akkusativ

The Akkusativ, or accusative case, is one of the four grammatical cases in German. It marks the direct object of a sentence—the entity directly affected by the action. In questions, the Akkusativ is typically found by asking Wen? (whom) or Was? (what) in relation to the verb.

definite and indefinite articles change in the Akkusativ. With a definite article, the forms are: masculine den, feminine die, neuter das, plural die. With an indefinite article, the forms are: masculine einen, feminine eine, neuter ein; there is no indefinite plural article. Personal pronouns also shift, for example mich, dich, ihn, sie, es, uns, euch, sie, Sie.

The Akkusativ also interacts with adjectives. After a definite article, adjectives take weak endings (den guten Mann). Without an article or with possessives, strong or mixed endings appear (einen guten Mann, meinen guten Mann).

Typical uses include direct objects in transitive verbs: Ich sehe den Hund. Ich kaufe einen Apfel. Die Frau liebt das Buch. Plural objects: Wir treffen die Freunde.

Some prepositions govern the Akkusativ, notably through, gegen, für, um, bis, ohne. Others govern the Dativ (e.g., mit, bei, nach), while some allow both depending on movement or location. Prepositional phrases in the Akkusativ often answer questions such as durch wen/durch was or für wen/für was.

In contrast to the Dativ, the Akkusativ highlights the thing affected by the action rather than the recipient or location. Mastery of its forms is essential for correct article endings, pronoun use, and preposition choice in German grammar.