The nominative
Identify the subject of a sentence.
The rule
The nominative marks the subject and controls the verb. With sein, werden and bleiben, a noun describing that subject is also nominative.
Who or what does it? → der/ein · die/eine · das/ein · die/—
Find the subject by asking who or what performs the action or controls the verb. In Der Mann öffnet die Tür, der Mann answers Wer öffnet? and is nominative.
The subject determines person and number on the verb: Das Kind spielt; die Kinder spielen. This agreement is often the strongest clue to the subject.
Word order does not determine case. In Heute arbeitet der Mann and Im Park spielen die Kinder, the subjects follow the verb but remain nominative.
Nominative article forms
| Gender / number | Definite | Indefinite | Possessive example |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | der | ein | mein Bruder |
| feminine | die | eine | meine Schwester |
| neuter | das | ein | mein Kind |
| plural | die | — | meine Freunde |
Finding the subject reliably
| Sentence | Question | Nominative subject |
|---|---|---|
| Der Mann öffnet die Tür. | Wer öffnet? | der Mann |
| Heute kommt der Bus. | Was kommt? | der Bus |
| Im Park spielen die Kinder. | Wer spielt? | die Kinder |
| Das Buch liegt hier. | Was liegt hier? | das Buch |
Nominative after linking verbs
| Verb | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| sein | Das ist mein Bruder. | That is my brother. |
| werden | Lena wird Ärztin. | Lena is becoming a doctor. |
| bleiben | Er bleibt mein Freund. | He remains my friend. |
German examples with English meanings
Die Nachbarin kocht.
The neighbour is cooking.
Who cooks? die Nachbarin
Heute kommt der Bus spät.
Today the bus is late.
position does not decide the case
Das sind meine Eltern.
Those are my parents.
Ein Problem bleibt.
A problem remains.
Heute kommt der Zug.
The train is coming today.
In Bonn arbeitet meine Schwester.
My sister works in Bonn.
Am Abend spielen die Kinder.
The children play in the evening.
Das Kind spielt.
The child is playing.
Die Kinder spielen.
The children are playing.
Meine neue Nachbarin arbeitet hier.
My new neighbour works here.
Das ist ein Lehrer.
That is a teacher.
Tom wird Lehrer.
Tom is becoming a teacher.
Mia bleibt meine beste Freundin.
Mia remains my best friend.
Common mistakes
Incorrect: Heute arbeitet den Mann.
Correct: Heute arbeitet der Mann.
The man performs the action, so he is nominative.
Incorrect: Das ist meinen Bruder.
Correct: Das ist mein Bruder.
After sein, the identifying noun remains nominative.
Incorrect: Im Park spielt die Kinder.
Correct: Im Park spielen die Kinder.
The plural subject controls the plural verb.
Incorrect: Wer arbeiten heute?
Correct: Wer arbeitet heute?
Nominative wer normally takes a third-person singular verb.
Details and useful distinctions
The nominative article forms are der/ein, die/eine, das/ein, and plural die/no indefinite article. Possessive determiners follow the ein pattern: mein Bruder, meine Schwester, mein Kind, meine Freunde.
After linking verbs such as sein, werden, and bleiben, an identifying or classifying noun is also nominative: Das ist mein Bruder; Lena wird Ärztin; Er bleibt mein Freund.
The question words wer and was can themselves be nominative subjects: Wer kommt? Was passiert? A separate subject is unnecessary because the question word fills that role.
German word order is flexible enough to place time, place, or another element before the subject. Case identifies the role while verb agreement confirms it.
In Heute repariert der Mechaniker das Auto, Heute is position one, but der Mechaniker performs the action and controls repariert. It therefore remains nominative.
When several nouns appear, look at the verb form. singular kommt points toward a singular controller; plural kommen points toward a plural controller. Meaning and the wer/was question confirm the analysis.
This becomes especially useful when the subject follows the verb or contains several words: Heute kommen meine beiden Freunde.
sein, werden, and bleiben link the subject to another identity or description; they do not transfer an action to a direct object. Both sides therefore use nominative forms.
Compare Das ist mein Bruder, not meinen Bruder. Profession nouns normally omit the article after sein or werden when used neutrally.
Practise this grammar
Ignore position first. Ask who or what controls the conjugated verb. That controller is the nominative subject, wherever it appears.
Open The nominative exercises →
For source references and editorial level notes, see the grammar reference. You can report a correction if an explanation or example seems wrong.