New to the cases? Start with our full guide to the German cases, then come back and test yourself below.
After genders, cases are the next great German puzzle. The article changes with the noun’s job in the sentence — Akkusativ for the direct object, Dativ for the indirect object, and after certain verbs and prepositions. This trainer drills the two trickiest cases with a rule after every answer.
Read the sentence, pick the form that fills the gap, and learn why as you go. Chase a streak 🔥 and replay until it clicks.
The case endings at a glance
| masc | fem | neut | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der | die | das | die |
| Akkusativ | den | die | das | die |
| Dativ | dem | der | dem | den(+n) |
Shortcuts that make cases easier
- Only the masculine article changes in the accusative (der → den). Fem, neut and plural stay the same.
- Dative prepositions: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu — always dative.
- Accusative prepositions: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um — always accusative.
- Two-way prepositions: movement → accusative, location → dative.
- Dative verbs to memorise: helfen, danken, gehören, gefallen, antworten.
Want the full case system explained simply, with exercises? The German Grammar Essentials workbook walks you through it.
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