When should you use the accusative case in a sentence?
The accusative case should be used when there is a DIRECT OBJECT in the sentence. It is usually what the verb is 'doing', for example, the dog ate the bone. The bone would be the object and, therefore, in German you would use the accusative case (Der Hund isst DEN Knochen).
However, there are exceptions! You should not use the accusative case if the object follows the verb 'to be' (sein) e.g. I am a boy. Instead, you should use the nominative case. So it would be 'Ich bin EIN Junge' instead of 'Ich bin einen Junge'.
RH
Related German GCSE answers
All answers ▸Deine deutsche Freunde Julia hat dich über einen Urlaub gefragt. Du schreibst Julia einen Brief über deinen Lieblingsurlaub. Schrieb: Wo bist du gefahren, wer bist du mitgefahren, wie war den Urlaub, über deine Pläne für nächstes Jahr.
How do I use the simple past tense in German and when should I use it?
What is the difference between the nominative case and the accusative case?
What are the six modal verbs in German?