Key Points

Accusative is for direct objects

Only masculine articles change: der→den, ein→einen

Feminine, neuter, and plural stay the same

Ask 'wen?' (whom?) or 'was?' (what?) to find direct objects

The Accusative Case

The accusative case is used for the direct object of a sentence - the thing or person receiving the action.

Definite Articles in Accusative

Only masculine articles change!

The direct object answers "what?" or "whom?" after the verb:

Ich sehe den Mann. (I see the man.)
- Wen sehe ich? → den Mann (accusative)
Sie hat einen Hund. (She has a dog.)
- Was hat sie? → einen Hund (accusative)
Er liest das Buch. (He reads the book.)
- Was liest er? → das Buch (neuter, no change)

These verbs always take accusative objects:

Examples

"Ich kaufe den Apfel."

"I buy the apple."

💡 'Apfel' is masculine direct object, so 'der' becomes 'den'

"Er hat eine Schwester."

"He has a sister."

💡 'Schwester' is feminine, so 'eine' stays 'eine'

"Wir sehen das Haus."

"We see the house."

💡 'Haus' is neuter, so 'das' stays 'das'

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✗ Changing feminine or neuter articles to accusative (they don't change!)

✗ Forgetting that only masculine changes

✗ Confusing subject and object in a sentence