Use this as a learning tool and a reference tool until you have mastered the system.

Learn the nominative case by heart as the first step.

Then learn the accusative. The accusative differs from the nominative only in one category: the third person singular masculine. In all the other categories, the accusative is the same as the nominative. The mnemonic device to help you remember the distinction between the nominative and the accusative is the word "man": M-A-N (Masculine Accusative goes to N).

Then learn the dative. The dative is different from the accusative and the nominative for every category. To help you remember the dative, the mnemonic device is the word "merman": MeRMaNN (M masculine, R feminine, M neuter and N-N plural).

The mnemonic device to help you remember the genitive is "sister": SiSteR (masculine & neuter use S-S, feminine and plural R)

NOMINATIV

nominative case (subject)

MÄNNLICH

masculine

WEIBLICH

feminine

SÄCHLICH

neuter

MEHRZÄHLIG

plural, all genders

"Der"-Wörter

dies-, jed-, welch-, all-

"Ein"-Wörter

possessive adjectives

AKKUSATIV

accusative (direct object)

accusative prepositions:

durch, für, gegen, ohne, um

(also: with prepositions that take either dative or accusative,
use accusative to indicate change of location)

SÄCHLICH

neuter

MEHRZÄHLIG

plural, all genders

"Der"-Wörter

"Ein"-Wörter

DATIV

dative (indirect object)

(to/for) (reference)

dative prepositions: aus, außer, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu

dative verbs: danken, folgen, helfen, gefallen, gehören, glauben,
gratulieren, etc.

SÄCHLICH

neuter

MEHRZÄHLIG

plural, all genders

"der-" und "ein"-Wörter

GENITIV

genitive case (of)

genitive prepositions:

anstatt (statt), außerhalb, innerhalb, trotz, während, wegen

WEIBLICH

feminine

SÄCHLICH

neuter

MEHRZÄHLIG

plural, all genders

"der-" und "ein"-Wörter