Breakdown of Ich sehe den Magier als meinen Feind.
ich
I
sehen
to see
mein
my
als
as (in the role of)
der Magier
the mage
der Feind
the enemy
Questions & Answers about Ich sehe den Magier als meinen Feind.
Why is meinen Feind in the accusative case here?
The particle als (as) links the identity of meinen Feind directly to den Magier. Because den Magier is the direct object (accusative) of the verb sehen, the noun phrase following als must match that exact same case.
What happens to the case after als if the main noun is the subject instead?
The case after als always copies the case of the noun it refers back to. If the sentence were Der Magier arbeitet als mein Feind (The mage works as my enemy), Der Magier is the subject (nominative), so the phrase after als must also be nominative (mein Feind).
I previously learned that als means "than". How do I know it means "as" in this sentence?
Context is key! When als comes right after a comparative adjective (like besser or größer), it means "than". In this sentence, there is no comparison. Instead, als connects a person to an identity or role, which translates to "as".
Could I use wie instead of als in this sentence?
Using wie changes the meaning. wie is used for comparisons (meaning "like"). If you said wie meinen Feind, it would mean you see him "like my enemy" (he resembles your enemy). Using als means you assign him the actual identity: you consider him to be your enemy.
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