Der Akkusativ
The accusative is the direct object case — it marks the person or thing that directly receives the action. The critical rule: only masculine articles change. Everything else stays the same.
Accusative Article Changes
Masculine: der→den, ein→einen, kein→keinen
Feminine: die stays die, eine stays eine
Neuter: das stays das, ein stays ein
Plural: die stays die
✅ Ask: 'What/whom is being acted upon?' → That's the accusative.
❌ Only masculine changes. All other genders: accusative = nominative.
Formal (Sie)Informal (du)
Masc (changes!)
NOM: der/ein Mann
ACC: den/einen Mann ⚡
Feminine
NOM: die/eine Frau
ACC: die/eine Frau
Neuter
NOM: das/ein Kind
ACC: das/ein Kind
Plural
NOM: die Männer
ACC: die Männer
💡 Accusative prepositions always trigger accusative: durch (through), für (for), gegen (against), ohne (without), um (around). Memorise: durch für gegen ohne um.
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