Nominatiivsingular

Nominativsingular, literally the nominative singular, is the singular form of a noun (and often of its adjectives and determiners) when the noun is in the nominative case. The nominative case marks the grammatical subject of a finite verb and, in many languages, also serves as the base or dictionary form. In some languages it may also be used for predicate nouns after linking verbs.

In languages with explicit case systems, the nominative singular is distinguished from other cases by specific endings or articles that interact with gender and declension class. For example in German, nominative singular forms include der Mann (masculine), die Frau (feminine), and das Kind (neuter). Adjectives in this position agree with the noun, as in ein großer Mann, eine große Frau, ein kleines Kind, where the adjective endings reflect gender and article type.

English represents a partial contrast: most nouns do not change form for the nominative singular, so the base form serves for both subject and non-subject positions. Pronouns, however, do have separate nominative forms: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.

Etymology of the term traces to the Latin nominativus, meaning “named” or “relating to naming.” The nominative singular is one of several singular-number cases found in many languages, each serving different syntactic roles. Its exact realization—endings, articles, or a lack of distinct form—varies across languages and declension classes.