Mastering the Nominative Case in German: A Complete Guide! (Beginner / A1-A2) - 1080p/Full HD 🔥

Summary

In this German lesson, Mr. Ferguson discusses the nominative case, an essential grammar concept. He explains the German case system, focusing on how the nominative case is the 'default' setting for nouns, affecting their articles based on gender. The lesson covers definite and indefinite articles and how they change in the nominative case. Mr. Ferguson also provides examples to illustrate how subjects in sentences use the nominative case and mentions verbs like 'to be,' 'to become,' and 'to remain' that trigger its use. He encourages viewers to subscribe and support his content.

Takeaways

• 📚 Welcome to German lessons with Mr. Ferguson.
• 🔤 This lesson covers the nominative case, a fundamental aspect of German grammar.
• 📌 German has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive.
• 💡 The nominative case is the default setting for nouns and affects how adjectives and nouns are used.
• 👥 The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence, which is the person or thing doing the action.
• 📝 In the nominative case, the definite articles are: der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter), die (plural).
• ✏️ The indefinite articles in the nominative case are: ein (masculine), eine (feminine), ein (neuter), keine (plural).
• ⚖️ The nominative case is used with the verbs sein (to be), werden (to become), and bleiben (to remain).
• 🔄 Pronouns in the nominative case include all the subject pronouns like ich (I), du (you), er (he), sie (she), etc.
• 📖 The nominative form of a noun can be found in the dictionary and is essential for proper sentence construction in German.

Q & A

What is the nominative case in German?

The nominative case in German is essentially the default setting for nouns and is used for the subject of a sentence.

How many grammatical cases are there in German?

There are four grammatical cases in German: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive.

Which verbs in German typically trigger the use of the nominative case?

The verbs 'sein' (to be), 'werden' (to become), and 'bleiben' (to stay/remain) typically trigger the use of the nominative case.

What are the definite articles in the nominative case for masculine, feminine, neuter, and plural nouns?

The definite articles in the nominative case are 'der' for masculine nouns, 'die' for feminine nouns, 'das' for neuter nouns, and 'die' for plural nouns.

What are the indefinite articles in the nominative case for masculine, feminine, neuter, and plural nouns?

The indefinite articles in the nominative case are 'ein' for masculine nouns, 'eine' for feminine nouns, 'ein' for neuter nouns, and 'keine' for plural nouns.

How does the nominative case affect the subject of a sentence in German?

In German, the subject of every sentence will be in the nominative case, regardless of its position in the sentence.

Can you provide an example of a sentence where the subject is in the nominative case in German?

Yes, in the sentence 'Der Hund frisst das Fleisch' (The dog eats the meat), 'Der Hund' (the dog) is the subject and is in the nominative case.

How do you recognize the gender of a noun in the nominative case?

The gender of a noun in the nominative case can be recognized by its article: 'der' for masculine, 'die' for feminine, 'das' for neuter, and 'die' for plural.

Why is it important to understand the nominative case in German?

Understanding the nominative case is important because it is the most basic and commonly used case, essential for identifying the subject of a sentence and forming correct grammatical structures.

What additional resources does Mr. Ferguson recommend for learning more about German grammar?

Mr. Ferguson recommends watching other videos in his series, such as the sixth video for adjective endings and the first grammatical lesson for learning about noun genders. He also suggests following him on Instagram and Twitter for more tips.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Introduction to German Grammar Lessons

In this introduction, Mr. Ferguson welcomes viewers to his German grammar lessons, specifically focusing on the nominative case. He requests viewers to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and consider supporting his work through donations. He explains the importance of contributions for keeping his content free and thanks those who have already supported him. The lesson will cover the concept of cases in German grammar, focusing on nouns and briefly mentioning adjective endings.

05:01

📚 Understanding the Nominative Case in German

Mr. Ferguson explains that the nominative case is the default grammatical case used for the subject of a sentence in German. He defines subjects as the person or thing performing the action and provides English examples for clarity. He also explains the usage of definite and indefinite articles in the nominative case, mentioning their different forms based on gender and number. Additionally, he touches on how negation works with indefinite articles.

🔍 Identifying Subjects in Sentences

This section delves deeper into identifying the subject in sentences, emphasizing that the subject does not always come first. Mr. Ferguson uses examples in both English and German to illustrate this point. He also introduces the concept of using the nominative case after certain verbs like 'sein' (to be), 'werden' (to become), and 'bleiben' (to remain), drawing parallels with English sentences to help with understanding.

💡 Key Points About the Nominative Case

Mr. Ferguson recaps the key points about the nominative case, reinforcing that it is the 'normal' case used primarily for subjects in sentences. He clarifies that subject pronouns in German are in the nominative case and emphasizes the importance of recognizing the nominative forms of nouns as listed in dictionaries. He concludes by encouraging viewers to review the rules and noting that understanding the nominative case will help when learning about other cases in German.

📣 Final Remarks and Community Engagement

In the final remarks, Mr. Ferguson invites native German speakers to comment if any crucial information was missed. He asks viewers to subscribe for more lessons, tips, and updates, and mentions his social media handles for further engagement. He signs off with thanks and a goodbye in German.

Keywords

💡Nominative case

The nominative case is a grammatical case used to indicate the subject of a sentence. It is described as the 'normal' or 'default' case for nouns in German, as seen in examples like 'Der Hund' (the dog) and 'Meine beste Freundin Karen' (my best friend Karen). The video emphasizes that the subject of a sentence in German will always be in the nominative case.

💡Definite article

A definite article is a word that specifies a particular noun, equivalent to 'the' in English. In German, the definite articles are 'der' for masculine nouns, 'die' for feminine nouns, 'das' for neuter nouns, and 'die' for plural nouns. The video explains how these articles change based on the gender and number of the nouns in the nominative case.

💡Indefinite article

An indefinite article refers to a non-specific noun, equivalent to 'a' or 'an' in English. In German, the indefinite articles are 'ein' for masculine and neuter nouns and 'eine' for feminine nouns. The video highlights how these articles function in the nominative case, with examples like 'ein Mann' (a man) and 'eine Frau' (a woman).

💡Subject

The subject of a sentence is the person or thing performing the action. In the video, examples like 'Der Hund isst das Fleisch' (The dog eats the meat) illustrate that the subject (der Hund) is in the nominative case. Understanding the subject's role is crucial for grasping the nominative case in German.

💡Cases

Cases are grammatical markings that indicate the role of nouns and pronouns in a sentence. German has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. The video focuses on the nominative case, explaining how it affects noun and adjective forms and how it contrasts with other cases.

💡Gender

Gender in German nouns refers to whether a noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter. This affects the form of articles and adjectives. The video notes that understanding the gender of nouns is essential for using the correct definite and indefinite articles in the nominative case.

💡Article negation

Article negation involves adding 'kein' to an indefinite article to indicate 'no' or 'not any'. For instance, 'kein Mann' means 'no man'. The video explains how this is used in the nominative case to negate the presence of a noun, such as in 'kein Bruder' (no brother).

💡Subject pronouns

Subject pronouns are pronouns that replace the subject of a sentence, such as 'ich' (I), 'du' (you), and 'er/sie/es' (he/she/it) in German. The video mentions that these pronouns are in the nominative case and are used to simplify sentences by replacing proper nouns.

💡Verbs triggering cases

Certain verbs trigger the use of specific cases in German. The video discusses how verbs like 'sein' (to be), 'werden' (to become), and 'bleiben' (to stay) require the nominative case for their complements, as they can be seen as linking the subject to a state or identity.

💡German word order

German word order can affect where the subject and verb appear in a sentence. The video briefly touches on how understanding the nominative case helps in arranging words correctly, such as in 'Am Dienstag gehen wir angeln' (On Tuesday we go fishing), where the subject 'wir' (we) follows the time expression.

Highlights

Introduction to the German lesson with Mr. Ferguson.

Explanation of the nominative case in German grammar.

Encouragement to like, comment, and subscribe to the channel.

Importance of the nominative case as the default setting for nouns.

Mention of German nouns having gender and a brief introduction to articles.

Explanation of definite articles in the nominative case: 'der' (masculine), 'die' (feminine), 'das' (neuter), 'die' (plural).

Explanation of indefinite articles in the nominative case: 'ein' (masculine), 'eine' (feminine), 'ein' (neuter), 'keine' (plural).

Examples of sentences with subjects in the nominative case.

Explanation that the subject of a sentence is the person or thing doing the action.

Illustration of subjects with English sentences and their German translations.

Discussion on the use of the nominative case with verbs 'sein' (to be), 'werden' (to become), and 'bleiben' (to remain).

Analogy of using the equal sign in mathematics to explain the nominative case with verbs.

Clarification that all subject pronouns learned so far are in the nominative case.

Reassurance that the nominative case is the least confusing of the four cases.

Encouragement to pause the video to review and take notes on the nominative case rules.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to German lessons with

Mr Ferguson hello and here comments

Ferguson this is

the second grammar lesson is the

nominative case

before we start before the anfangen

please remember to like this video bit

to click refer to Media And subscribe to

my channel so that I can keep helping

you with your Germany

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consider buying me a coffee by clicking

the banner now all contributions are

gratefully received and allow me to

continue to bring you new and exciting

German content whilst keeping it free to

access on YouTube thank you to those of

you who've already contributed it's very

much appreciated feeling dank

in this lesson we'll be discussing the

nominative case and in order to explain

this properly I will need to briefly

explain the case system and what a case

actually is

in German there are four cases which are

grammatical markings which are used in

various different situations when a case

changes there are changes in the grammar

of the language

cases affect adjectives and nouns

in this video I'll be talking about

nouns and how they change if you need to

know about adjective endings which are a

little bit more complicated please watch

the sixth video in this series by

clicking here

cases won't change verb forms but verb

forms can trigger the use of a case I

will talk about these verbs when they're

relevant

the four cases in German are called

nominative accusative dative and

genitive

and this lesson will focus on the

nominative case

the easiest way to think about the

nominative case is that it is normal

it is essentially the default settings

for nouns I.E objects and things

hopefully by this stage you know that

German nouns will all have a gender if

you'd like a little bit of help learning

how to learn recognize and sometimes

guess the gender of a noun please click

here to watch the first grammatical

lesson in this series

most European languages contain things

called articles these are the words a

and the

the definite article is the

think about it this way if I said give

me the pen there is a definite certain

specific pen that I have in mind

if I say give me a pen you could give me

any pen in the world and I would be

happy

a or n are therefore referred to as the

indefinite article

in the nominative case the definite

articles in German are

dare

for masculine nouns

D for feminine nouns

Das for neuter nouns

D for plural nouns

and the indefinite articles are Ein for

masculine nouns

for feminine nouns

Ein for Newton nouns and we say kaina

for plural nouns

adding a k to the front of an indefinite

article negates the meaning so kaina

means no or not any which we use because

we can't say a for a plural for example

a socks or a Brothers

but most of the time for plural we would

just use a number for example two red

buses or 12 Angry Men

we use the nominative case with the

subject of a sentence and I don't mean

subject like school subject or topic of

the sentence to demonstrate what I mean

I'll use English examples

the subject of the sentence is the

personal thing which is doing the action

for example the dog ate the meat the dog

is doing the eating so the dog is the

subject

my best friend Karen is tall

my best friend Karen is the one being so

my best friend Karen is the subject

three annoying children stole my

football

three annoying children are the ones who

stole so they are the subject of this

sentence

in German these subjects would be der

hund masculine singular

maina best of friend in Karen

feminine singular

and dry never kinda

plural

have a look at these English sentences

and think about what the subjects would

be you can pause the video if you need

longer

my older sister's best friends dogs

previous owners brother's colleague used

to steal all our milk

I like cereal

in the first quite ridiculous sentence

the subject is my older sister's best

friend's dog's previous owners brother's

colleague proving that a subject can be

as long as this or as short as the word

I as it is in the second sentence

it's important to realize as well that

the subject doesn't necessarily come

first in a sentence for example on

Tuesday we will go fishing

we are the ones who will go fishing so

we are the subject

the same thing can happen here in German

with a few changes to word order

if you're unsure about how the dreaded

German word order works please click

here

so now that you know what the nominative

is let's talk about when to use it

in German the subject of every sentence

will be in the nominative case and all

sentences that aren't one word answers

like yes or no or an instruction like go

home we'll have a subject

in German we also use the nominative

after any forms of the verbs Zine to be

verden to become and blibin to stay or

in this case to remain

think about it this way

in English I would say I am a man or the

police officer is a woman

and we can treat the verbs am or is like

an equal sign in maths

I equals a man the police officer equals

a woman

in maths the rule is that things on

either side of an equal sign are the

same so if I and the police officer are

nominative then so are a man and a woman

in our sentences

in German these sentences are ich

nominative bin ein man nominative

masculine

and the politicist in nominative

feminine is

nominative feminine

we can also think of Verdin to become

and blaben to remain as being other

versions of to be though using this with

blaben is rare

if you will become something at some

point you will be it so you will use the

equal sign for example a young man is

becoming a German citizen can be thought

of as a young man will equals a German

citizen at some point

masculine nominative

the young man is still or remains a

British citizen

the young man still equals a British

citizen

their younger man masculine nominative

blibed and British Burger

masculine nominative

hopefully that analogy makes sense but

if not simply learn that Zion bleiben

and Verdin are used with the nominative

case

it's also worth noting that all the

pronouns you've learned at this point

are all nominative so if any of these

commonly referred to as subject pronouns

are the subject of the sentence you use

them in the form we've already learned

for example

and that's realistically all you need to

know about the nominative it's the

normal case and is used most commonly

with the subject of a sentence if you

take a noun straight out of the

dictionary it will tell you the

nominative form for example if I look up

the word man it either says

showing us that man is masculine or it

will say man noun comma M which also

tells us that man is a masculine noun

so that's a brief summary of the

nominative case it's probably the least

confusing of the cases and will start to

make much more sense when you know what

the accusative dative and genitive cases

are and how to use them it's a good idea

to pause the video now to recap or take

note of the nominative case rules

including how the Articles change based

on the gender of the noun

if you're a native German speaker and

you think I've left out some important

information about the nominative case

they are nominative or their verval

please write a comment below beta

shrived and in commentar

also please remember to click subscribe

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and auf wiedersehen