Nominativ — Wer? Was? (subject)
A1 German grammar — Grammar. The **Nominativ** is the **subject case** — the person or thing that *does* the action. It answers **Wer?** (who — peopl…
Rule explained
The **Nominativ** is the **subject case** — the person or thing that *does* the action. It answers **Wer?** (who — people) or **Was?** (what — things). In German, the subject is almost always in the nominative, and the verb agrees with it in person and number. The article tells you the gender and case: *der* (masc.), *die* (fem./pl.), *das* (neut.). At A1 the most common pattern is simple statements and questions with one noun subject: *Der Mann kauft.* *Die Frau liest.* *Das Kind spielt.*
Examples
Use these mini-pairs as templates:
- Der Schlüssel liegt auf dem Tisch. — The key is on the table.
- Eine Katze schläft auf dem Sofa. — A cat is sleeping on the sofa.
- Das Hotel ist teuer, aber schön. — The hotel is expensive but nice.
Common mistakes
Watch out for these learner errors:
- Using the wrong article for the subject: *Die Mann kommt* (wrong) → *Der Mann kommt*.
- Forgetting that after *sein* the complement is also nominative: *Er ist ein Lehrer* (not *einen Lehrer*).