German Grammar A–Z
Look up German grammar topics A–Z, organized by category and level — with clear explanations and examples.
List of Verbs Governing the Accusative
In German we often come across verbs that take the Akkusativ. This is a very important area of knowledge for learners. Today's article introduces this part of the grammar.
Let's get started!!!
A list of some common verbs that take the Akkusativ:
| abholen | to pick up, to fetch | hören | to hear, to listen |
| anrufen | to call (by phone) | lassen | to let, to leave |
| beantworten | to answer | lieben | to love |
| bedienen | to serve | mögen | to want, to like |
| benutzen | to use | öffnen | to open |
| erhalten | to receive | besichtigen | to visit (sights) |
| kennen | to know | suchen | to search for |
| planen | to plan | finden | to find |
| bezahlen | to pay | schreiben | to write |
| besuchen | to visit | lernen | to learn |
| fragen | to ask | nehmen | to take |
| kaufen | to buy | brauchen | to need |
| lesen | to read | backen | to bake |
| haben | to have | stören | to disturb |
| packen | to pack | vorbereiten | to prepare |
| beneiden | to envy | vergessen | to forget |
| essen | to eat | unterbrechen | to interrupt |
| genießen | to enjoy | übersetzen | to translate |
| fotografieren | to photograph | trinken | to drink |
| heiraten | to marry | tragen | to wear |
| schließen | to close | sehen | to see, to look at |
Examples:
a. Die Ärztin untersucht einen Patienten.
(The doctor examines a patient.)
b. Ich bezahle viele Rechnungen.
(I pay many bills.)
c. Ich habe einen Hund.
(I have a dog.)
d. Wir rufen den Arzt an.
(We call the doctor.)
e. Sie kauft eine Hose im Einkaufszentrum.
(She buys a pair of trousers at the shopping center.)
Note:
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For verbs that take 2 objects, the object that is directly affected (direct object) is in the Akkusativ, and the object that is indirectly affected (indirect object) is in the Dativ.
Ich gebe meinem Bruder einen Stift.
(I give my brother a pen.)
→ einen Stift: direct object - Akkusativobjekt; meinem Bruder: indirect object - Dativobjekt
