nominatiivvorm

Nominatiivvorm, or nominative form, is a grammatical term for the form of a word used in the nominative case in languages that mark grammatical case. It is often the dictionary form of a noun and the form used for the subject of a sentence. In languages with inflection, nouns, pronouns, and adjectives can take several forms depending on grammatical role; the nominative form is the form used when the word is the subject or when it serves as the base form in lexicon entries.

The nominative form is contrasted with other case forms such as genitive, dative, or accusative, though the exact system varies between languages. In many languages, the nominative singular of a noun is used as the base form for dictionaries and for inflection tables. Adjectives and articles typically agree with the noun in the nominative case, affecting endings accordingly.

Examples:

- Latin: puella 'girl' in the nominative singular (Puella cantat).

- German: Der Hund (the dog) is in the nominative singular when it is the subject (Der Hund bellt).

- Finnish and Estonian: the nominative singular forms such as talo or koer function as the base subject forms in simple sentences.

In languages with little or no noun inflection, the concept of nominative is less prominent for nouns, but pronoun forms often reflect a recognizable nominative or subject case (I vs me in English). Etymology: from Latin nominativus, from nomen 'name'.