The accusative case in everyday sentences
Only one article changes in the accusative — but it changes constantly, so learning der to den properly pays off all year.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, and write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions
Key learning points
- • Which noun is the object?
- • The article table you actually need
- • Accusative prepositions
- • Building longer sentences
This lesson at a glance
- 30 minutes
- 18 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 18
Watch first
The accusative case in everyday sentences
An English teaching video on this topic from mugridge language. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
In a nutshell
Write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, and write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions
What you already know
Part 2 of 18
Before we start
What you already know
You should already know the nominative articles der, die, das and the idea of a subject and an object.
Key words
Part 3 of 18
Key words
Words you'll need today
- Nominativ
- the case of the subject — who is doing the verb
- Akkusativ
- the case of the direct object — who or what receives the action
- den
- masculine accusative of der
- einen
- masculine accusative of ein
- für / ohne
- for / without — prepositions that always take the accusative
Learning cycle
Part 4 of 18
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Subject, object and the one big change
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 18
Learn
Which noun is the object?
Ask 'who or what receives the action?'. In Der Hund beisst den Mann, the dog does the biting and the man receives it. Swap the articles and you change the story, which is why case matters more in German than word order does.
Explore the idea
Part 6 of 18
Learn
The article table you actually need
Masculine der becomes den and ein becomes einen. Feminine die, neuter das and plural die are unchanged. Learning that one masculine change well beats half-learning the whole grid.
Quick check
Part 7 of 18
Quick check
'I have a brother' is...
Reset break
Part 8 of 18
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 2 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 9 of 18
Quick check
Which preposition takes the accusative?
Learning cycle
Part 10 of 18
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Prepositions and real sentences
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 11 of 18
Learn
Accusative prepositions
Für, ohne, gegen, um and durch always take the accusative: Ich kaufe ein Geschenk für meinen Bruder. Memorise them as a short list and the ending follows automatically.
Explore the idea
Part 12 of 18
Learn
Building longer sentences
Combine what you know: Am Wochenende kaufe ich einen neuen Rucksack für meinen Bruder, weil sein Rucksack kaputt ist. Inversion, accusative, a preposition and weil in one sentence.
Quick check
Part 13 of 18
Quick check
In 'Ich sehe den Film', den Film is the...
Quick check
Part 14 of 18
Quick check
Feminine 'die Tasche' as an object becomes...
Common mix-ups
Part 15 of 18
Common mix-ups
Things people often get wrong
- Only masculine articles change in the accusative — die and das stay put.
- Es gibt is always followed by the accusative: es gibt einen Park.
- Case is decided by the job of the noun, not its position in the sentence.
Challenge round
Part 16 of 18
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Mastery quiz
Part 17 of 18
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: The accusative case in everyday sentences
6 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Accusative of 'der Hund' is...
2. Es gibt takes the...
3. 'ohne' means...
4. Which changes in the accusative?
5. 'Ich kaufe ___ Kuchen (der).'
6. Case is decided by...
Lesson round-up
Part 18 of 18
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
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Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaDo the work
Your written work for this lesson
This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.
Une journée à Lyon
Samedi matin, je me lève à sept heures et demie. Je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur — du pain, du beurre et un chocolat chaud. Ensuite, nous prenons le bus jusqu'au centre-ville.
J'aime beaucoup Lyon parce qu'il y a un grand marché près du fleuve. Ma sœur préfère les magasins, mais moi, je préfère le marché : c'est moins cher et c'est plus intéressant. À midi, nous mangeons un sandwich au parc.
L'après-midi, il commence à pleuvoir, alors nous rentrons à la maison en tram. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je regarde un film avec mes parents.
Original text written for Good Learning Co.
Reading questions
- In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
- Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
- Write 8–10 sentences about your own Saturday, using at least three phrases from the text.
Written practice
WritingWrite the sentences out in the language, then translate them back into English.
8–10 sentences
Vocabulary page
Working outCopy the new words, cover them, and test yourself. Note the ones you keep missing.
15 words
Saved as you type.
Part 1 of 18 · Watch & discover