In German, definite (“the”) and indefinite (“a/an”) articles change based on case, gender, and number. The accusative case (Akkusativ) is used when a noun is the direct object of a sentence.

Definite Articles in the Accusative Case

The definite articles (“the”) in German change as follows:

Rule:

• Only masculine nouns change in the accusative case: “der” → “den”.
• Feminine, neuter, and plural forms stay the same.

Examples:

Ich sehe den Hund.
I see the dog.

Du kaufst die Katze.
You buy the cat.

Wir mögen das Haus.
We like the house.

Sie lesen die Bücher.
They read the books.

Er besucht den Freund.
He visits the friend.

Ich finde die Lösung.
I find the solution.

Sie repariert das Fahrrad.
She repairs the bicycle.

Wir suchen den Schlüssel.
We are looking for the key.

Du brauchst die Information.
You need the information.

Ich nehme das Handy.
I take the mobile phone.

Sie kennen die Lehrerin.
They know the teacher.

Er kauft den Computer.
He buys the computer.

Indefinite Articles in the Accusative Case

Indefinite articles (“a/an”) follow a similar pattern:

Rule:

• Only masculine nouns change in the accusative case: “ein” → “einen”.
• Feminine and neuter forms stay the same.

Examples:

Ich sehe einen Hund.
I see a dog.

Du kaufst eine Katze.
You buy a cat.

Wir mögen ein Haus.
We like a house.

Er hat einen Bruder.
He has a brother.

Ich brauche einen Stift.
I need a pen.

Sie kauft eine Tasche.
She buys a bag.

Wir suchen eine Wohnung.
We are looking for an apartment.

Er möchte ein Auto.
He would like a car.

Ich esse ein Sandwich.
I am eating a sandwich.

Sie findet eine Lösung.
She finds a solution.

Du trinkst einen Kaffee.
You drink a coffee.

Negative Article (“kein”) in the Accusative Case

The negative article (“kein” = “no” or “not a”) follows the same pattern:

Examples:

Ich habe keinen Hund.
I have no dog.

Du kaufst keine Katze.
You are not buying a cat.

Sie wollen kein Haus.
They don’t want a house.

Wir lesen keine Bücher.
We don’t read books.

Er hat keinen Bruder.
He has no brother.

Ich brauche keinen Stift.
I don’t need a pen.

Sie kauft keine Tasche.
She is not buying a bag.

Wir suchen keine Wohnung.
We are not looking for an apartment.

Er möchte kein Auto.
He doesn’t want a car.

Ich esse kein Fleisch.
I don’t eat meat.

Du trinkst keinen Kaffee.
You don’t drink coffee.

Sie findet keine Lösung.
She finds no solution.

In German, the interrogative pronoun “wer” (who) is used to ask about the subject of a sentence and appears in the nominative case. However, when asking about the direct object of a sentence—i.e., the person receiving the action of the verb—the pronoun changes to “wen”, which is the accusative form of “wer.”

Nominative vs. Accusative: “Wer” vs. “Wen”

Examples:

Nominative (“wer”) – Asking about the subject:

Wer hilft dir? → “Wer” is the subject performing the action.
Who is helping you?

Wer hat das Buch gekauft?
Who bought the book?

Accusative (“wen”) – Asking about the direct object:

Wen kennst du? → “Wen” is the direct object receiving the action.
Whom do you know?

Wen rufst du an?
Whom are you calling?