Nominative case

The nominative (from the Latin nominare, name ') is the basic form of the noun and the first case ( case ) in the declination. In the sentence, the subject is always in the Germans in the nominative case.

In common parlance, the nominative is also called the first case, or Who - case.

The nominative in German

The nominative is the most commonly used case of the four cases used in the German grammar and is the regular case, in which the subject ( sentence subject ) of the sentence is. He can only stand for a verb in person and number (Latin numerus ) is flexed ( finite verb ). The nominative has a unique German custom shape in the male form of articles and personal pronouns singular, eg "the one " or "he", as well as the question word for people "who". Therefore, the replacement of a set element is used by a Who? Question as a test to find the subject of the sentence (all other forms, including What? Question for inanimate subjects, are not unique).

Examples:

  • The grandson playing in the garden. - Who is playing in the garden? - The grandson.
  • The roof is burning. - What is burning? - The roof.

It should be noted that the subject is always the same as the finite verb in person and number. Therefore, by the congruence ( match) is spoken between subject and predicate.

  • The children play in the garden. - The child is playing in the garden.
  • The house is on fire. - The houses are burning.

Nouns, adjectives ( adjectives ), articles (gender words) and pronouns ( pronouns ) can be formed in the nominative case while standing in the singular or plural.

The Gleichsetzungsnominativ ( Prädikatsnominativ )

The Gleichsetzungsnominativ is called differently. In grammar -Duden he is called " predicative nominative ". Also common is the expression " Subjektprädikativum " or " Nominativobjekt ".

  • My father is a teacher.
  • My sister called Stephanie.
  • She is an artist.

The Gleichsetzungsnominativ responds well to the questions Who? or What? and follows only the verbs be, are, hot, seem ( to be) remain valid (as ), ( to ) feel (as ), ( be ) seem (as ), ( to ) prove (as ), ( itself ) turn out to be (as ) to believe (as ). These verbs may require a second nominative in the sentence.

The Gleichsetzungsnominativ takes his case also from the subject, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish Gleichsetzungsnominativ and nominative. Here, it is useful to replace the verb by one, which is characterized as having, for example, enter as

  • He is a great artist. (Only in the case of the masculine one sees that it is nominative. )
  • It turns out to be a great artist.

It is the nominative and a great artist is the Gleichsetzungsnominativ.

The absolute nominative

In order for a nominative is meant the isolation of a sentence context, " on its own " is.

  • What nonsense!
  • Caution: risk of congestion

The nominative in language typology

In language typology is interested in whether a language the nominative morphological features or not, especially in contrast to the accusative. If only the nominative marked, then one speaks of a marked nominative, which occurs in a number of Cushitic, Nilotic and surmischen languages ​​of East Africa, for example.

Declension Nilotic languages Surmic languages Nominative–accusative language German declension Grammatical number Singularetantum Pluraletantum
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