Introduction to the Nominative Case
The **nominative case** (in German, Nominativ) is used to indicate the **subject** of a sentence—the person or thing performing the action. It is also used for **predicate nouns**, which are nouns that come after the verb to describe the subject. The nominative case answers the question: **"Who or what?"** (Wer? or Was?)
Definite and Indefinite Articles in the Nominative Case
| Gender |
Definite Article (the) |
Indefinite Article (a/an) |
Example |
| Masculine |
der |
ein |
Der Mann (the man) / Ein Mann (a man) |
| Feminine |
die |
eine |
Die Frau (the woman) / Eine Frau (a woman) |
| Neuter |
das |
ein |
Das Kind (the child) / Ein Kind (a child) |
| Plural |
die |
(no plural form) |
Die Kinder (the children) |
Nominative Case with Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns in the nominative case are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence.
| Person |
German |
English |
| 1st Person Singular |
ich |
I |
| 2nd Person Singular |
du |
you |
| 3rd Person Singular (masculine) |
er |
he |
| 3rd Person Singular (feminine) |
sie |
she |
| 3rd Person Singular (neuter) |
es |
it |
| 1st Person Plural |
wir |
we |
| 2nd Person Plural |
ihr |
you (plural) |
| 3rd Person Plural |
sie |
they |
| Formal |
Sie |
you (formal) |
Examples of Nominative Case in Sentences
Here are some sentences that use the nominative case:
- Der Mann arbeitet im Büro. (The man works in the office.)
- Die Frau ist Lehrerin. (The woman is a teacher.)
- Das Kind spielt im Park. (The child is playing in the park.)
- Die Kinder lernen Deutsch. (The children are learning German.)
Nominative Case with Predicate Nouns
Predicate nouns follow a form of the verb "to be" (sein) and describe the subject. These nouns are also in the nominative case.
- Ich bin Lehrer. (I am a teacher.)
- Sie ist Ärztin. (She is a doctor.)
- Er ist Ingenieur. (He is an engineer.)
Practice Exercise
Fill in the blanks with the correct nominative form:
- ______ Mann ist freundlich. (the man)
- ______ Kind spielt mit dem Ball. (the child)
- ______ Frau arbeitet als Ärztin. (the woman)
- ______ Kinder gehen zur Schule. (the children)
Answers
- Der Mann ist freundlich. (The man is friendly.)
- Das Kind spielt mit dem Ball. (The child is playing with the ball.)
- Die Frau arbeitet als Ärztin. (The woman works as a doctor.)
- Die Kinder gehen zur Schule. (The children go to school.)