The case of the subject
German marks the job of a noun in the sentence on its article. This job is called the case. The Nominativ is the case of the subject: the person or thing that does the verb, or that the sentence is about. It is also the form you find in the dictionary, like der Tisch, die Lampe, das Buch.
Subjects in sentences
Der Mann ist groß.
The man is tall.
Die Frau liest.
The woman is reading.
Das Kind schläft.
The child is sleeping.
How to find the subject
Ask wer? (who?) or was? (what?) in front of the verb. The answer is the subject. The verb always agrees with it: Der Hund schläft, but Die Kinder spielen.
Ask wer? or was?
Der Lehrer erklärt die Aufgabe.
The teacher explains the exercise.
Wer erklärt? Der Lehrer.
Die Suppe schmeckt gut.
The soup tastes good.
Was schmeckt gut? Die Suppe.
Meine Freunde wohnen in Berlin.
My friends live in Berlin.
Wer wohnt in Berlin? Meine Freunde.
After sein
In everyday sentences
Der Bus kommt gleich.
The bus is coming soon.
Wer kommt heute Abend?
Who's coming this evening?
Die Kinder sind im Garten.
The children are in the garden.
Der Kaffee ist noch heiß.
The coffee is still hot.
