I can say whom or what I'm looking for, know, and need: I put the article and the possessive in the object form and don't slip up on the masculine.
Akkusativ: whom and what
Akkusativ: whom and what
A German sentence has two main players: who acts, and whom or what the action affects. The second is in the Akkusativ (the accusative: the form of the direct object). English marks it only on pronouns (he → him, who → whom); German marks it on the article too.
The question words: wen? (whom) and was? (what). Wen besuchst du? — Meinen Vater.
The main rule: only the masculine changes.
• der becomes den: Wir kennen den Chef.
• ein becomes einen, kein becomes keinen.
• Feminine and neuter don't change: die Firma, das Buch, eine Schwester.
Possessives take the same ending -en: meinen, deinen, seinen, ihren, unseren, euren, Ihren. euer also drops its e: euer Stuhl, but euren Stuhl (and eure Firma). In the feminine and neuter: meine Mutter, mein Buch.
The Akkusativ comes after the verbs kennen, brauchen, suchen, finden, besuchen, bekommen, and haben, after es gibt (“there is, there are”), and after für and ohne. Set phrases for people: für mich, für dich.
False friend: bekommen means “to get”, never “to become”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ich kenne der Chef” — masculine after kennen: den Chef.
• NOT “Er hat kein Computer” — correct: keinen Computer.
• NOT “Lena besucht mein Bruder” — correct: meinen Bruder.
• NOT “Es gibt ein Drucker” — correct: es gibt einen Drucker.
• NOT “Ich suche den Firma” — the feminine stays: die Firma.
The article in the Akkusativ
Only the masculine changes; the feminine and the neuter stay as they are.
| Gender | Nominativ (who?) | Akkusativ (whom? what?) |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | der Chef | den Chef |
| masculine | ein Drucker | einen Drucker |
| masculine | kein Computer | keinen Computer |
| feminine | die Firma | die Firma |
| feminine | eine Schwester | eine Schwester |
| neuter | das Buch | das Buch |
Possessives in the Akkusativ (masculine)
euer drops its -e-. In the feminine and the neuter the form doesn't change: meine Mutter, mein Buch.
| Whose | Nominativ | Akkusativ |
|---|---|---|
| my | mein Stuhl | meinen Stuhl |
| your (informal) | dein Stuhl | deinen Stuhl |
| his | sein Stuhl | seinen Stuhl |
| her | ihr Stuhl | ihren Stuhl |
| our | unser Stuhl | unseren Stuhl |
| your (you all, informal) | euer Stuhl | euren Stuhl |
| your (formal) | Ihr Stuhl | Ihren Stuhl |
Lesson notes
Akkusativ: whom and what
A German sentence has two main players: who acts, and whom or what the action affects. The second is in the Akkusativ (the accusative: the form of the direct object). English marks it only on pronouns (he → him, who → whom); German marks it on the article too.
The question words: wen? (whom) and was? (what). Wen besuchst du? — Meinen Vater.
The main rule: only the masculine changes.
• der becomes den: Wir kennen den Chef.
• ein becomes einen, kein becomes keinen.
• Feminine and neuter don't change: die Firma, das Buch, eine Schwester.
Possessives take the same ending -en: meinen, deinen, seinen, ihren, unseren, euren, Ihren. euer also drops its e: euer Stuhl, but euren Stuhl (and eure Firma). In the feminine and neuter: meine Mutter, mein Buch.
The Akkusativ comes after the verbs kennen, brauchen, suchen, finden, besuchen, bekommen, and haben, after es gibt (“there is, there are”), and after für and ohne. Set phrases for people: für mich, für dich.
False friend: bekommen means “to get”, never “to become”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ich kenne der Chef” — masculine after kennen: den Chef.
• NOT “Er hat kein Computer” — correct: keinen Computer.
• NOT “Lena besucht mein Bruder” — correct: meinen Bruder.
• NOT “Es gibt ein Drucker” — correct: es gibt einen Drucker.
• NOT “Ich suche den Firma” — the feminine stays: die Firma.