Notes on Cases

Question 1

Nominative

Answer 1

Used to mark subject of finite verb
EG Der Zug war nicht pünktlich

Also used with the verbs: sein, werden, bleiben, heißen and scheinen

Question 2

Accusative

Answer 2

Used for direct object of transitive verbs
E.g. Ich habe ‘einen Salat’ gegessen

Used for most greetings/wishes (idea is you are wishing a person this greeting)
E.g. ‘Guten Morgen’

Used for length of time/point of time
E.g. ‘Den ganzen Tag’/’einen Monat’

Also used for measurement or value
E.g. ‘Keinen Pfennig wert’ or ‘vier Jahre’

Question 3

Dative

Answer 3

Marks someone indirectly affected by an action
E.g. Sie schrieb ‘mir’ seine Adresse auf

The free dative can mark the person judging an event/statement (i.e. As in ‘to’ or ‘for’)
E.g. Es ist mir zu kalt. Mir verging die Zeit zu schnell.

Dative can also be used in possession for body parts or clothing (but also close relatives and prized possessions)
Eg einem Mann ist das Bein gebrochen.

It has to be used if the body part is used with a preposition
Ich habe mir in den Finger geschnitten

Or if the reference is not the subject of the sentence
Die Mutter wäscht ihm die Hände.

Dative is not used if no one else could possibly have done it
Eg Er machte die Augen auf

Question 4

Apposition

Answer 4

Used where a noun phrase follows a noun to give additional information
Eg Wilhelm, ‘der letzte deutsche Kaiser’

What’s in apposition is usually in the same case as the noun it’s describing

Unless the unqualified noun is genitive then the noun in apposition is usually nominative
Eg nach dem Tod meines Onkels, Bürgermeister der Stadt Krefeld

Question 5

Genitive

Answer 5

Essentially used for ‘of’ so for possession (das Haus meines Bruders), Partitive (die Hälfte des Kuchens), subject of verbal noun (die Abfahrt des Zuges), object of a verbal noun (der Umbau des Hauses), qualify a noun (ein Strahl der Hoffnung) or to define a noun (die Pflicht der Dankbarkeit)

Genitive is also used to define habitual or indefinite time:
Eines Tages, montags etc

Question 6

Measurement phrases: genitive, von or apposition

Answer 6

Nouns and noun phrases after a noun are usually in apposition
Eg eine Flasche ‘wein’, mit einer Tasse ‘heißem tee’

With vague quantities:

If following noun has an adjective then genitive is used in written German and Von in speech
Eg zwei Gruppen junger Arbeiter or zwei Gruppen von jungen Arbeitern

With nouns of number:

If used in plural without number, then Von is used. Eg Tausende von Briten

If following noun has an adjective then Von, apposition or genitive can be used:
Tausende von jungen Arbeitern/junger Arbeiter/junge Arbeiter

If used in singular or plural with a numeral, then apposition is used:
Eg ein Dutzend Eier