What Is Nominativ? German Cases Explained

German has four cases, and Nominativ is the one you'll already be using without realizing it — it's simply the subject of the sentence. In this lesson, we explain what a German case actually is, what Nominativ specifically means, and give you the full set of definite and indefinite articles in the nominative, with examples showing how to use them.

What Is a "Case" in German?

A case shows the role a noun plays in a sentence — is it doing the action, receiving it, or something else? German has four: Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ, and Genitiv. This changes the article (and sometimes the noun ending), which is why der, den, and dem can all mean "the" depending on the case.

Nominativ: The Subject Case

Nominativ marks the subject — the person or thing doing the action. It answers the question wer? (who?) or was? (what?). In Der Mann liest. (The man reads.), der Mann is in the nominative because he's the one doing the reading.

The Nominative Articles

Definite articles ("the"): der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter), die (plural). Indefinite articles ("a/an"): ein (masculine), eine (feminine), ein (neuter) — there's no singular indefinite article in the plural. The good news: nominative is the "default" form these articles take before any case changes are applied.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Nominativ mean in German?

Nominativ is the subject case — it marks the person or thing doing the action in a sentence, and answers the question wer? (who?) or was? (what?).

What are the nominative definite articles in German?

Der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter), and die (plural).

What are the nominative indefinite articles in German?

Ein (masculine), eine (feminine), and ein (neuter); there is no indefinite article in the plural.

How many cases does German have?

Four: Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ, and Genitiv.

Which verb is most closely associated with the nominative case?

The verb sein (to be), since both sides of a sentence like Er ist Lehrer (He is a teacher) stay in the nominative.

Ready to build your understanding of German cases from the ground up? Start with our A1 German course.