German Grammar Guide: Cases, Prepositions & Test Topics (C-Test & Lckentest)
PART 1: The 4 German Cases (Flle)
1. NOMINATIV (Subject Case)
- Use: Subject of the sentence (Who/What is doing the action?)
- Articles: der, die, das, die (plural)
- Tip: Look for the "doer" of the action.
2. AKKUSATIV (Direct Object Case)
- Use: Direct object (Whom/What is affected by the action?)
- Articles: den, die, das, die (plural)
- Tip: Used for movement, goal, or direction.
3. DATIV (Indirect Object Case)
- Use: Indirect object (To/For whom?)
- Articles: dem, der, dem, den (+n)
- Tip: Used for static location or beneficiaries.
4. GENITIV (Possession Case)
- Use: Shows possession (Whose?)
- Articles: des (+s), der, des (+s), der (plural)
- Tip: Formal, often used with prepositions like "wegen", "trotz".
PART 2: Prepositions
Akkusativ Prepositions:
- durch, fr, gegen, ohne, um
Dativ Prepositions:
- aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu
Genitiv Prepositions:
- trotz, wegen, whrend, innerhalb, auerhalb
Wechselprpositionen (2-way):
- an, auf, in, ber, unter, vor, hinter, zwischen
- Akkusativ: Movement (Wohin?)
- Dativ: Location (Wo?)
PART 3: Articles Table
| Case | Masc | Fem | Neut | Plural |
|------------|------|------|------|--------|
| Nominativ | der | die | das | die |
| Akkusativ | den | die | das | die |
| Dativ | dem | der | dem | den+n |
| Genitiv | des | der | des | der |
PART 4: Topics in C-Test & Lckentest
1. Verb Conjugation (e.g. modal verbs)
2. Cases (der den dem des)
3. Prepositions + Case
4. Conjunctions (weil, obwohl, dass)
5. Passive voice (wird + Partizip II)
6. Participles as adjectives
7. Adjective endings
8. Word forms & nominalization
9. Relative clauses (der, die, das)
10. Time expressions (seit, vor, whrend)
Smart Tips
- Akkusativ = Action or Movement
- Dativ = Location or Receiver
- Genitiv = Possession (Wessen?)
- Learn prepositions with their required case!