This is one of the things that I struggle with the most. I find myself guessing when to use Akkusativ and when to use Dativ. Are there any tricks or tips that can help me??
3 Likes
I agree! I feel like I’ve read about the difference 100 times but none of it has stuck. I’m curious if there’s a way to have it stick in my mind, or if it’s just a matter of repeated exposure until it just “feels right” for each use case.
1 Like
I feel you. I remember having such a hard time learning this, I still get it wrong sometimes. The most helpful thing that worked for me was to not try and translate it. That rarely ever made sense. I never found it particularly useful to know if it’s for an indirect or direct object, because it was too abstract to grasp…?
In the end, I decided to just learn which verbs and prepositions needed which case. For example, I learned that anrufen always needs accusative, because it’s “Ich rufe dich an.” The preposition mit always needs dative, because it’s “Ich spiele mit dem Ball.” and so on. I still use this technique when I come across a new word I didn’t know.
We use direct and indirect objects, accusative and dative, in English as well (like the use of whom). English just doesn’t make such a big deal out of it like German does 
Maybe someone has a trick they could share?
8 Likes
Super helpful response, Antonia!
I agree with Antonia, what helped me learn them was simply memorizing structures that are super common. When those sound right or wrong in your mind, you can then, by analogy, work your way through the rest without having to really understand why. For example, “mit dir” and not “mit dich”, ergo: mit + dative, ergo: mit ihm, mit ihr, mit ihnen, …
Here are a few of those:
- Ohne dich
- Mir ist warm
- Ich helfe dir
- Zu mir oder zu dir?
I wouldn’t worry too much about declensions, though. There are many other more useful and enjoyable things to learn about German! 
3 Likes
Please don’t laugh: Speaking Spanish and Quichua 90% of my time, I also start to struggle with it…
4 Likes
Phew, I’m glad it’s not just me! I speak more English in my daily life now than a few years ago and was afraid I was losing my touch 
There are two catchy songs that might help you remember the cases for each one of them 
Dativ
Akkusativ
8 Likes
the second video is really funny and it reminded me of this video below 
It is always the case with me that if I repeat something in my head again and again, so that I do not forget it, I definitely forget it 
3 Likes
I would definitely focus on the prepositions at first so you sound correct speaking it and then the logic will come as you use them more often. Unfortunately, some prepositions can be dative or accustative so those won’t be as easy and I am trying to learn them. There are venndiagrams in the internet on which prepositions are what case
Dativ: ab, aus, bei, nach, aus, seit, von, mit, zu
Akkusativ: bis, fĂĽr, durch, gegen, um
and then others that are both. I think that is the easiest approach and I spoke with another American (i am from the US) and he had said he had also focused on the prepositions to get the cases right.
5 Likes
That’s an extremely good idea!
The use of Genitiv, Akkusativ and Dativ mostly depends on a certain verb (e.g. verbs like “gefallen, passen, geben, schenken etc” always need Dativ, verbs like “kochen, besuchen, lesen etc.” always need Akkusativ).
It’s also important to keep in mind which prepositions need Akkusativ or Dativ.
What helps you to learn when to use Akkusativ, Dativ or Genitiv?
2 Likes
I like the “Merksätze” for Akkusativ and Dativ
Präpositionen mit Akkusativ:
Buf Dog = bis, um, fĂĽr, durch, ohne, gegen
Präpositionen mit Dativ:
Von Ausbeimit nach Vonseitzu
fährst immer mit dem Dativ du!
8 Likes
Thank you Dagmar!
That`s a very helpful “Eselsbrücke” 
2 Likes
Wow! Never heard about these before!
They are great!
From now on I will use them in my lessons. 
Thank you, Dagmar!
1 Like
@Dagmar diese regel verstehe ich nicht. Könnten Sie bitte erklären oder ins Englische übersetzen?
Also, i vaguely remember a rule that said (I think) if you are moving towards it but not going inside, etc. Is this relevant here. Danke
1 Like
It means that the following prepositions always go with Dativ:
- von
- aus
- bei
- mit
- nach
- von
- seit
- zu
1 Like
For Two-Way Prepositions, try this rule:
…if you are referring to either movement or direction, you use the accusative case, whereas if you are referring to location or position, you use the dative.
“Legte es auf den Schreibtisch” (put it on the desk) refers to a movement, because something is being moved onto the desk, ergo accusative. “Es ist auf dem Schreibtisch” (It is on the desk referring to a physical location, use the dative
3 Likes
Hello to you, so sorry for the late reply and thank you to @SKrausser for the answer. Yes, these prepositions are follwed by Dativ. I should have left a space between the listing of the words.
Exeption to the rule, as always there is an exeption 
:
The prepositions “auf - über - an” are Lokalpräpositionen therefore they can be used with Dativ or Akkusativ, it depends on the question, if you ask, “Wo”, then Dativ follows, if you ask “Wohin” follows Akkusativ.
Wo ist das Kissen? “Auf dem Stuhl” / Wo bist du? “Im Supermarkt.”
Wohin soll ich das Kissen legen? “Auf den Stuhl” / Wohin gehst du? “In den Supermarkt”
2 Likes
Thank you @Dagmar “auf - über - an” are Lokalpräpositionen
sind dies(e?) die einzigen Lokalpräpositionen? Wie wäre es mit “zu” or do some preposition logically not allow for wohin vs. wo for example “zu” seems to always be wohin but then “über” doesn’t seem to have “wo” because you are always going somewhere über to get wohin.
3 Likes