Accusative Case in German Grammar – Complete Declension Tables

Introduction

The accusative case, also called the accusative object or direct object (4. Fall/Wen-Fall in German), follows certain verbs and prepositions. It is used for the thing or person receiving the direct action of a verb. Because word order is freer in German grammar, we use the accusative case to mark the direct object in a sentence. Articles, pronouns and nouns have to be declined/inflected in the accusative. We can find the accusative case by asking wen/was – Whom/what is receiving the direct action?

Master the accusative case online with Lingolia’s complete declension tables. Then put your knowledge to the test in the exercises.

Declension Table: Articles, Adjectives, and Nouns in Accusative

	definite article*	indefinite article, kein, possessive determines (mein…)	no article
masculine	den netten Vater	einen netten Vater	netten Vater
feminine	die nette Mutter	eine nette Mutter	nette Mutter
neuter	das nette Kind	ein nettes Kind	nettes Kind
plural	die netten Eltern	nette Eltern	nette Eltern

*Adjectives that come after the following words are declined exactly the same as after the definite article: derselbe, dieser, jener, mancher, solcher, welcher, alle.

Example:: Jeder gute Schüler muss im Unterricht aufpassen.Every good pupil must pay attention in class.
(but: Ein guter Schüler muss im Unterricht aufpassen.A good pupil must pay attention in class.)

Declension Table: Accusative Pronouns

	personal pronouns	possessive pronouns (dependent, independent)
		masculine	neuter		feminine + plural
		masculine	dependent	independent	feminine + plural
1^st person singular	mich	meinen	mein	meins	meine
2^nd person singular	dich	deinen	dein	deins	deine
3^rd person singular (m)	ihn	seinen	sein	seins	seine
3^rd person singular (f)	sie	ihren	ihr	ihr(e)s	ihre
3^rd person singular (n)	es	seinen	sein	seins	seine
1^st person plural	uns	unser(e)n	unser	unser(e)s	unsere
2^nd person plural	euch	euren	euer	eures	eure
3^rd person plural	sie	ihren	ihr	ihr(e)s	ihre

Usage

List of common verbs that take the accusative:

bestellento order, bezahlento pay for, buchento book, kaufento buy, verkaufento sell
besuchento visit, treffento meet, kennento know
hörento hear/to listen to, sehento see, verstehento understand, fragento ask, vergessento forget
lesento read, schreibento write, zählento count, lernento learn/to study
essento eat, trinkento drink, rauchento smoke
habento have, besitzento possess, tragento wear/to carry
versteckento hide, suchento search for, findento find
legento lay, setzento set, stellento place (+ preposition)

List of prepositions that take the accusative:

durch, … entlang, für, gegen, ohne, um

Accusative or Dative

Some verbs and prepositions can be used with either the accusative or the dative. We use the accusative to ask about direction (where to?).

hängen, stecken
an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen