German grammar: Akkusativ

What this grammar point covers

The Akkusativ (accusative case) in German is used to show the direct object of a sentence – the person or thing that receives the action.

When to use it

Use the Akkusativ when you want to say who or what is directly affected by the action of the verb. It answers the question 'wen?' (whom?) or 'was?' (what?).

Key forms

• den (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter), die (plural)
• Ich sehe den Hund.
• Sie kauft das Buch.

Examples

Tips

• Only masculine nouns change their article in the Akkusativ: der → den.
• Feminine, neuter, and plural articles stay the same as in the Nominativ.
• Be careful with verbs: not all verbs take a direct object.

Exceptions and edge cases

• After some prepositions (like 'durch', 'für', 'gegen', 'ohne', 'um'), you always use the Akkusativ.