Nominative, Accusative, Dative and Genitive

[EinsZweiDrei123]

I know all these cases exist and I know that there are rules for all of them that can be followed. What I still don't understand is how I can determine what case a sentence in English falls into. In other words, when translating a sentence from English to German, how can I know what case that sentence is?

[Julika]

Here is my explanation of the 4 cases. Enjoy!

http://duolingo.com/#/comment/1563

[lilygilder]

Maybe this is a good starting point for you: http://german.about.com/library/blcase_sum.htm

[EinsZweiDrei123]

So when dealing with the subject, use nominative. When there is a direct object, use accusative. When there is an indirect object, use dative. When possession is involved, use genitive?

[XGibbo]

I made myself a chart to hang on my wall with the explanations of the cases and the "Questions" to ask to determine which case you would use... it also has adjective endings and Prepositions on too. I made it in PDF format if anyone wants it let me know

[XGibbo]

Here is a link to the chart, hope it helps: http://pastelink.me/dl/de62d2

[EinsZweiDrei123]

Thanks alot! Understanding this concept has essentially kept me from progressing further. I wish Duolingo provided more detailed information on the important subtleties of the language instead of just tables and tips with a little bit of explanation.

[XGibbo]

No worries, hope it helps ;)