Der Hund schläft.
English: The dog is sleeping.
- Language
- German
- Level
- A1
- Unit
- Nomen und Kasus
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
The nominative case (Nominativ) in German is used for the subject of a sentence – the person or thing doing the action.
When to use it
Use the nominative case for the subject of a sentence, and after the verb 'sein' (to be) when describing or identifying someone or something.
Key forms
- der Mann (masculine)
- die Frau (feminine)
- das Kind (neuter)
- die Kinder (plural)
Examples
Die Frau liest.
English: The woman is reading.
Das Buch ist interessant.
English: The book is interesting.
Die Kinder spielen.
English: The children are playing.
Tips
- Remember: The subject of the sentence is always in the nominative case.
- Pay attention to the articles: 'der', 'die', 'das', and 'die' (plural) show nominative.
- After 'sein' (to be), the noun stays in the nominative.
Word of the Day
Today's hand-picked vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation page for German. Bookmark this section — it refreshes every day.
Get one new word every morning
Subscribe to SmartWords daily picks. Choose the topics you want — we send one short email per day.
Keep exploring
Play SmartWords games
Six word games built around our real vocabulary — free in the browser, no install.
Open the game hub →-
Word Sling
Match the center word under time pressure and keep the combo alive.
Play now → -
Word Gate
Fly through the correct gate before the speed ramps up.
Play now → -
Word Ninja
Slice the goal-language words, avoid the main-language decoy, and chase the announced bonus target.
Play now → -
Word Zip
Trace a single path across the board, hit each letter anchor in order, and fill every open cell.
Play now → -
Word Oddity
Pick the word that doesn't belong from a topic-driven set — every tap reveals all four meanings and images so the round becomes a flash-card too.
Play now → -
Word Memory
Flip and match goal-language words to their main-language meaning before your lives run out.
Play now →