Hallo!

So I thought that maybe we have people here who can help me with this:

I’m having a lot of trouble understanding when to use Dativ vs Akkusativ in German. I understand that specific prepositions require specific cases, but in general I often find myself applying the wrong case in a sentence.

In some sentences it is quite clear:

Ich habe den Stift gekauft. (Pen being the direct object that is being bought)

But there are cases like this:

Ich schlafe in meinem auto in meiner pause (I know the order is wrong, but the cases seem to stay as they are even if you change the order)

Here I would have thought that the car is the direct object. I struggle with this a lot and often apply akkusativ case wrongly.

I would appreciate if someone could help me with understanding this better. For example: Why is the car not the direct object in the above example?

  • GandalftheBlack@feddit.org
    3·
    20 days ago

    The accusative is used with motion towards, and since aus conveys motion away from the car, I think the dative makes perfect sense

    • CHINESEBOTTROLL@lemm.ee
      2·
      20 days ago

      But even that has exceptions such as “ich gehe zu DEM auto”. So I guess you would have to learn by heart which prepositions go with which case and only in the ambiguous cases (auf,in…) you use the movement idea?

      • GandalftheBlack@feddit.org
        3·
        20 days ago

        Yeah, prepositions do complicate matters. The principle of motion towards vs. location/moment away from helps with those prepositions which can take both accusative and dative, but for other prepositions you do just have to learn.