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Finding the Case ​

The examples show you the answer. This page shows you how to work it out yourself.

Every example on this site is labelled Nom / Akk / Dat — but how would you know which is which on your own? German gives you a reliable method: find the verb, ask three questions, then check for two overrides. Do this a few times and it becomes automatic.

Throughout this section, the small coloured chips mean:
Nom the subjectAkk the direct objectDat the indirect object & after Dativ words

The three case questions ​

Each case answers a specific question about the sentence. Learn these three questions and you can interrogate any sentence.
CaseQuestionRole in the sentence
NomWer? / Was?the subject — who or what does the action
AkkWen? / Was?the direct object — who or what receives the action
DatWem?the indirect object — to/for whom it happens

The method, step by step ​

Apply these steps in order to any sentence:
1. Find the verb.
It's the action and the anchor of the sentence. Everything else hangs off it.
2. Ask "Wer/Was [verb]?" → the subject → Nom
Whoever does the action is the subject. The verb agrees with it (ich mache, er macht).
3. Ask "Wen/Was [verb] [subject]?" → the direct object → Akk
The person or thing the action lands on. Most verbs take an Akkusativ object.
4. Ask "Wem?" → the indirect object → Dat
Often a person who receives or benefits — "to whom / for whom". Common with verbs like geben, schicken, kaufen.
5. Override — is there a preposition?
A preposition forces its own case, no matter the role. See override 1 below.
6. Override — is it a Dativ verb?
A few verbs take Dativ where you'd expect Akkusativ. See override 2 below.
Here is the method on one sentence. Read the chips, then the "why":
IchSubjectNomgebeVerbder FrauIndirect objDatdas BuchDirect objAkk
I give the woman the book.
Why
  1. Verb: gebe (geben = to give) — the action.
  2. Wer gibt? → ich → the subject → Nominativ.
  3. Wem gebe ich? → der Frau → the receiver → Dativ (die → der).
  4. Was gebe ich? → das Buch → the thing given → Akkusativ (neutrum: das stays das).

Override 1 — prepositions force the case ​

When a noun follows a preposition, the preposition decides the case — you don't even ask the questions. There are three groups:

Always Akk: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um
Always Dat: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu
Two-way (an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen): Dat for a location (Wo?), Akk for a direction (Wohin?).

Full detail: Akkusativ prepositions, Dativ prepositions, two-way prepositions.
IchSubjectNomkaufeVerbein GeschenkDirect objAkkfürPrepositionAkkden FreundNoun phraseAkk
I'm buying a present for the friend.
Why
  1. Was kaufe ich? → ein Geschenk → direct object → Akkusativ.
  2. für is an always-Akkusativ preposition, so den Freund is Akkusativ (der → den) — no questions needed.

Override 2 — Dativ verbs ​

A small set of common verbs take their object in the Dativ, even though English treats it like a direct object. Memorise them: helfen (help), danken (thank), gefallen (please/like), gehören (belong to), antworten (answer), folgen (follow), gratulieren (congratulate), passen (fit), schmecken (taste good to).
Das AutoSubjectNomgefälltVerb (Dativ)dem MannObjectDat
The car pleases the man. (= The man likes the car.)
Why
  1. Wer/was gefällt? → das Auto → the subject → Nominativ. (In German the car is the subject, not the man!)
  2. gefallen is a Dativ verb, so the person who likes it — dem Mann — is Dativ (der → dem), not Akkusativ.

Inside a noun phrase — which word is what? ​

Once you know a chunk's case, you can name its parts. A noun phrase is built in a fixed order:

[preposition] + [article] + [adjective] + [noun]

The article and any adjective carry the case ending; the noun is the head (always capitalised). Zoom into one phrase:
mitPrepositionDatdemArticlegroßenAdjectiveHundNoun
… with the big dog
Why
  1. mit = preposition — it forces the Dativ.
  2. dem = the definite article in maskulin Dativ (der → dem).
  3. großen = the adjective; after "dem" it takes the ending -en (see Adjective Endings).
  4. Hund = the noun (maskulin), the head of the phrase.
The routine

Verb first. Then: Wer? (Nom) → Wen/Was? (Akk) → Wem? (Dat).
Then two overrides: a preposition forces its own case, and a Dativ verb (helfen, gefallen…) makes its object Dativ.
Inside a phrase: preposition + article + adjective + noun.