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Sep 23, 2024 · German is an inflected language: we know who is doing what to whom in a sentence because of the declensions that ‘flag’ the role (e.g. subject, direct object) of each noun. The information that is packed into declensions tell us the gender & case of the noun.
- What Is The Nominative Case?
- What Is The Accusative Case?
- What Is The Dative Case?
- What Is The genitive Case?
The nominative case is the basic form of the noun (the endings don’t change). We use the nominative for the subjectof the sentence; i.e., the person or thing that ‘does’ the verb. Ask who? or what? (wer?/was?)to determine the nominative. Example: 1. Der Schreibtisch sieht schön aus.The desk looks nice. 2. was sieht gut aus? → der Schreibtisch Jump ...
The accusative case is for the direct object; i.e. the person or thing that ‘receives’ the action of the verb. Ask what? (wen?/was?)to find the direct object. Example: 1. Ich nutze den Schreibtisch jeden Tag.I use the desk every day. 2. was nutze ich jeden Tag? → den Schreibtisch The main change we see with the accusative is that der/ein becomes de...
The dative case is for the indirect object. We ask to whom/which? or for whom/which? (wem?)to find the indirect object. Example: 1. Ich gab dem Schreibtisch eine neue Farbe.I gave the desk a new colour. 2. wem gab ich die neue Farbe? → dem Schreibtisch Jump to the dative signal words.
The genitive case indicates possession or belonging. The genitive case has a similar meaning to the English ’s or of. Ask whose? (wessen?)to find the genitive. Example: 1. Das Bein des Schreibtisches ist kaputt.The leg of the desk is broken. or:The desk’s leg is broken. 2. wessen Bein ist kaputt? → das Bein des Schreibtisches Skip ahead to the sign...
Jun 7, 2022 · The term declension in the German language describes the inflection (change) of nouns, articles, pronouns and adjectives according to the four cases: nominative, accusative, dative and genitive. You will also have to consider the grammatical gender (Genus) and whether a noun is singular or plural (Numerus). The grammatical cases help you to ...
German declension is the paradigm that German uses to define all the ways articles, adjectives and sometimes nouns can change their form to reflect their role in the sentence: subject, object, etc. Declension allows speakers to mark a difference between subjects, direct objects, indirect objects and possessives by changing the form of the word—and/or its associated article—instead of ...
Declensions is a linguistics term describing the process of modifying words based on their function within the sentence, for example, a word being the object or the subject. In German, nouns, adjectives, and pronouns are modified according to the actions taking place within a sentence. Declensions are essential in the German language in order ...
Aug 23, 2024 · Declension is an integral part of the German language, subtly telling you the role of each word within a sentence. If you’ve ever wondered why sometimes der Hund (the dog) sometimes turns into den or dem Hund , what those funny endings are on the end of adjectives are, and why there are so many different pronouns in German, then keep reading!
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The declension in the German language describes the flexion of nouns, adjectives, pronouns and articles. The forms are distinguished according to the four cases nominative, genitive, dative and accusative. It is also decisive whether it is singular or plural and which grammatical gender (genus) is present. The differently declined forms serve ...
