Explanation
What is the Nominative Case?
The Nominative case (Nominativ) is the most basic form of a noun in German. It is often called the 'subject case' because it identifies the person or thing performing the action in a sentence. In every German sentence, the subject is always in the Nominative. To find the subject, you can ask the question 'Wer?' (Who?) or 'Was?' (What?).
When to Use It
You use the Nominative case in two primary situations. First, for the subject of the sentence (e.g., Der Sohn spielt). Second, after certain verbs called 'linking verbs,' the most common being sein (to be). In a sentence like 'Das ist eine Idee,' both 'Das' and 'eine Idee' are in the Nominative case because the verb 'sein' acts like an equals sign between them.
Articles and Pronouns
In the Nominative case, articles take their standard forms: der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter), and die (plural). The indefinite articles are ein (masculine/neuter) and eine (feminine). When you learn a new German noun, you should always learn it with its Nominative article, as this is the 'dictionary form' of the word.
Sentence Position
While the subject is usually at the beginning of the sentence in simple A1 structures, German word order is flexible. Regardless of where the noun is placed, if it is the one doing the action or is being described by the verb 'sein', it must remain in the Nominative case.
Reference Tables
| Gender | Definite (The) | Indefinite (A/An) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | ein |
| Feminine | die | eine |
| Neuter | das | ein |
| Plural | die | (keine) |
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | ich (I) | wir (we) |
| 2nd Person | du (you) | ihr (you all) |
| 3rd Person | er/sie/es (he/she/it) | sie/Sie (they/You formal) |
Examples
Das Lied ist sehr schön.
The song is very beautiful.
Mein Sohn geht zur Schule.
My son goes to school.
Das ist eine gute Idee.
That is a good idea.
Die Schule beginnt um acht Uhr.
School starts at eight o'clock.
Das Fenster ist offen.
The window is open.
Common Mistakes
'Park' is the subject here, so it must be in the Nominative (der), not Accusative (den).
After the verb 'sein', we use the Nominative case. 'Ein' is the masculine Nominative form.
Personal pronouns as subjects must be Nominative. 'Mich' is Accusative; 'Ich' is Nominative.