German case confusion
Hello, I’ve just started learning German. I’m therefore still a beginner and am struggling on the German cases. In the sentence – Ich schriebe einen Termin in meinen Kalander – I don’t know which is the direct object, is it - the appointment - or - the calendar-??
I know the direct object is the receiver of the action of the verb, so therefore I think it’s –the appointment- but then –meinen Kalender- is also written in the accusative.
Can someone please help explain it?

Question

German case confusion
Hello, I’ve just started learning German.  I’m therefore still a beginner and am struggling on the German cases. In the sentence – Ich schriebe einen Termin in meinen Kalander – I don’t know which is the direct object, is it - the appointment - or - the calendar-??
I know the direct object is the receiver of the action of  the verb, so therefore I think it’s –the appointment- but then –meinen Kalender- is also written in the accusative.  
Can someone please help explain it?

Answer

Direktes Objekt  (Akkusativ odr Dativ) =  ohne Präposition 
z.B.   1. Ich  fragen dich (Akk).    
          2. Ich helfe dir. (Dat.)
Also, in Ihrem Satz  ist "Termin"  direktes Objekt.

Indirekte Objekt ( sthet im Akk. oder im Dat.)= Präp. + Nomen/Pronomen

z.B. Ich warte auf dich. (indierektes objekt im Akk.)
       Ich gehe mit dir ins Kino. (indirekte Objekt im Dativ)

also hier "in den Kalender"

Answer

Ich schreibe einen Termin in meinen Kalander.

Wer oder was schreibt in meinen Kalendar einen Termin? Ich (Subjekt,Nominativ)
Wen oder was schreibe ich in meinen Kalendar? einen Termin (Akkusativ) direct object
Wohin(In was) schreibe ich den Termin? meinen Kalendar (Akkusativ) adverb because you change change the preposition (auf, neben, ...)

Maybe helps this page your a bit more to understand
http://www.deutschseite.de/grammatik/faelle/faelle.html (English)

"in" is a "two-way"-preposition and this a signal for accusative or dative

prepositional phrase = preposition + noun phrase

Noun phrases have in German different cases but you have to look at the function of the phrase

Answer

einen Termin = direct object
in meinen Kalander = prepositional phrase, and therefore cannot be the direct object.

The direct object is always in the accusative, but the accusative does not always imply the direct object.