CONTENT
Before diving deeper into German grammar and, especially, German cases, you need to be able to identify basic parts of the sentence. Let's learn how to distinguish between a subject, a direct object, and an indirect object in the German sentence.
Identifying the Subject in a Sentence
Rule 1: The subject is an important part of the sentence. It's the person or the thing that performs the action of the verb. Its case is always the nominative. It can be a noun (with article, adjective) or a pronoun.
We ask "Who or what is performing the action?" to find it. The subject is always in position 1 or 3.
German
English
Der Mond scheint am Himmel.
The moon shines in the sky.
Am Himmel scheint der Mond.
The moon shines in the sky.
Who is shining? ➝ the moon
Identifying A Direct Object in a Sentence
Rule 2: The direct object is a part of a sentence. It is usually the thing or person with which something is done, i.e. which is "used" for the action. Its case is the accusative. It can be a noun or a pronoun.
We ask "who or what is the verb referring to? " to find it.
German
English
Ich gebe dir ein Buch.
I give you a book.
What is given? ➝ a book
Identifying an Indirect Object in a Sentence
Rule 3: The indirect object is a part of a sentence, usually the one that gets something from the direct object. It's case is the dative. It can be a noun (with article, adjective) or a pronoun.
We ask "To whom/to what is the indirect action of the verb directed?" to find it.
German
English
Der Mann gibt dem Hund einen Knochen.
The man gives the dog a bone.
To whom does the man give a bone? ➝ the dog