Nominative Case in German (Nominativ im Deutschen)

The German Nominative case (Nominativ) is one of the most important cases you will encounter when learning German grammar. Understanding it is essential because every sentence you make will have at least one noun in the nominative case – the subject.

Once you master nominative articles, possessive pronouns, and common patterns, you’ll be ready to handle the Accusative case, Dative case and Genitive case.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What the nominative case is and when to use it

• How definite, indefinite, and negative articles work in the nominative

• How to use possessive pronouns correctly

• Common mistakes learners make

• Practice examples and tips for mastering it

What is the Nominative Case in German?

The nominative case marks the subject of a sentence – the person, animal, or thing performing the action.

In English, the subject usually comes first, but in German, word order can be flexible because cases indicate the role of each noun.

Example:

• Der Hund läuft im Park.
  (The dog runs in the park.) – "Der Hund" is the subject, so it’s nominative.

• Im Park läuft der Hund.
  (In the park the dog runs.) – The order changes, but "der Hund" stays nominative because it’s still the subject.

Articles in Nominative Case (Artikel im Nominativ)

Articles in German change depending on gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural).

Notes:

• The definite article (der, die, das) means the.

• The indefinite article (ein, eine) means a / an.

• The negative article (kein, keine) works like ein but negates the noun

When to Use the Nominative Case

You use the nominative in two main situations:

1. For the Subject of the Sentence

The subject is the doer of the action.

• Der Lehrer erklärt die Grammatik. (The teacher explains the grammar.)

• Meine Schwester spielt Klavier. (My sister plays the piano.)

2. After the Verb "sein"(to be) and Similar Verbs

After sein, werden (to become) and bleiben (to stay), both the subject and what it’s compared to are in the nominative.

• Ich bin ein Student. (I am a student.)

• Das ist mein Auto. (That is my car.)

• Er bleibt mein Freund. (He remains my friend.)

Possessive Pronouns in the Nominative Case (Possessivpronomen im Nominativ)

Possessive pronouns (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr) must agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe, not with the owner.

Example Sentences with Possessive Pronouns

• Mein Hund ist sehr freundlich. (My dog is very friendly.)

• Deine Katze schläft viel. (Your cat sleeps a lot.)

• Unser Haus ist groß. (Our house is big.)

• Ihre Bücher sind interessant. (Her books are interesting.)

Tips for Mastering the Nominative Case

• Memorize article forms for each gender.

• Practice with all three types of articles: definite, indefinite, negative.

• Pair articles with possessive pronouns to reinforce agreement.

• Try writing 5–10 sentences daily in German using the nominative.

Translation Exercise – Nominative Case (Nominativ)

Translate the following English sentences into German:

1. My dog is very friendly.

2. This is a house.

3. The children are in the garden.

4. Your cat is sleeping.

5. He is not a teacher.

Answers

1. Mein Hund ist sehr freundlich.
   (Mein – masculine singular, nominative subject)

2. Das ist ein Haus.
   (ein – neuter singular, nominative after "ein")

3. Die Kinder sind im Garten.
   (Die – plural nominative definite article)

4. Deine Katze schläft.
   (Deine – feminine singular, nominative subject)

5. Er ist kein Lehrer.
   (kein – masculine singular, nominative after "sein")