	at, near
gegenüber	opposite
mit	with
nach	after, to
seit	since, for
von	from
zu	to

Interrogatives in the Dative Case

In the dative, the interrogative pronoun ‘wer‘ becomes ‘wem‘, and the interrogative ‘welcher‘ is declined according to the noun it’s attached to.

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Dative	welchem	welcher	welchem	welchen

Impersonal Expressions

Numerous German expressions often use ‘es‘ as their subject. They are called ‘impersonal expressions‘ becuase they don’t identify a specific person or object as their subject. Often these expressions require a dative object. For example:

• Es fällt mir ein – It occurs to me
• Es kommt dir vor – It appears to you
• Es scheint ihm – It seems to him
• Es gefällt dem Mann – It appeals to the man

Examples

Here are a few example sentences in which the dative nouns/pronouns are pointed out:

• Ich gebe meiner Schwester einen Hut – I’m giving a hat to my sister
• Wir folgen den Kindern – We are following the kids
• Sie kommt aus dem Museum – She is coming from the museum
• Wir fahren mit dem Zug – We’re riding the train

Separable Verbs

 

A characteristic feature of German is its ability to create verbs with new meanings through the addition of prefixes to nouns, adjectives, or other verbs. For example:

• aus + gehen = ausgehen – to go out
• ver + kaufen = verkaufen – to sell

German has two categories of prefixes: inseparable prefixes and separable prefixes. However, few prefixes exist that can be used in either catgory. Also, a verb could have more than one prefix, each giving a new verb with a different meaning than the others. Take the verb ‘kommen‘ for example:

Verb	Definition
kommen	to come
ankommen	to arrive
mitkommen	to come along
weiterkommen	to get on
hereinkommen	to come in
herauskommen	to come out
nachkommen	to come later
zurückkommen	to come back

Inseparable Prefixes

These prefixes are always attached to the front end of a verb and are never removed from it no matter the tense or form of the verb. When pronouncing a verb with an inseparable prefix, the stress is always on the stem of the verb. The table below shows these prefixes, along with some examples:

Prefix	Verb	Definition
be-	bekommen	to get/receive
	besuchen	to visit/attend
emp-	empfehlen	to recommend
	empfinden	to feel
ent-	entlassen	to discharge/fire
	entscheiden	to decide/determine
er-	erfinden	to invent/make-up
	erwarten	to expect/anticipate
ge-	gehorchen	to obey
	gestatten	to permit/allow
miss-	missachtest	to disobey/disregard
	misstrauen	to mistrust/suspect
ver-	vergessen	to forget
	verstehen	to understand
zer-	zerstören	to destroy
	zerkratzen	to scratch

The inseparable prefix remains attached to the verb when its conjugated. Notice the position of the inseparable prefix in the following examples:

• Ich verstehe sehr gut Deutsch – I understant very good German
• Ich besuche meine Eltern jeden Tag – I visit my parents everyday

Separable Prefixes

Separable prefixes are adverbs and prepositions that are detached from the verb when it is conjugated. It would be completely impractical to list all of those prefixes; as there are many. When pronouncing a verb with a separable prefix, the stress is always on the separable prefix. The table below shows the most common ones along with some examples:

Prefix	Verb	Definition
an-	ankommen	to arrive
	anrufen	to phone somebody
auf-	aufstehen	to wake up
	aufhören	to stop/cease
aus-	ausgehen	to go out
	aussprechen	to pronounce
bei-	beibringen	to teach
	beitragen	to add/contribute
ein-	einkaufen	to go shopping
	einladen	to invite
fort-	fortfahren	to continue/proceed
	fortgehen	to go away
mit-	mitgehen	to go along
	mitarbeiten	to collaborate
nach-	nachahmen	to imitate/copy
	nacharbeiten	to rework/revise
vor-	vorstellen	to present/introduce
	vorbereiten	to prepare/set up
weg-	wegfahren	to drive away
	weglaufen	to run away
zu-	zuhören	to listen
	zunehmen	to increase/grow

As already mentioned, when a verb with a separable prefix is conjugated in the present tense, the separable prefix is detached from it. The prefix is moved to the end of its clause. Notice the position of the inseparable prefix in the following examples:

• Herr Bauer ruft seine Frau an – Mr Bauer is calling his wife
• Ich gehe mit meinen Freunden jeden Tag aus – I go out with my friends everyday
• Sie kauft im Supermarkt ein – She is shopping in the supermark

Prefixes that can be Separable or Inseparable

A few prefixes exist that can be either separable or inseparable, depending on the way the verb is pronounced. When the stress is on the prefix itself, the prefix is separable. But when the stress is on the stem of the verb, it’s a strong signal that the prefix is an inseparable one. A few examples are shown in the next table:

Prefix	Separable Verb	Inseparable Verb
durch-	durchfallen	durchdringen
um-	umsteigen	umarmen
wieder-	wiedergeben	wiederholen

Of course, the verb conjugation depends on whether the prefix is separable or inseparable, as shown in the next example:

• Wir steigen in Berlin um (umsteigen) – We change (busses) in Berlin
• Wir umarmen uns (umarmen) – We embrace ourselves

That brings us to the end of this lesson. Make sure to solve the exercises associated with this lesson before proceeding to the next ones.

Handout: Separable and Inseparable Prefixes

As you know, German verbs can have separable prefixes. These prefixes change the meaning of the original verb, and make a new word. In the present tense, separable prefixes are separated from the verb and placed at the end of the sentence bracket. The separation rule also applies in the imperative. When used in the infinitive, however (e.g. with a modal auxiliary), separable prefix verbs are not divided. As you will shortly learn, the participle forms in the past tense are also combined. Hans steht jeden Tag um 9.00 Uhr auf. Hans gets up every day at 9:00. Hans, steh jetzt auf! Hans, get up now! Hans muss jeden Tag um 9.00 Uhr aufstehen. Hans has to get up every day at 9:00. Common separable prefixes. Remember that this list is only a rough guide to the meanings of prefixes, since their use is highly idiomatic. ab= off, down abholen to pick up   abnehmen to take off   an = an , at anfangen to start, to begin   anrufen to call, to telephone   anziehen to put on, to dress   auf = up aufhören to stop   aufräumen to clean up   aufstehen to get up, to stand up   aus = out ausgehen to go out   aussehen to seem, to appear   ein = in, into einkaufen to shop   einschlafen to go to sleep   fern = far fernsehen to watch TV   fort = away fortgehen to leave , to go away   her = ‘hither’, to here herholen to fetch   herkommen to come from   hin = ‘thither’, to there hinstellen to put, to place   mit = with, along mitbringen to bring along   mitkommen to come along   mitnehmen to take along   nach = after nachdenken to think, to reflect   nachfragen to inquire, ask after   um = around, at umsehen to look around   vor = before vorhaben to have planned   vorstellen to introduce   vorbei = by, past vorbeikommen to come by   weg = away weggehen to go away, leave   wegnehmen to take away   zu = to, closed zuhören to listen   zumachen to close   zurück = back zurückgeben to give back   zurückkommen to come back   zusammen = together zusammenkommen to come together

Modal verbs help you convey your attitude or explain how you feel about an action in German. They usually accompany another verb and appear in the second position of a sentence. The verb they assist generally appears at the end of the clause. The following table shows each German modal verb in infinitive form along with the English translation, followed by a statement using the modal verb. Look at the various ways of modifying the statement Ich lerne Deutsch (I learn German) with the modal verbs. Notice that the modal verb is in second position in the sentence, and the main verb gets booted to the end.

German Modal Verb	Translation	Example	English Equivalent
dürfen	may, to be allowed to	Ich darf Deutsch lernen.	l may/am allowed to learn German.
können	can, to be able to	Ich kann Deutsch lernen.	l can/am able to learn German.
mögen	to like to	Ich mag Deutsch lernen.	l like to learn German.
möchten	would like to	Ich möchte Deutsch lernen.	l would like to learn German.
müssen	must, to have to	Ich muss Deutsch lernen.	l must/have to learn German.
sollen	should, to besupposed to	Ich soll Deutsch lernen.	I’m supposed to/should learn German.
wollen	to want to	Ich will Deutsch lernen.	I want to learn German.

These verbs all have regular verb endings in their plural forms (wir, ihr, sie,and Sie). Most of them also have irregular verb changes, some of which you can see in the examples in the table.

Conversations for A1 and A2 Exams: Sprechen

SHOPPING

• How much does that cost?
• Wieviel kostet das?
• At what time does the store open?
• Um wieviel Uhr öffnet das Geschäft?
• At what time does the store close?
• Um wieviel Uhr schliesst das Geschäft?
• What would you like?
• Was möchten Sie, bitte?
• Can I help you.
• Kann ich Ihnen helfen?
• I would like this.
•  Ich möchte das gerne haben.
• Here it is.
• Hier ist es.
• Is that all?
• Ist das alles?
• I’d like to pay in cash.
• Ich möchte gerne mit Bargeld bezahlen.
• I’d like to pay by credit card.   
• Ich möchte gerne mit Kreditkarte bezahlen.
• Can I order this online?  
• Kann ich das auch online bestellen?
• Women’s clothes.  
• Damenbekleidung
• Men’s clothes.
• Herrenbekleidung
• Blouse, skirt, dress.  
• Bluse, Rock, Kleid
• Pants, shirts, ties.  
• Hosen, Hemden, Krawatten
• Shoes and Socks.   
• Schuhe und Socken
• Jeans.   
• Jeans
• Bookstore.  
• Buchladen
• Bakery.   
• Bäckerei
• Market.  
• Markt
• Supermarket.   
• Supermarkt

DIRECTIONS

• Where? 
• Wo?
• Excuse me, where is…? 
• Entschuldigung, wo ist …?
• Where are the taxis? 
• Wo sind die Taxis?
• Where is the bus? 
• Wo ist der Bus?
• Where is the subway? 
• Wo ist die U-Bahn?
• Where is the exit? 
• Wo ist der Ausgang?
• Is it near? 
• Ist es in der Nähe?
• Is it far? 
• Ist es weit?
• Go straight ahead. 
• Gehen Sie geradeaus.
• Go that way. 
• Gehen Sie diesen Weg.
• Go back. 
• Gehen Sie zurück.
• Turn right. 
• Biegen Sie rechts ab.
• Turn left. 
• Biegen Sie links ab.
• Take me to this address, please. 
• Bitte bringen Sie mich zu dieser Adresse.
• What is the fare? 
• Wieviel kostet es?
• Stop here, please. 
• Bitte halten Sie hier an.
• Does this bus go to Wald street? 
• Fährt dieser Bus zur Wald Strasse?
• A map of the city, please. 
• Einen Stadtplan, bitte.
• A subway map, please. 
• Einen U Bahnplan, bitte.

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