German Accusative Verbs: Verbs That Take a Direct Object
Most German verbs that take one object put it in the Akkusativ. The object answers Wen? (whom?) or Was? (what?), and only the masculine article changes: der Mann becomes den Mann, ein Hund becomes einen Hund. This page lists the Akkusativ verbs (Verben mit Akkusativ) from the A1 and A2 word lists, the verbs you meet first and use most, each with its conjugation and an example sentence. Once you know these, the short list of Dativ verbs is the exception to remember.
to open
“Ich mache die Tür auf.”
I open the door.
to meet
“Ich treffe meine Freunde am Samstag.”
I meet my friends on Saturday.
to ride a horse
“Ich reite jeden Samstag im Park.”
I ride every Saturday in the park.
to smell
“Ich rieche die frischen Blumen.”
I smell the fresh flowers.
to excuse, to apologize
“Ich entschuldige mich bei dir.”
I apologize to you.
to exist, to pass an exam, to consist
“Ich bestehe die Prüfung.”
I pass the exam.
to save money
“Ich spare jeden Tag ein bisschen Geld.”
I save a little money every day.
to hear
“Ich höre Musik.”
I listen to music.
to lock, to finish
“Ich schließe die Tür ab.”
I lock the door.
to say
“Ich sage die Wahrheit.”
I say the truth.
to pay
“Bezahlt ihr das Wasser hier?”
Are you paying for the water here?
to turn on, to make up a date
“Ich mache das Licht an.”
I turn the light on.
to pay
“Ich zahle die Rechnung.”
I pay the bill.
to lose
“Ich verliere meinen Schlüssel.”
I am losing my key.
to read
“Ich lese jeden Morgen die Zeitung.”
I read the newspaper every morning.
to draw
“Er zeichnet heute im Park.”
He draws today in the park.
to explain
“Ich erkläre die Aufgabe.”
I explain the task.
to call someone out
“Ich rufe meinen Freund an.”
I call my friend.
to rent out
“Ich vermiete ein kleines Zimmer.”
I rent out a small room.
to make, to do
“Ich mache jeden Morgen Kaffee.”
I make coffee every morning.
to disturb
“Das laute Geräusch stört mich.”
The loud noise disturbs me.
to bring
“Ich bringe das Buch zur Schule.”
I bring the book to school.
to sign
“Ich unterschreibe das Formular.”
I sign the form.
to know a person, to know a place
“Ich kenne ihn.”
I know him.
to cost
“Die Äpfel kosten zwei Euro.”
The apples cost two euros.
to postpone, to move
“Ich verschiebe den Termin.”
I move the appointment.
to confirm
“Ich bestätige den Termin.”
I confirm the appointment.
to ask
“Ich frage den Lehrer.”
I ask the teacher.
to unpack
“Ich packe das Geschenk aus.”
I unpack the present.
to pack
“Ich packe meine Tasche.”
I pack my bag.
to put on clothes, to get dressed
“Ich ziehe eine Jacke an.”
I put on a jacket.
to cook
“Ich koche heute eine Suppe.”
I am cooking a soup today.
to think
“Ich denke jeden Morgen an meine Familie.”
I think of my family every morning.
to order
“Ich bestelle eine Pizza.”
I order a pizza.
to clean
“Ich reinige die Küche jeden Morgen.”
I clean the kitchen every morning.
to grill
“Ich grille heute Würstchen im Garten.”
I am grilling sausages in the garden today.
to get
“Ich kriege heute einen Brief.”
I get a letter today.
to get, to receive
“Ich bekomme heute einen Brief.”
I receive a letter today.
to consider
“Ich überlege kurz und antworte dann.”
I think briefly and then answer.
to print
“Ich drucke das Dokument.”
I print the document.
to clean
“Ich putze jeden Morgen das Bad.”
I clean the bathroom every morning.
to deliver, to carry out
“Ich trage jeden Morgen die Zeitung aus.”
I deliver the newspaper every morning.
to answer
“Ich beantworte die Frage.”
I answer the question.
to injure, to hurt oneself
“Ich verletze meinen Finger.”
I injure my finger.
to examine
“Der Arzt untersucht mich.”
The doctor examines me.
to sing
“Ich singe jeden Morgen ein Lied.”
I sing a song every morning.
to tidy up
“Ich räume jeden Morgen mein Zimmer auf.”
I tidy up my room every morning.
to resign, to cancel
“Ich kündige meinen Vertrag heute.”
I cancel my contract today.
to buy
“Ich kaufe heute Brot.”
I am buying bread today.
to need
“Sie brauchen zwei Äpfel.”
They need two apples.
to turn off
“Ich mache das Licht aus.”
I turn off the light.
to use
“Ich benutze jeden Tag mein Handy.”
I use my phone every day.
to give
“Ich gebe dir das Buch.”
I give you the book.
to begin/to start
“Ich fange um acht Uhr an.”
I start at eight o'clock.
to love
“Wir lieben Pizza nicht.”
We do not love pizza.
to speak
“Ich spreche Deutsch.”
I speak German.
to do
“Ich tue heute nichts.”
I do nothing today.
to arrange, to agree upon
“Wir vereinbaren einen Termin.”
We arrange an appointment.
to describe
“Ich beschreibe das Bild.”
I describe the picture.
to fill out
“Ich muss das Formular ausfüllen.”
I have to fill out the form.
to check, to control
“Ich kontrolliere die Liste.”
I check the list.
to see
“Ich sehe den Hund im Garten.”
I see the dog in the garden.
to park
“Ich parke das Auto hier.”
I park the car here.
to check, to test
“Ich prüfe die Antwort.”
I check the answer.
to undertake
“Ich unternehme heute einen kleinen Spaziergang.”
I am doing a small walk today.
to name, to call
“Ich nenne meinen Hund Max.”
I call my dog Max.
to understand
“Ich verstehe dich gut.”
I understand you well.
to get to know
“Ich möchte neue Freunde kennenlernen.”
I want to get to know new friends.
to want
“Ich will heute Kaffee trinken.”
I want to drink coffee today.
to lay, to put
“Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch.”
I put the book on the table.
to mean
“Ich meine das ernst.”
I mean that seriously.
to welcome
“Wir heißen dich willkommen.”
We welcome you.
to roast, to fry
“Ich brate das Fleisch in der Pfanne.”
I fry the meat in the pan.
to know, to know a fact
“Ich weiß die Antwort.”
I know the answer.
to open
“Ich öffne die Tür.”
I open the door.
to invite
“Ich lade meinen Freund zum Essen ein.”
I invite my friend to eat.
to earn
“Ich verdiene heute Geld.”
I earn money today.
to send
“Wir schicken die Postkarte morgen.”
We send the postcard tomorrow.
to visit, to view
“Wir besichtigen das Museum.”
We visit the museum.
to register
“Ich melde mich heute online an.”
I register myself online today.
to book
“Ich buche ein Hotel.”
I book a hotel.
to justify, to state reasons
“Ich begründe meine Wahl kurz.”
I explain my choice briefly.
to compare
“Ich vergleiche die Preise im Supermarkt.”
I compare the prices in the supermarket.
to forget
“Ich vergesse den Schlüssel.”
I forget the key.
to write
“Ich schreibe einen kurzen Text.”
I write a short text.
to marry
“Ich heirate meine Freundin im Sommer.”
I marry my girlfriend in the summer.
to begin
“Ich beginne jetzt die Arbeit.”
I begin the work now.
to mean
“Was bedeutet dieses Wort?”
What does this word mean?
to advise
“Der Lehrer berät die Schüler.”
The teacher advises the students.
to recommend
“Ich empfehle das Buch.”
I recommend the book.
to cut, to cut oneself
“Ich schneide den Apfel.”
I cut the apple.
to press, to push
“Kannst du hier drücken?”
Can you press here?
to pronounce
“Ich spreche das Wort laut aus.”
I pronounce the word loudly.
to change
“Ich ändere meine Pläne.”
I change my plans.
to search, to look for
“Ich suche meinen Schlüssel.”
I am looking for my key.
to pull, to move house
“Ich ziehe die Tür langsam zu.”
I pull the door closed slowly.
to miss a train, to miss an appointment
“Ich verpasse den Bus.”
I miss the bus.
to study
“Ich studiere Deutsch an der Universität.”
I study German at the university.
to learn
“Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.”
I learn German every day.
to place, to put
“Ich stelle den Stuhl an die Wand.”
I put the chair against the wall.
to sell
“Ich verkaufe heute ein altes Buch.”
I am selling an old book today.
to exchange
“Ich tausche meinen Stift mit dir.”
I exchange my pen with you.
to let, to allow
“Ich lasse das Fenster offen.”
I leave the window open.
to lead
“Ich führe meinen Hund jeden Morgen im Park.”
I walk my dog in the park every morning.
to sit down
“Ich setze den Stuhl an den Tisch.”
I place the chair at the table.
to photograph
“Ich fotografiere den Hund.”
I photograph the dog.
to drink
“Ich trinke Wasser.”
I drink water.
to look at, to watch
“Ich sehe den Film an.”
I am watching the movie.
to request, to ask for
“Ich bitte dich um Hilfe.”
I ask you for help.
to drive, to go
“Ich fahre jeden Tag zur Arbeit.”
I drive to work every day.
to shop
“Ich kaufe jeden Tag Brot ein.”
I buy bread every day.
to take off clothes, to get undressed
“Ich ziehe meine Jacke aus.”
I take off my jacket.
to close
“Ich schließe die Tür.”
I close the door.
to hold, to stop
“Ich halte das kleine Buch in der Hand.”
I hold the small book in my hand.
to choose, to vote
“Ich wähle eine Pizza.”
I choose a pizza.
to wash, to wash oneself
“Ich wasche meine Hände.”
I wash my hands.
to smoke
“Ich rauche nicht.”
I do not smoke.
to calculate, to count
“Ich rechne die Aufgabe.”
I calculate the exercise.
to eat
“Ich esse einen Apfel.”
I eat an apple.
to play
“Ich spiele jeden Abend Fußball.”
I play soccer every evening.
to end, to finish
“Ich beende meine Arbeit um vier Uhr.”
I finish my work at four o'clock.
to organize
“Ich organisiere die kleine Party heute.”
I organize the small party today.
to visit
“Ich besuche meine Oma.”
I visit my grandma.
to notice
“Ich merke den Fehler sofort.”
I notice the mistake immediately.
to repair
“Ich repariere den kaputten Stuhl.”
I repair the broken chair.
to share, to divide
“Wir teilen den Kuchen.”
We share the cake.
to bake
“Ich backe einen Kuchen.”
I bake a cake.
to continue
“Wir machen jetzt weiter.”
We continue now.
to inform oneself about
“Ich informiere dich heute.”
I inform you today.
to try
“Ich versuche das Rezept.”
I try the recipe.
to win
“Ich gewinne oft kleine Spiele.”
I often win small games.
to wish
“Ich wünsche dir einen schönen Tag.”
I wish you a nice day.
to have
“Ich habe einen Hund.”
I have a dog.
would like
“Ich möchte einen Kaffee.”
I would like a coffee.
to feel
“Ich fühle mich heute gut.”
I feel good today.
to pick up
“Ich hole dich später ab.”
I will pick you up later.
to try
“Ich probiere die Suppe.”
I try the soup.
to show
“Ich zeige dir das Bild.”
I show you the picture.
to take along
“Ich nehme meine Tasche mit.”
I take my bag with me.
to introduce
“Ich stelle mich der neuen Lehrerin vor.”
I introduce myself to the new teacher.
to find
“Ich finde meinen Schlüssel nicht.”
I cannot find my key.
to manage, to create
“Ich schaffe das.”
I manage that.
to spend money
“Ich gebe heute zehn Euro aus.”
I spend ten euros today.
to plan
“Ich plane ein kleines Essen.”
I am planning a small meal.
to rent
“Ich miete eine kleine Wohnung.”
I rent a small apartment.
to annoy, to get angry
“Ich ärgere meinen Bruder manchmal.”
I annoy my brother sometimes.
to wake someone
“Ich wecke meinen Bruder jeden Morgen.”
I wake my brother every morning.
to spell
“Kannst du deinen Namen buchstabieren?”
Can you spell your name?
to change
“Ich wechsle das Geld.”
I exchange the money.
to fetch, get
“Ich hole ein Glas Wasser.”
I get a glass of water.
to repeat
“Ich wiederhole den Satz.”
I repeat the sentence.
to celebrate
“Wir feiern heute meinen Geburtstag.”
We are celebrating my birthday today.
to reserve
“Ich reserviere einen Tisch.”
I reserve a table.
to collect
“Ich sammle gerne Briefe.”
I like to collect letters.
to save data
“Ich speichere das Foto auf meinem Handy.”
I save the photo on my phone.
to paint
“Ich male ein Bild.”
I paint a picture.
Practice with Games
Example Sentences
Ich sehe den Bus.
I see the bus.
Sie kauft einen neuen Laptop.
She is buying a new laptop.
Wir brauchen mehr Zeit.
We need more time.
Kennst du ihn?
Do you know him?
Er fragt die Lehrerin.
He asks the teacher.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an accusative verb in German?
Which German verbs take the accusative?
What changes in the accusative?
Why is fragen accusative but antworten dative?
Can an accusative verb be used without an object?
Continue Learning
German Cases Explained
Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ and Genitiv with a chart and a quiz
German Dative Verbs
The short list of verbs that take the Dativ instead
Dative and Accusative Verbs
Verbs that take both a person and a thing
Guess the Artikel Game
Practice der, die, das, the base for den and dem