Well, let's start with the simplest and shortest case, shall, we? The nominative case can appear in a sentence in just two possible instances: as the subject noun(s) of the sentence or as the predicate noun(s) of the sentence. Predicate nouns provide further detail about the subject, usually conveyed by verbs such as sein or werden.
| EXAMPLES OF NOMINATIVE CASE | ||
| Sentence | Translation | Explanation of nominative case |
| Der schwarze Hund rennt. | The black dog runs. | Hund is the subject of the sentence. |
| Ich esse die Banane. | I am eating the banana. | Ich is the subject of the sentence, the nominative case pronoun for "I". |
| Mein Auto ist sehr alt. | My car is very old. | Auto is the subject of the sentence and is used as a predicate noun. |
| Sie werden müde. | They're getting tired. | Sie is the subject of the sentence and is used as a predicate noun. |
Notice in the above examples how the articles or adjectives that refer to the subject are declined. Articles and adjectives follow the case of the noun to which they refer (see the sections on adjectives and articles for more info).
And that's it for the nominative! But trust me, the next three cases will make up for the nominative's lack of complexity!