Nominative case (1. Fall) in German
Sign up for free to get all information about private lessons and our available group courses (A1, A2, B2, B2, C1, C2)
Sign up for freeWe offer both private lessons and organized group courses
Sign up for free to get all available courses or contact one of our teachers yourself!
Theresa S.
17.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Sebastian G.
19.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Petra H.
29.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Our offer
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.What is the nominative case in German?
- 1.1.How to identify the Nominative noun in a sentence
- 1.2.Different forms of the nominative
- 2.Declension of the Nominative Case
- 2.1.Table of declension of the article and the noun in the nominative case
- 2.2.Table of personal pronouns in the nominative case
- 3.How do you use the nominative case in German?
- 3.1.As the subject of the verb
- 3.2.As a predicate nominative
- 3.3.As a noun of a direct address
- 4.Where do you place the nominative in a sentence
- 5.Exercises
- 5.1.Exercise of German nominative
- 5.2.Exercise of the nominative case
What is the nominative case in German?
Within a sentence the nominative is fundamental, because it is the subject of the sentence. An article, an adjective and a nouns can form the nominal group of the nominative. They are based on the case, gender and number. In order to find the nominative of a sentence, you have to answer the question:
wer oder was? - who or what (performs the action)
Have a question?
Take online language lessons with a professional teacher
- Native & verified teachers
- Free trial lesson
- Learning materials included
Elisa G. 
30.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Mili A. 
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Salah D. 
18.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Claus B. 
15.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Eleonora S.
20.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Ana N. 
30.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Paolo B.
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
María Inmaculada F. 
12.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Anna F.
33.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Helena M. 
28.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Elisa G.
30.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Mili A.
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Salah D.
18.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Claus B.
15.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Eleonora S.
20.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Ana N.
30.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Paolo B.
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
María Inmaculada F.
12.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
How to identify the Nominative noun in a sentence
This table shows you some examples, how to ask for the nominative in a sentence.
| Example | Question (Wer oder was?) | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Der Student liest ein Gedicht. - The student reads a poem. | Wer liest ein Gedicht? - Who reads the poem? | der Student - the student |
| Sie trinkt Milch. - She drinks milk. | Wer trinkt Milch? - Who drinks milk? | sie - she |
| Seine kleine Wohnung wurde renoviert. - His small apartment was renovated. | Was wurde renoviert? - What has been renovated? | seine kleine Wohnung - his small apartment |
Different forms of the nominative
The nominative can be an explicit person, personal pronoun or a nominal group (adjective/pronoun + noun).
Here you can find some examples for each type.
| Type of Nominative | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| explicit person |
|
|
| personal pronoun |
|
|
| nominal group (adjective/pronoun + noun) |
|
|
Attention: the adjective is always declined according to the case, the gender and the number. To learn more about the declension of adjectives, have a look in to our lessons about the German adjectives.
Declension of the Nominative Case
In the nominative case the nouns remain unchanged. The articles and/or the adjective, which accompanies the noun, designate the case, gender and number. Have also a look into the topic of articles and adjectives in German.
Table of declension of the article and the noun in the nominative case
In this table you can find several examples for the declension of noun and their articles in the different genders. In addition, there are some examples of adjectives that accompany a noun in the nominative case.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| With a definite article | der Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Leute |
| With an indefinite article | ein Mann | eine Frau | ein Kind | Leute |
| With a definite article + adjective | der gute Mann | die schöne Frau | das junge Kind | die vielen Leute |
| With an indefinite article + adjective | ein guter Mann | eine schöne Frau | ein junges Kind | viele Leute |
Translation:
- der gute Mann - the good man
- die schöne Frau - the beautiful women
- das junge Kind - the young child
- die vielen Leute - the many people
Remember: there is no indefinite article in Plural.
Table of personal pronouns in the nominative case
In the nominative case you have to decline personal pronouns too. They are listed in this table.
| Type of person | Personal pronoun |
|---|---|
| First person singular | ich - I |
| Second person singular | du - you (informal) |
| Third person singular (masculine, feminine, neuter) | er, sie, es - he, she, it |
| First person plural | wir - we |
| Second person plural | ihr - you |
| Third person plural + polite form | sie/Sie - they/you (formal) |
How do you use the nominative case in German?
There are three different situations when to use the nominative case.
- As the subject of the verb
- As a predicate nominative
- As a noun of a direct address
As the subject of the verb
Using the nominative case as the subject of the verb is the most common way in the German language. Have a look in the examples below to explore the nominative as a subject.
- Der Junge liest ein Buch. - The boy reads a book.
- Meine Katze ist weiß. - My cat is white.
- Die Stadt ist bekannt. - The city is well-know.
- Das Zimmer ist groß. - The room is large.
As a predicate nominative
A predicative nominative is a noun that is equated with the subject of the sentence or clause. It follows a linking verb and refers back to it. This table shows you common linking verbs.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| sein - to be |
|
| werden - to become/going to |
|
| heißen - to be called |
|
| bleiben - to stay/be/remain |
|
| scheinen - to appear/seem |
|
| aussehen - to look like |
|
As a noun of a direct address
You have to use the nominative case in phrases where you use the imperative or you directly address someone.
Here are some examples:
- Guten Tag, mein Freund. - Good day, my friend.
- Herr Müller, wie geht es Ihnen? - Mr. Müller how are you?
- Räum dein Zimmer auf, Clara! - Clean your room, Clara!
- Sei still, Markus! - Be quite, Markus!
Where do you place the nominative in a sentence
Usually the nominative, being the subject, occupies the first place in a sentence and the it is followed by the verb. However, it often happens that the sentence starts with an adverb or another element. In this case, since the verb always occupies the second place, the nominative (subject) comes after the verb (in third place).
Here are some examples:
- Luca singt ein Lied. - Luca sings a song.
- Sie fahren morgen in die Berge. - They are going to the mountains tomorrow.
- Gestern bin ich mit dem Hund spazieren gegangen - Yesterday I went on walk with my dog.
- Nach der Arbeit gehe ich zum Strand. - After work I to the beach.
Now you have learned the German nominative case. You can browse through the exercises to improve your knowledge. Good luck!
Exercises
Exercise of German nominative
Fill in the missing articles (definite or indefinite) according to the nominative case.
For example: table: der Tisch - ein Tisch
song = das Lied - Lied
bag = Tasche - eine Tasche
car = das Auto - Auto
question = Frage - eine Frage
school = die Schule - Schule
boy = Junge - ein Junge
coffee = der Kaffee - Kaffee
newspaper = Zeitung = eine Zeitung
train = der Zug = Zug
concert = Konzert = ein Konzert
Exercise of the nominative case
Fill in the missing articles (definite or indefinite) in the nominative case.
The student studies in London. = Student studiert in London.
The car is black = Auto ist schwarz.
The bird is singing. = Vogel singt.
The bag is small. = Tasche ist sehr klein.
The girl is ill. = Mädchen krank?
The children are at home. = Kinder sind zu Hause.
This is a house. = Das ist Haus.
An apple is lying on the table = Auf dem Tisch liegt Apfel.
He bought a book. = Er hat Buch gekauft.
Gent is a beautiful city. = Gent ist schöne Stadt.
Exercises
Exercise of German nominative
Fill in the missing articles (definite or indefinite) according to the nominative case.
For example: table: der Tisch - ein Tisch
song = das Lied - Lied
bag = Tasche - eine Tasche
car = das Auto - Auto
question = Frage - eine Frage
school = die Schule - Schule
boy = Junge - ein Junge
coffee = der Kaffee - Kaffee
newspaper = Zeitung = eine Zeitung
train = der Zug = Zug
concert = Konzert = ein Konzert
Exercise of the nominative case
Fill in the missing articles (definite or indefinite) in the nominative case.
The student studies in London. = Student studiert in London.
The car is black = Auto ist schwarz.
The bird is singing. = Vogel singt.
The bag is small. = Tasche ist sehr klein.
The girl is ill. = Mädchen krank?
The children are at home. = Kinder sind zu Hause.
This is a house. = Das ist Haus.
An apple is lying on the table = Auf dem Tisch liegt Apfel.
He bought a book. = Er hat Buch gekauft.
Gent is a beautiful city. = Gent ist schöne Stadt.
What our students say
Unlike in other platforms, all our teachers are manually verified by our professional team. Trust in the experiences of our students.
Hello,
my name is Veronika and I am a student in Florence at the academy of fine arts. I have been in Italy for three years and I really like the Italian language. In school i learned english and during journeys i used to speak a lot of english so i'm also able to teach in english.
I am from Germany so I am a German native speaker. I have already taught German to some of my friends and would love to teach my language to more people as well. At the beginning I would like to do grammar lessons and the most used words to deepen the basic knowledge of the language. Then I will continue to have conversations in German to increase vocabulary and to give confidence in dialogue and in any case in speaking the language in real scenarios. The most important thing by learning a new language is to learn it through hearing and speaking. Being difficult at first to formulate sentences will then become easier and easier and thus you arrive at a fluent and confident way to speak the new language.
For myself I learned Italian three years ago with this method so I also know what it is like to learn a language and I can help you with my teaching to learn German that way.
I can not wait to start!
greetings Veronika
B. L.
My experience with Veronika as a teacher was and still is really good. In order to reach my goals, she has setup a structured schedule and has provided good learning material. Due to my work, I had to reschedule some of my lessons and she always showed understanding in this regards. She is very friendly and easy to talk to. I can only recommend her!
Veronika N.
Thank you very much!!!
Learning a foreign language is a beautiful and awe-inspiring journey which is not strange to me.
Growing in Europe and living in Canada has shaped my thinking abilities to see beyond the surface of individual’s potential to study. It remodeled my senses in a special way to be able to respond with tact and compassion to the needs of my students. In the same time it taught me the value of persistence and creativity. These abilities have helped me to master the art of teaching. Every student makes me a better friend, family member and a person.
So far, I've helped different age groups to converse freely, to read, understand and love both English and Bulgarian. Beside that, my students not just improve their grades at school. Some of them became English teachers themselves.
No two students are exactly alike. That's why I mostly use personalized learning method. It builds a learning experience that addresses the unique abilities of each student.
Another method of teaching that I use is Learning by experiment. In that way students learn by doing. I create experiences for them to see the concepts in action. I found out that students tend to remember better when they see and then discuss what they learn from what they saw.
Beside these methods you will enjoy Modeling, Mistakes, Feedback and one of my top methods: Lesson Objective Transparency. When I clearly state my lesson goals and write it on the board, then you will feel relax because you will know what you are working towards.
Please, be assured you won’t regret giving me the opportunity to help you!
V. F.
Didi is a very friendly and experienced teacher. She makes her lesson very interesting and easy to follow. She loves teaching and supports her students during their learning path.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Didi B.
Italian teacher
A. S.
This teacher has experience, a great variety of learning materials for different objectives and speaks spanish fluently.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
DENIS B.
Olá, amigo! My name is Nathália, I’m Brazilian, living in France, and I teach Portuguese as a foreign language.
With a degree in Literature and Linguistics, I began my career as a foreign language tutor (French and Portuguese) in Brazil, working with adults and teenagers. Today, with over ten years of experience, I have had the pleasure of teaching Portuguese to students from various nationalities and linguistic backgrounds, including French, Spanish, English, and Italian speakers.
I offer personalized lessons, tailored to your goals and learning pace. All teaching materials are designed by me and adjusted to the specific needs of each student, ensuring a dynamic and effective learning experience.
Join me to make rapid progress and enjoy learning Portuguese!
M. H.
Nathalia's communication was perfect in setting up the lesson and she is very encouraging in introducing the topic. I immediately felt comfortable studying a topic for me which is almost completely new and am looking forward to doing so again. I would really recommend Nathalia.
Nathália M.
Since I learn languages myself, I know the difficulties and hurdles that can arise when learning a foreign language. I take away your fear of using the German language, because the best way to learn a language is to speak it!
You want to take a telc or Goethe exam? I will help you! I teach from level B1 to C2. In the course of my teaching I have specialised in students and adult learners from the age of 19 who want to take one of these exams for professional or private reasons.
If you only want to prepare orally for an exam with me, I offer conversation lessons where I give you strategies and tips on how to pass the exam. You will do a lot of speaking and learn the phrases that are most important for the exam at your level.
I'll also show you how to integrate German into your everyday life, recommend podcasts, books and series to expand your vocabulary.
Are you looking for a job and need help with your application? No problem, I give you application training, revise your CV with you and write applications together with you. I will also prepare you for your job interviews.
Don't be shy and write to me before you book a trial lesson. Together we will work out a syllabus that is tailored to your needs and goals. We will learn what is important for you at this stage and where I see room for improvement. I adapt each lesson individually to you.
Due to my eight-year stay abroad in Ireland, I have a very good knowledge of English and can also explain something to you in English or Spanish, but in my lessons we almost only speak German together.
What can you expect in my lessons?
- Creative and professional preparation for telc or Goethe from B1 level upwards
- Conversation classes
- Language lessons individually adapted to your needs, each lesson is prepared for you individually
- Application training and help with application letters, revision of your CV
- Grammar explanations that YOU just need.
- Quizzes, puzzles, worksheets, books, conversation topics and much more. Learning should be fun!
The most important thing is that you invest a little time and feel like learning with me. In return, you should also do the homework so that we can make good progress. I will be happy to correct it. Let me inspire you!
E. P.
Lessons with Larissa are a lot of fun. She is very personable and committed. Thank you for your support with German language.
Larissa L.
Thank you for your positive rating. I look forward to more hours with you!
Hello German learner! I am a dedicated teacher for DaF (German as a foreign language) studying and working in Germany. I have already gained teaching experience with different age groups and nationalities while teaching German in various language schools.
Currently, I'm doing my second studies in German, English, and Teaching at the University of Bonn. (I already got my Master's Degree in German and Literature). Besides, I teach in a local language school as well as tutor students online on Colanguage.
In my free time, I learn French and Dutch and hope to become a true polyglot one day :)
So as you can see, I'm all into languages and love my profession as a teacher!
I can help you learn general German, develop your communicational skills as well as prepare you for language tests (Goethe Zertifikat, Telc, etc).
Just book a trial lesson with me and we'll find out which course is right for you.
See you soon
Anush
PS. IMPORTANT! Currently, I only work with adults aged 18 and over - so NO courses for children, sorry.
M. V.
Anush is a great teacher! Her advices and corrections are to the point and very helpful. My demands were high enough and sie could provide the necessary solutions and the necessary help , that I needed.
Anush H.
Hello, my name is Katerina und I’m a qualified German teacher with 8 years teaching experience.
I would like to help you to master the German language. You will get your personal online lesson via Skype.
If you are interested in learning this world language, just contact me –
I’m looking forward to getting to know you!
G. .
I recommended everyone to choose this teacher ! she's explaining pretty clear and she have a lot of patient ! she helped me a lot to improve my German skills !
Katerina B.
Thank you so much George. I am very happy that our lessons helped you!
I have 3 years of teaching experience and a 120 hours of advanced practical TEFL and TESOL. I am a dedicated teacher who cares about her students. I am an amazing listener, attentive, and very passionate. I enjoy traveling, for it allows me to meet new people of different cultures and backgrounds. Teaching has always been a passion of mine, for I get to make an impact in people's lives as much as they make an impact in mine. I cannot wait to make your English learning journey enjoyable and impactful.
A. S.
Paradise is a southafrican teacher with particular experience with younger students. She has a lot of fun learning materials that ensure an interactive lesson and seems to have great confidence in front of the camera.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Paradise N.
My name is Christina and I provide German & French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
A. K.
Today, I had a vocabulary boost. It's my third class and I'm happy with the teacher and the teaching method.
Christina F.
Hi! Welcome to my page! I'm Milton a certified English teacher with experience as an instructor in different fields.
I'm passionate about language learning and as a multilingual speaker I'm aware of the challenges related to learning a second language.
My teaching method is based on the Communicative language teaching approach, which is student centered and focused on the functional aspects of the language. In this approach the student is encouraged to use English since day one, no matter what his level is!
I'm able to help the student to improve his vocabulary, his grammar knowledge and pronunciation.Given my work experience in different fields, I'm confident that I can help the student with business English and preparing fo job interviews as well.
I will use both original and published materials and I will adapt them to the student's level, goals and interests. The lessons will be prepared ahead and I'll give the student some homework to do between the sessions if he wishes.
V. F.
Milton is a very friendly teacher. He makes his lesson interesting for his students and helps them learn the language with customized lesson materials.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Milton T.
Being a native English speaker with a 120-hour premier TEFL certificate and a double major in communications, my lessons deliver value that help you reach your language goals.
Having worked in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, my classes come with an international flavor. My students have described my teaching style as being nurturing and effective.
Sign up for your trial lesson today!
V. F.
Gaurav is an experienced and professional teacher. He always customize the lesson and the teaching material according to the student's needs. He is very available and friendly. Highly recommended!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Gaurav H.
So with me you can learn all the tipps to improve or learn German. I also worked as an Engineer for several years so we can as well work on your vocabulary in a technical level.
I am a great fan of new cultures and languages.
Feel free to contact me for a class :)
E. L.
Olivia has been amazing in helping learn German in a crash course fashion. She has materials for exactly the things I needed to know and helped me understand the bare minimum (which is what I was going for) to help me get my ideas across and understand the structure of what people are saying. She is a fantastic teacher.
Olivia P.
Glad to see you here! If you're reading this, it means you're looking for a language teacher. Whether you want to learn Spanish, English or you're just looking for some conversation practice in any of these two languages, I'm the right person. I'm Daniela and I've been an English teacher for nearly 9 years. During this time I have also taught Spanish to some English speakers. I hold a bacherlor's degree in the teaching of English and Spanish as second languages and I also have a TESOL certificate. I've taught online and in classrooms to kids and adult learners. About my classes, I can tell you that you will definitely enjoy yourself since I focus a lot on your needs and interests and our learning materials are contextualized in modern and appealing subjetc matters. During our trial lesson, we will determine our starting point and the kind of topics you would like to have in our lessons. What are you waiting for? There is no room for excuses here! See you in class :)
V. F.
Daniela has a lot of teaching experience. She is very prepared and makes her lessons easy and interesting for her students. Great teacher!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Daniela G.
INSEGNANTE DI TEDESCO
M. C.
What about Fiorina ..... person available, prepared and always sunny ... for those who want to learn German I recommend studying with her.
Fiorina D.
Hello,
my name is Veronika and I am a student in Florence at the academy of fine arts. I have been in Italy for three years and I really like the Italian language. In school i learned english and during journeys i used to speak a lot of english so i'm also able to teach in english.
I am from Germany so I am a German native speaker. I have already taught German to some of my friends and would love to teach my language to more people as well. At the beginning I would like to do grammar lessons and the most used words to deepen the basic knowledge of the language. Then I will continue to have conversations in German to increase vocabulary and to give confidence in dialogue and in any case in speaking the language in real scenarios. The most important thing by learning a new language is to learn it through hearing and speaking. Being difficult at first to formulate sentences will then become easier and easier and thus you arrive at a fluent and confident way to speak the new language.
For myself I learned Italian three years ago with this method so I also know what it is like to learn a language and I can help you with my teaching to learn German that way.
I can not wait to start!
greetings Veronika
B. L.
My experience with Veronika as a teacher was and still is really good. In order to reach my goals, she has setup a structured schedule and has provided good learning material. Due to my work, I had to reschedule some of my lessons and she always showed understanding in this regards. She is very friendly and easy to talk to. I can only recommend her!
Thank you very much!!!
Learning a foreign language is a beautiful and awe-inspiring journey which is not strange to me.
Growing in Europe and living in Canada has shaped my thinking abilities to see beyond the surface of individual’s potential to study. It remodeled my senses in a special way to be able to respond with tact and compassion to the needs of my students. In the same time it taught me the value of persistence and creativity. These abilities have helped me to master the art of teaching. Every student makes me a better friend, family member and a person.
So far, I've helped different age groups to converse freely, to read, understand and love both English and Bulgarian. Beside that, my students not just improve their grades at school. Some of them became English teachers themselves.
No two students are exactly alike. That's why I mostly use personalized learning method. It builds a learning experience that addresses the unique abilities of each student.
Another method of teaching that I use is Learning by experiment. In that way students learn by doing. I create experiences for them to see the concepts in action. I found out that students tend to remember better when they see and then discuss what they learn from what they saw.
Beside these methods you will enjoy Modeling, Mistakes, Feedback and one of my top methods: Lesson Objective Transparency. When I clearly state my lesson goals and write it on the board, then you will feel relax because you will know what you are working towards.
Please, be assured you won’t regret giving me the opportunity to help you!
V. F.
Didi is a very friendly and experienced teacher. She makes her lesson very interesting and easy to follow. She loves teaching and supports her students during their learning path.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Didi B.
Italian teacher
A. S.
This teacher has experience, a great variety of learning materials for different objectives and speaks spanish fluently.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
DENIS B.
Olá, amigo! My name is Nathália, I’m Brazilian, living in France, and I teach Portuguese as a foreign language.
With a degree in Literature and Linguistics, I began my career as a foreign language tutor (French and Portuguese) in Brazil, working with adults and teenagers. Today, with over ten years of experience, I have had the pleasure of teaching Portuguese to students from various nationalities and linguistic backgrounds, including French, Spanish, English, and Italian speakers.
I offer personalized lessons, tailored to your goals and learning pace. All teaching materials are designed by me and adjusted to the specific needs of each student, ensuring a dynamic and effective learning experience.
Join me to make rapid progress and enjoy learning Portuguese!
M. H.
Nathalia's communication was perfect in setting up the lesson and she is very encouraging in introducing the topic. I immediately felt comfortable studying a topic for me which is almost completely new and am looking forward to doing so again. I would really recommend Nathalia.
Nathália M.