Now for some more complexity. The accusative case can appear in a sentence in several instances, so let's treat each instance in turn. First up is the most common usage of the accusative case: the direct object.
The direct object of a sentence is the noun(s) on which the verb is acting. Most verbs (emphasis on most!) in German require the direct object to be in the accusative case. There are a small number of verbs that need the direct object in the dative case, which will be covered in the next section.
| EXAMPLES OF ACCUSATIVE CASE FOR DIRECT OBJECT | ||
| Sentence | Translation | Explanation of Accusative Case |
| Ich esse den Apfel. | I am eating the apple. | Apple is the direct object of the sentence-it's what I'm eating. |
| Kennst du ihn? | Do you know him? | Ihn is the direct object of the sentence, the accusative case pronoun for "he". |
| Der Hund beißt den Jungen. | The dog bites the boy. | Jungen is the direct object of the sentence. |
| Den Jungen beißt der Hund. | The dog bites the boy. | Jungen is the direct object of the sentence. |
Notice the last two sentences. They both say exactly the same thing, but the order of the words is different. This is a classic trap for native English speakers when they are learning German. It is the case that determines the meaning of the sentence, not the word order! But even that isn't infallible, because in a sentence composed of a subject and direct object that don't change form between nominative and accusative, such as Die Katze beißt das Baby, it isn't possible to be certain whether the baby bit the cat or the cat bit the baby without further info on the context of the biting situation. Or, you can always ask the speaker Was sagen Sie? for clarification!
There are several prepositions that always take the accusative case, plus several more that take it depending on the usage in a sentence. For details on them and their usage, see the section on prepositions.
In absence of a preposition, which by itself would determine the case, any expressions involving a definite point in time or a duration of time are in the accusative case. Or more specifically, any statements that deal with "when", "how often", or "how long" are what are covered here. Note that because only masculine nouns have articles and adjective endings that are different in the accusative, feminine and neuter nouns of time (such as das Jahr and die Woche) don't appear to be in the accusative case, but technically speaking they are.
| EXAMPLES OF ACCUSATIVE CASE FOR TIME EXPRESSIONS | ||
| Sentence | Translation | Explanation of Accusative Case |
| Er kommt nächsten Monat | He's coming next month. | Monat and the adjective nächst are in the accusative case. |
| Den ganzen Tag habe ich gearbeitet. | I worked the entire day. | Den ganzen Tag is in the accusative case. |
| Diese Woche fahren wir nach Chicago. | We are driving to Chicago this week. | Diese Woche is in the accusative case. |
Expressions of measurement, such as length, weight, or age, are in the accusative case.
| EXAMPLES OF ACCUSATIVE CASE FOR MEASUREMENTS | ||
| Sentence | Translation | Explanation of Accusative Case |
| Das Schiff ist fast einen Kilometer lang. | The boat is almost a kilometer long. | The length unit and its article are in the accusative. |
| Das Kätzchen ist jetz einen Monat alt. | The kitten is now a month old. | The time unit and its article are in the accusative. |
Again, like for the accusative expressions of time, any measurement units that are feminine or neuter don't appear to be in the accusative case, but they are.
This cute little expression gets a lot of use in German, and so does its English equivalent (There is/There are). The accusative case always follows it.
| EXAMPLES OF ACCUSATIVE CASE FOR "es gibt" | |
| Sentence | Translation |
| Es gibt hier den echten Meister. | There is the true master here. |
| Gibt es einen guten Film im Kino? | Is there a good film at the cinema? |