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German Nominative Case Overview
The Nominative case (Nominativ) is the subject case in German. It answers the questions "Wer?" (Who?) or "Was?" (What?) and identifies who or what is performing the action in a sentence.
The Nominative case is the default case - it's the form you'll find in dictionaries and the form used for the subject of sentences. Every German sentence has at least one noun or pronoun in the Nominative case.
Key Function: The Nominative case identifies the subject of the sentence - the person, animal, or thing that performs the action.
Examples
Der Hund bellt.
The dog barks. (Der Hund = subject in Nominative)
Die Katze schläft.
The cat sleeps. (Die Katze = subject in Nominative)
Das Auto ist rot.
The car is red. (Das Auto = subject in Nominative)
Nominative Articles
In the Nominative case, German articles have their basic dictionary forms. These are the forms you should memorize first when learning German nouns.
Definite Articles (The)
The definite articles in Nominative case:
Definite Articles - Nominative Case
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | the (masculine) |
| Feminine | die | the (feminine) |
| Neuter | das | the (neuter) |
| Plural | die | the (plural) |
der Mann (the man), der Tisch (the table)
Masculine nouns use "der"
die Frau (the woman), die Lampe (the lamp)
Feminine nouns use "die"
das Kind (the child), das Haus (the house)
Neuter nouns use "das"
die Männer (the men), die Frauen (the women)
All plural nouns use "die"
Indefinite Articles (A/An)
The indefinite articles in Nominative case:
Indefinite Articles - Nominative Case
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ein | a/an (masculine) |
| Feminine | eine | a/an (feminine) |
| Neuter | ein | a/an (neuter) |
| Plural | (keine) | no plural indefinite article |
ein Mann (a man), ein Tisch (a table)
Masculine nouns use "ein"
eine Frau (a woman), eine Lampe (a lamp)
Feminine nouns use "eine"
ein Kind (a child), ein Haus (a house)
Neuter nouns use "ein"
Männer (men), Frauen (women) - no article
Plural has no indefinite article
When to Use Nominative Case
The Nominative case is used in several specific situations:
1. Subject of the Sentence
The most common use - the person or thing performing the action:
Der Lehrer erklärt die Lektion.
The teacher explains the lesson.
Eine Katze sitzt auf dem Dach.
A cat sits on the roof.
Das Wetter ist heute schön.
The weather is nice today.
2. Predicate Nominative (with "sein")
After the verb "sein" (to be), both the subject and the predicate use Nominative:
Er ist ein guter Lehrer.
He is a good teacher. (both "Er" and "ein Lehrer" are Nominative)
Das ist meine Schwester.
That is my sister. (both "Das" and "meine Schwester" are Nominative)
Die Frau ist eine Ärztin.
The woman is a doctor. (both "Die Frau" and "eine Ärztin" are Nominative)
3. Other Linking Verbs
Verbs like "werden" (to become), "bleiben" (to remain) also use Nominative for both subject and predicate:
Er wird ein Arzt.
He is becoming a doctor.
Sie bleibt eine gute Freundin.
She remains a good friend.
Das Kind wird müde.
The child is getting tired.
Identifying the Nominative Case
To identify the Nominative case in a sentence, ask these questions:
"Wer?" (Who?) - for people
"Was?" (What?) - for things
The answer to these questions will be in the Nominative case. This is the most reliable way to identify the subject of a German sentence.
Examples
Der Student liest ein Buch.
The student reads a book. → Wer liest? → Der Student (Nominative)
Die Sonne scheint hell.
The sun shines brightly. → Was scheint? → Die Sonne (Nominative)
Ein Auto fährt schnell.
A car drives fast. → Was fährt? → Ein Auto (Nominative)
Meine Eltern kommen morgen.
My parents are coming tomorrow. → Wer kommt? → Meine Eltern (Nominative)
Nominative Pronouns
Personal pronouns in the Nominative case are used as subjects:
Personal Pronouns - Nominative
These are the subject pronouns in German:
Personal Pronouns - Nominative Case
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | I | first person singular |
| du | you | second person singular (informal) |
| er | he | third person singular masculine |
| sie | she | third person singular feminine |
| es | it | third person singular neuter |
| wir | we | first person plural |
| ihr | you | second person plural (informal) |
| sie | they | third person plural |
| Sie | you | formal (singular/plural) |
Ich bin müde.
I am tired.
Du bist sehr nett.
You are very nice.
Er kommt aus Deutschland.
He comes from Germany.
Wir lernen Deutsch.
We are learning German.
Common Nominative Patterns
Certain sentence patterns always use the Nominative case:
Pattern 1: Subject + Verb + Object (Subject is always Nominative)
Pattern 2: Subject + "sein" + Predicate Nominative (Both are Nominative)
Pattern 3: "Es gibt" + Accusative (Note: "Es" is Nominative, but the object is Accusative)
Understanding these patterns helps you use the Nominative case correctly.
Examples
Der Hund spielt im Garten.
The dog plays in the garden. (Subject + Verb pattern)
Mein Bruder ist ein Ingenieur.
My brother is an engineer. (Subject + sein + Predicate)
Es gibt einen Park in der Stadt.
There is a park in the city. ("Es" is Nominative)
Die Kinder werden groß.
The children are getting big. (Subject + werden + Adjective)
Nominative vs Other Cases
The Nominative case is different from the other three German cases:
Nominative: Subject (who/what does the action)
Accusative: Direct object (who/what receives the action)
Dative: Indirect object (to/for whom the action is done)
Genitive: Possessive (whose/of what)
Learning to distinguish between these cases is crucial for German grammar mastery.
Examples
Der Mann gibt der Frau das Buch.
The man gives the woman the book.
↳ Der Mann (Nominative - subject)
↳ The man (who gives)
↳ der Frau (Dative - indirect object)
↳ to the woman (to whom)
↳ das Buch (Accusative - direct object)
↳ the book (what is given)