One of the most common misconceptions about English is this:

“English is easy because it has no cases.”

This statement is only half true.
English has no visible case endings — but it absolutely has case logic.

The difference is not in meaning.
The difference is in how meaning is encoded.

When a Language Removes Forms, It Reinforces Structure

Languages never remove logic.
They only redistribute it.

When English gradually lost its case system, it did not become chaotic.
It compensated by strengthening other tools:

  • word order
  • prepositions
  • fixed sentence roles

In other words, English did not lose cases.
It moved them.

Function Comes First — Form Always Follows

Consider these sentences:

  • I give the book to the student.
  • I take the book from the table.
  • I put the book on the desk.

There are no case endings here.
But the roles are perfectly clear.

Why?

Because English answers the same questions German does:

  • Who affects whom?
  • Where does something move?
  • Where is something located?

The language simply answers them without inflection.

Prepositions Are Not Decorations

Many learners treat English prepositions as arbitrary words to memorize.

They are not.

Prepositions in English carry the same functional weight that cases carry in German or Slavic languages.

Compare the logic, not the form:

  • German uses case change
  • English uses prepositional direction
  • The question behind the sentence remains the same

The system is stable.
Only the surface changes.

Why Memorization Still Fails in English

English learners struggle not because English is irregular,
but because they are often taught forms without functions.

They memorize:

  • “to is used with give”
  • “on is used with put”

But they are rarely taught to ask:
“What is happening in this situation?”

Without that question, even English becomes mechanical.

Languages Solve the Same Problem in Different Ways

Every language must answer:

  • who is involved
  • what changes
  • what stays
  • where things move
  • where they remain

German answers this with cases.
English answers this with structure.

The logic is identical.
Only the tools differ.

The Core Principle

You do not learn grammar to speak correctly.
You learn grammar to understand how meaning moves.

Once this becomes clear,
languages stop competing with each other.

They start explaining each other.

Author’s note

This article is part of an author’s column exploring how different languages express the same underlying logic through different grammatical systems.
The goal is not to simplify language — but to make its structure visible.

Author: Tymur Levitin
Founder, Director, Senior Teacher
Levitin Language School / Start Language School by Tymur Levitin
Global Learning. Personal Approach.

© Tymur Levitin